What is lazy loading in simple terms?

It defers loading some of the heavier elements of a page until the lighter ones are loaded, so the user can start interacting with the content sooner rather than later.

Does Chrome already support lazy loading?

Yes — since 2019, Chrome and Chromium-based browsers have had lazy loading for images and iframes, which only start loading once the user scrolls close to them on the page.

What's new with this announcement?

Google is testing expanded lazy loading that also includes video and audio elements — content placed inside HTML video or audio tags — which were previously not covered.

Which Chrome version will get this feature?

The lazy loading change is coming to Chrome 148 on both desktop and mobile.

Will other browsers benefit from this change?

Yes — since Google is committing the change to the Chromium codebase, it's expected to come to other Chromium-based browsers as well, such as Microsoft Edge.

Google Chrome to Get Lazy Loading for Video and Audio Elements in Chrome 148

07/04/2026

Google Chrome to Get Lazy Loading for Video and Audio Elements

What Is Lazy Loading?

Lazy loading is not a new concept by far. The idea is simple — defer loading some of the heavier elements of a page until the lighter ones are loaded. That way, the user can start interacting with the content sooner rather than later.

What's New in Chrome?

Since 2019, Chrome and Chromium-based browsers have had lazy loading for images and iframes. Both types of elements will only start loading once the user scrolls close to them on the page.

Google has announced that it is currently testing expanded lazy loading that also includes video and audio elements — that is, multimedia content positioned inside a video or audio HTML tag. These aren't quite as common as images or even iframes on the modern web, but they still have their uses.

When and Which Browsers?

The lazy loading change is apparently coming to Chrome 148 on both desktop and mobile. Since Google is committing it to the Chromium codebase, we expect it to come to other Chromium-based browsers as well, like Microsoft Edge.

Final Thoughts

This improvement closes a long-standing gap in Chrome's lazy loading support. After covering images and iframes since 2019, the feature now extends to video and audio elements. The practical result: faster-loading pages, lower data usage, and a smoother browsing experience — especially on slow connections or mobile devices.

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