HTMLMediaElement: play() method
===============================

 The `HTMLMediaElement`
**`play()`** method attempts to begin playback of the media.
 It returns a `Promise` which is resolved when playback has been
 successfully started.

 Failure to begin playback for any reason, such as
 permission issues, result in the promise being rejected.

Syntax
------


```js
play()
```

### Parameters

None.

### Return value

 A `Promise` which is resolved when playback has been started, or is
 rejected if for any reason playback cannot be started.


**Note:** Browsers released before 2019 may not return a value from
 `play()`.


### Exceptions

 The promise's **rejection handler** is called with a `DOMException` object
 passed in as its sole input parameter (as opposed to a traditional exception being
 thrown). Possible errors include:

`NotAllowedError` `DOMException`

 Provided if the user agent (browser) or operating system doesn't allow playback of media in the
 current context or situation. The browser may require the user to explicitly start
 media playback by clicking a "play" button, for example because of a Permissions Policy.


`NotSupportedError` `DOMException`

 Provided if the media source (which may be specified as a `MediaStream`,
 `MediaSource`, `Blob`, or `File`, for example)
 doesn't represent a supported media format.



 Other exceptions may be reported, depending on browser implementation details, media
 player implementation, and so forth.

Usage notes
-----------

 Although the term "autoplay" is usually thought of as referring to pages that
 immediately begin playing media upon being loaded, web browsers' autoplay policies also
 apply to any script-initiated playback of media, including calls to `play()`.

 If the user agent is configured not to allow automatic or
 script-initiated playback of media, calling `play()` will cause the returned
 promise to be immediately rejected with a `NotAllowedError`. Websites should
 be prepared to handle this situation. For example, a site should not present a user
 interface that assumes playback has begun automatically, but should instead update their
 UI based on whether the returned promise is fulfilled or rejected. See the
 example below for more information.


**Note:** The `play()` method may cause the user to be asked
 to grant permission to play the media, resulting in a possible delay before the
 returned promise is resolved. Be sure your code doesn't expect an immediate response.


 For even more in-depth information about autoplay and autoplay blocking, see our
 article Autoplay guide for media and Web Audio APIs.

Examples
--------

 This example demonstrates how to confirm that playback has begun and how to gracefully
 handle blocked automatic playback:


```js
let videoElem = document.getElementById("video");
let playButton = document.getElementById("playbutton");

playButton.addEventListener("click", handlePlayButton, false);
playVideo();

async function playVideo() {
  try {
    await videoElem.play();
    playButton.classList.add("playing");
  } catch (err) {
    playButton.classList.remove("playing");
  }
}

function handlePlayButton() {
  if (videoElem.paused) {
    playVideo();
  } else {
    videoElem.pause();
    playButton.classList.remove("playing");
  }
}
```


 In this example, playback of video is toggled off and on by the
 `async`
`playVideo()` function. It tries to play the video, and if successful sets
 the class name of the `playButton` element to `"playing"`. If
 playback fails to start, the `playButton` element's class is cleared,
 restoring its default appearance. This ensures that the play button matches the actual
 state of playback by watching for the resolution or rejection of the
 `Promise` returned by `play()`.

 When this example is executed, it begins by collecting references to the
 `<video>` element as well as the `<button>` used to toggle
 playback on and off. It then sets up an event handler for the `click` event
 on the play toggle button and attempts to automatically begin playback by calling
 `playVideo()`.

You can try out or remix this example in real time on Glitch.

Specifications
--------------

| Specification |
| --- |
| HTML Standard # dom-media-play-dev |

Browser compatibility
---------------------

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See also
--------

* Web media technologies
* Learning: Video and audio content
* Autoplay guide for media and Web Audio APIs
* Using the Web Audio API