diff --git a/packages/core/src/dom/ui/popover/popover.ts b/packages/core/src/dom/ui/popover/popover.ts
index 7f78bfb1..d625cc14 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/dom/ui/popover/popover.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/dom/ui/popover/popover.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { State } from '@videojs/store';
-import { listen } from '@videojs/utils/dom';
+import { listen, tryHidePopover, tryShowPopover } from '@videojs/utils/dom';
 import type { PopoverInput } from '../../../core/ui/popover/popover-core';
 import { createDismissLayer } from '../dismiss-layer';
 import type { UIFocusEvent, UIPointerEvent } from '../event';
@@ -105,8 +105,6 @@ export function createPopover(options: PopoverOptions): PopoverApi {
     const opening = layer.open();
     if (!opening) return;
 
-    tryShowPopover(popupEl);
-
     const details: PopoverChangeDetails = event ? { reason, event } : { reason };
     onOpenChange(true, details);
 
@@ -287,21 +285,3 @@ export function createPopover(options: PopoverOptions): PopoverApi {
     destroy: layer.destroy,
   };
 }
-
-// --- Popover API helpers ---
-
-function tryShowPopover(el: HTMLElement | null): void {
-  try {
-    el?.showPopover?.();
-  } catch {
-    // Element may not support popover API
-  }
-}
-
-function tryHidePopover(el: HTMLElement | null): void {
-  try {
-    el?.hidePopover?.();
-  } catch {
-    // Element may not support popover API or may already be hidden
-  }
-}
diff --git a/packages/html/src/ui/popover/popover-element.ts b/packages/html/src/ui/popover/popover-element.ts
index 98314c03..1ffb7191 100644
--- a/packages/html/src/ui/popover/popover-element.ts
+++ b/packages/html/src/ui/popover/popover-element.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from '@videojs/core/dom';
 import type { PropertyDeclarationMap, PropertyValues } from '@videojs/element';
 import { SnapshotController } from '@videojs/store/html';
-import { applyStyles, supportsAnchorPositioning } from '@videojs/utils/dom';
+import { applyStyles, supportsAnchorPositioning, tryHidePopover, tryShowPopover } from '@videojs/utils/dom';
 
 import { MediaElement } from '../media-element';
 
@@ -143,6 +143,14 @@ export class PopoverElement extends MediaElement {
     applyElementProps(this, this.#core.getPopupAttrs(state));
     applyStateDataAttrs(this, state, PopoverDataAttrs);
 
+    // Show/hide via Popover API AFTER data attributes are applied so
+    // `data-starting-style` is present before the first visible frame.
+    if (state.open) {
+      tryShowPopover(this);
+    } else {
+      tryHidePopover(this);
+    }
+
     // Apply trigger ARIA and anchor-name to the discovered trigger.
     if (this.#currentTrigger) {
       applyElementProps(this.#currentTrigger, this.#core.getTriggerAttrs(state, this.id));
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/dom/index.ts b/packages/utils/src/dom/index.ts
index 4841958f..51c9836d 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/dom/index.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/dom/index.ts
@@ -4,16 +4,12 @@ export { isRTL } from './direction';
 export { type OnEventOptions, onEvent } from './event';
 export { idleCallback } from './idle-callback';
 export { listen } from './listen';
+export { tryHidePopover, tryShowPopover } from './popover';
 export { isHTMLAudioElement, isHTMLMediaElement, isHTMLVideoElement } from './predicates';
 export { type RafThrottled, rafThrottle } from './raf-throttle';
 export { getSlottedElement, querySlot } from './slotted';
 export { applyStyles } from './style';
-export {
-  supportsAnchorPositioning,
-  supportsAnimationFrame,
-  supportsIdleCallback,
-  supportsPopoverAPI,
-} from './supports';
+export { supportsAnchorPositioning, supportsAnimationFrame, supportsIdleCallback } from './supports';
 export { findTrackElement, getTextTrackList } from './text-track';
 export { serializeTimeRanges } from './time-ranges';
 export type { CustomElement, CustomElementCallbacks } from './types';
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/dom/popover.ts b/packages/utils/src/dom/popover.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f321c187
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/utils/src/dom/popover.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+export function tryShowPopover(el: HTMLElement | null): void {
+  try {
+    el?.showPopover?.();
+  } catch {
+    // Element may not support popover API or may already be shown
+  }
+}
+
+export function tryHidePopover(el: HTMLElement | null): void {
+  try {
+    el?.hidePopover?.();
+  } catch {
+    // Element may not support popover API or may already be hidden
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/dom/supports.ts b/packages/utils/src/dom/supports.ts
index 46d63d6e..a57a788e 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/dom/supports.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/dom/supports.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ export function supportsAnimationFrame(): boolean {
   return typeof requestAnimationFrame === 'function';
 }
 
-export function supportsPopoverAPI(): boolean {
-  return typeof HTMLElement !== 'undefined' && 'popover' in HTMLElement.prototype;
-}
-
 export function supportsAnchorPositioning(): boolean {
   return typeof CSS !== 'undefined' && CSS.supports('anchor-name: --a');
 }
+
+export function supportsPopoverAPI(): boolean {
+  return typeof HTMLElement !== 'undefined' && 'popover' in HTMLElement.prototype;
+}