Internet, Networking, & Security Web Development Audio File MIME Types Embed sound in your web pages with the correct MIME type by Jennifer Kyrnin Freelance Contributor Jennifer Kyrnin is a professional web developer who assists others in learning web design, HTML, CSS, and XML. our editorial process LinkedIn Jennifer Kyrnin Updated on July 17, 2020 Web Development CSS & HTML Web Design SQL Tweet Share Email Audio files must be recognized by a web browser so that the browser knows how to handle it. The standard for identifying file types—Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)—stipulates the nature of non-text files transmitted by email. MIME, however, is also used by web browsers. To embed audio into a web page, you'll need to verify that the browser understands the file's MIME type. Embedding Audio Use MIME types to embed sound files in your web pages using the HTML4 standard. Include the MIME type value in the type attribute of the embed element. For example: <embed src="sunshine.mp3" type="au HTML4 doesn't have built-in support to play audio, only the embedding of the file. You'll need to use a plug-in to play the file on a page. In HTML5, the audio element supports the MP3, WAV, and OGG formats. If the browser doesn't support the element or the file type, it returns an error message. Using audio allows the browser to playback supported sound files without the need for a plug-in. Talaj / Getty Images Understanding Mime Types MIME types associate with common file extensions. The content-type indicator identifies the extension in greater detail. Content-type tags appear as slashed pairs. The first term indicates the broad class of what it is, for example, audio or video. The second term indicates the subtype. An audio type might support dozens of subtypes, including MPEG, WAV, and RealAudio specifications. If the MIME type is supported by an official Internet standard, the standard is indicated through a numbered Request for Comments that, when the comment period closes, defines the type or subtype officially. For example, RFC 3003 defines the audio/MPEG MIME type. Not all RFCs are officially approved. Some, like RFC 3003, exist in a state of semi-permanent proposed status. Common Audio MIME Types The following table identifies some common audio-specific MIME types: File Extension MIME Type RFC au audio/basic RFC 2046 snd audio/basic Linear PCM auido/L24 RFC 3190 mid audio/mid rmi audio/mid mp3 audio/mpeg RFC 3003 mp4 audio audio/mp4 aif audio/x-aiff aifc audio/x-aiff aiff audio/x-aiff m3u audio/x-mpegurl ra audio/vnd.rn-realaudio ram audio/vnd.rn-realaudio Ogg Vorbis audio/ogg RFC 5334 Vorbis audio/vorbis RFC 5215 wav audio/vnd.wav RFC 2361 More from Lifewire 7 Best Free Audio Converter Software Programs The Best Audio Search Engines What Is a File Extension and MIME Type? How to Manage Plug-Ins in the Safari Web Browser A List of MIME Types by Content Type How to Create a Microsoft Sway Presentation How Audio File Formats Differ and What This Means for Listeners How to Add Sound to an HTML5 Web Page How to Add Audio to Google Slides How to Use PHP to Force a File Download What Is an MP3 File? What Are WAV & WAVE Files? How to Embed Instagram Photos or Video Posts Into a Website Add Background Sound to Emails in Outlook.com How to Connect Your MacBook Air to a TV What Is Digital Music and How Does It Work?