HTML <embed> Tag
The <embed> tag is used to embed the content, which is not understood by the browser. Description, attributes and examples.
The <embed> tag is used as a container for external applications, multimedia and interactive content that the browser doesn’t understand. External plug-ins or special programs must be installed or enabled for proper display. The display of the embedded content depends on the file type, the attributes of the <embed> tag, and the plugins installed in the browser. For modern web development, it is recommended to use the <video> and <audio> tags instead of the <embed> tag.
To load objects into HTML4, use the <object> tag. For broader compatibility, the <embed> tag is often placed inside the <object> tag. In HTML5, <embed> is a standard element, so documents using it validate correctly.
Use the CSS object-position property to correct the positioning of the embedded object within the element’s frame.
Syntax
The <embed> tag is empty, which means that the closing tag isn’t required. But in XHTML, the <embed> tag must be closed (<embed/>).
Example of the HTML <embed> tag for placing a logo:
Example of the HTML <embed> Tag
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
</head>
<body>
<embed src="/uploads/media/default/0001/01/0710cad7a1017902166203def268a0df2a5fd545.png" />
</body>
</html>Result
Example of the HTML <embed> tag for placing an audio:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
</head>
<body>
<embed type="audio/mpeg"
src="/build/audios/audio.mp3"
width="200"
height="100" />
</body>
</html>Example of the HTML <embed> tag for placing a video:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
</head>
<body>
<embed type="video/mp4"
src="/build/videos/arcnet.io(7-sec).mp4"
width="300"
height="200"
title="Arcnet.io video" />
</body>
</html>Attributes
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| align | left, right, center, justify | Specifies the alignment of the embedded content on the page and the way it is wrapped around the text. |
| height | pixels | Defines the height of the embedded content. |
| pluginspage | URL | Address, from where we can download and install necessary plug-in. |
| src | URL | Indicates the path to the file which will be inserted in the <embed> tag. |
| type | MIME-type | Defines the MIME type (specification for the transmission over the network of files of various types) of the embedded content. |
| vspace | pixels | Defines the vertical indent from the embedded content to the surrounding one. |
| width | pixels | Defines the width of the embedded content. |
The <embed> tag supports the Global attributes and the Event Attributes.
Note: The align and vspace attributes are obsolete in HTML5. For modern styling and layout, it is recommended to use CSS width, height, and object-position properties instead of the HTML attributes.
Practice
What are the use-cases of the HTML <embed> tag?