References

Beginner-friendly references for web development, with live, editable examples.

The HTML oncanplay event

Event All modern browsers Updated
Quick answer

The HTML oncanplay attribute runs JavaScript when the browser can start playing the media but may need to buffer. It is an inline handler for the canplay event; in modern code prefer addEventListener('canplay', …).

Overview

The oncanplay event attribute runs JavaScript when media can begin playing. In JavaScript the event itself is named canplay — drop the on prefix when you call addEventListener.

It is one of the media events, fired by <audio> and <video> elements as their loading and playback state changes. These events drive custom players — progress bars, buffering spinners, play/pause UI.

You can wire this up with the inline oncanplay HTML attribute, but the modern, recommended approach is element.addEventListener('canplay', handler) in JavaScript. That keeps behavior out of your markup, lets you attach several handlers to the same event, and makes them easy to remove. The inline attribute is fine for quick demos.

Syntax

<element oncanplay="handler()">…</element>

element.addEventListener('canplay', handler);

Best practices

  • Prefer element.addEventListener('canplay', handler) over the inline oncanplay attribute — it separates behavior from markup and allows multiple handlers.
  • Attach media events to the <video>/<audio> element to build custom player UI.
  • Read the element's state (currentTime, duration, buffered) inside the handler.
  • Still provide native controls and captions for accessibility.

Frequently asked questions

What is the oncanplay event?
It runs JavaScript when media can begin playing. In JavaScript the event is named canplay.
Which elements fire this event?
Media elements — <audio> and <video> — as their playback or loading state changes.
How do I build a custom video player?
Listen to the media events and read/set properties like currentTime and paused on the element to drive your own controls.
Should I use the oncanplay attribute or addEventListener?
Prefer addEventListener('canplay', …) in JavaScript. The inline oncanplay attribute works but mixes behavior into the markup and allows only one handler per element.
oncancel oncanplaythrough