index.md

---

title: Animation.pause()
slug: Web/API/Animation/pause
page-type: web-api-instance-method
browser-compat: api.Animation.pause

---

{{ APIRef("Web Animations") }}

The pause() method of the Web Animations API's {{domxref("Animation")}} interface suspends playback of the animation.

Syntax

animation.pause();

Parameters

None.

Return value

None.

Exceptions

• InvalidStateError {{domxref("DOMException")}}

  • : Thrown if the animation's {{domxref("Animation.currentTime", "currentTime")}} is unresolved (perhaps it hasn't started playing yet), and the end time of the animation is positive infinity.

Example

Animation.pause() is used many times in the Alice in Web Animations API Land Growing/Shrinking Alice Game, largely because animations created with the {{domxref("Element.animate()")}} method immediately start playing and must be paused manually if you want to avoid that:

// animation of the cupcake slowly getting eaten up
const nommingCake = document
  .getElementById("eat-me_sprite")
  .animate(
    [{ transform: "translateY(0)" }, { transform: "translateY(-80%)" }],
    {
      fill: "forwards",
      easing: "steps(4, end)",
      duration: aliceChange.effect.timing.duration / 2,
    }
  );

// doesn't actually need to be eaten until a click event, so pause it initially:
nommingCake.pause();

Additionally, when resetting:

// An all-purpose function to pause the animations on Alice, the cupcake, and the bottle that reads "drink me."
const stopPlayingAlice = () => {
  aliceChange.pause();
  nommingCake.pause();
  drinking.pause();
};

// When the user releases the cupcake or the bottle, pause the animations.
cake.addEventListener("mouseup", stopPlayingAlice, false);
bottle.addEventListener("mouseup", stopPlayingAlice, false);

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

See also

• Web Animations API

• {{domxref("Animation")}} for other methods and properties you can use to control web page animation.

• {{domxref("Animation.pause()")}} to pause an animation.

• {{domxref("Animation.reverse()")}} to play an animation backwards.

• {{domxref("Animation.finish()")}} to finish an animation.

• {{domxref("Animation.cancel()")}} to cancel an animation.