Media that starts by itself

What we check

We load the home page in the browser and collect all <video> and <audio> elements as well as embedded YouTube and Vimeo players. Then we look at what starts by itself:

• With sound: a video or audio that plays after load and is not muted, or a YouTube or Vimeo player with autoplay=1 without mute=1. That is a warning.
• Muted without pause: a muted video that runs automatically and shows no controls, such as a background video or a Vimeo player in background mode. That is a note.

Media that only start on click or run muted with controls are fine. If there are no media at all, the check does not apply. Whether a video plays and is muted is read in the browser, not from the attributes: videos started by a script count too. The browser only starts a video without a click when it is muted; an autoplay without muted does not start at all.

Why it matters

A video that kicks off when the page opens looks lively on the agency's screen. Visitors often experience it differently:

• Sound without warning startles, embarrasses in the open-plan office and on the train, and makes many people close the page at once. Blind people no longer hear their screen reader and cannot find the stop button because the software is drowned out. That is why the accessibility guidelines (WCAG 1.4.2) require that sound playing for more than three seconds can be stopped or does not start by itself at all.
• Movement that does not stop is a real barrier for people with attention disorders, dyslexia or some visual impairments: they cannot read the text next to it. The guidelines (WCAG 2.2.2) therefore require a way to pause moving content.
• Data and battery: a background video loads several megabytes on the smartphone before the page is usable.

Muted autoplay with a pause button is a good compromise. Sound belongs behind a click.

How to fix it

Own videos

<video controls preload="metadata" poster="preview.jpg">
  <source src="film.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

For a background video: autoplay muted loop playsinline together with controls, or a separate pause button that stops the video with video.pause(). The muted attribute must be in the HTML, not only set by script.

YouTube and Vimeo

Remove autoplay=1 from the player's address. If the video should still start automatically, add mute=1 on YouTube, muted=1 on Vimeo, and leave the controls switched on (leave out controls=0).

WordPress and builders

The video block of WordPress and the video elements of Elementor, Wix, Jimdo and Squarespace have switches for "Autoplay", "Mute" and "Show controls". Switch autoplay off or leave mute and controls switched on.

How to check it yourself

Open the home page in a new private window with the speaker switched on. Does anything start without you having clicked? Can you find a button to stop it within three seconds?

Frequently asked questions

A background video is muted. Is that fine?

Yes, if it can be paused. A small pause button in a corner is enough. Without it we give a note, because movement that does not stop distracts many people from reading.

Browsers block sound without a click anyway, do they not?

Mostly, but not always: Chrome allows sound on websites someone visits often, and apps with an embedded browser do not follow the rule. Do not rely on it, and plan for a start on click.

What does this mean for video plugins?

Most plugins and builders have the options "Autoplay" and "Mute". Switch autoplay off, or leave mute and controls switched on.