Web/HTML/Element/embed

The HTML <embed> element embeds external content at the specified point in the document. This content is provided by an external application or other source of interactive content such as a browser plug-in.

The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.

Note: This topic documents only the element that is defined as part of HTML5. It does not address earlier, non-standardized implementation of the element.

Keep in mind that most modern browsers have deprecated and removed support for browser plug-ins, so relying upon <embed> is generally not wise if you want your site to be operable on the average user's browser.

Content categories	Flow content, phrasing content, embedded content, interactive content, palpable content.
Permitted content	None, it is an empty element.
Tag omission	Must have a start tag, and must not have an end tag.
Permitted parents	Any element that accepts embedded content.
Implicit ARIA role	No corresponding role
Permitted ARIA roles	application, document, img, none, presentation
DOM interface	HTMLEmbedElement

Attributes

This element's attributes include the global attributes.

height

The displayed height of the resource, in CSS pixels. This must be an absolute value; percentages are not allowed.

src

The URL of the resource being embedded.

type

The MIME type to use to select the plug-in to instantiate.

width

The displayed width of the resource, in CSS pixels. This must be an absolute value; percentages are not allowed.

Usage notes

You can use the object-position property to adjust the positioning of the embedded object within the element's frame, and the object-fit property to control how the object's size is adjusted to fit within the frame.

Examples

<embed type="video/quicktime" src="movie.mov" width="640" height="480" title="Title of my video">

Accessibility concerns

Use the title attribute on an embed element to label its content so that people navigating with assistive technology such as a screen reader can understand what it contains. The title's value should concisely describe the embedded content. Without a title, they may not be able to determine what its embedded content is. This context shift can be confusing and time-consuming, especially if the embed element contains interactive content like video or audio.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
HTML Living StandardThe definition of '<embed>' in that specification.	Living Standard
HTML5The definition of '<embed>' in that specification.	Recommendation

Browser compatibility

Note: Prior to version 45, Firefox did not display content of HTML resource, but a generic message saying the content needs a plug-in (see bug 730768).

The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

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
embed	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes
height	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes
src	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes
type	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes
width	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support  

Full support

Compatibility unknown  

Compatibility unknown

See also

• Other elements that are used for embedding content of various types include <audio>, <canvas>, <iframe>, <img>, <math>, <object>, <svg>, and <video>.
• Positioning and sizing the embedded content within its frame: object-position and object-fit

<embed>: The Embed External Content element by Mozilla Contributors is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.5.