Web/API/FileReader/result

The FileReader result property returns the file's contents. This property is only valid after the read operation is complete, and the format of the data depends on which of the methods was used to initiate the read operation.

Syntax

var file = instanceOfFileReader.result

Value

An appropiate string or ArrayBuffer based on which of the reading methods was used to initiate the read operation. The value is null if the reading is not yet complete or was unsuccessful.

The result types are described below.

Method	Description
`readAsArrayBuffer()`	The `result` is a JavaScript `ArrayBuffer` containing binary data.
`readAsBinaryString()`	The `result` contains the raw binary data from the file in a string.
`readAsDataURL()`	The `result` is a string with a `data:` URL representing the file's data.
`readAsText()`	The `result` is text in a string.

Example

This example presents a function, read(), which reads a file from a file input. It works by creating a FileReader object and creating a listener for load events such that when then file is read, the result is obtained and passed to the callback function provided to read().

The content is handled as raw text data.

var fileInput = document.querySelector('input[type="file"]');

function read(callback) {
  var file = fileInput.files.item(0);
  var reader = new FileReader();

  reader.onload = function() {
    callback(reader.result);
  }

  reader.readAsText(file);
}

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
File APIThe definition of 'result' in that specification.	Working Draft	Initial definition

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`result`	Chrome Full support 7	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 3.6	IE Full support 10	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 32	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 6.1	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support: Full support