HTML Attributes Reference

Here is a list of all the HTML attributes.

Attribute Description Belongs To Category HTML5 HTML4 XHTML
accept Specifies the types of files that the server accepts (only for type="file") <input>   Yes    
accept-charset Specifies the character encodings that are to be used for the form submission <form>   Yes    
accesskey Specifies a shortcut key to activate/focus an element Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
action Specifies where to send the form data when a form is submitted <form>   Yes    
align Specifies the alignment according to surrounding elements. Use CSS instead Not supported in HTML 5.   No    
alt Specifies an alternate text when the original element fails to display <area>, <img>, <input>   Yes    
async Specifies that the script is executed asynchronously (only for external scripts) <script>   Yes    
autocomplete Specifies whether the <form> or the <input> element should have autocomplete enabled <form>, <input>   Yes    
autofocus Specifies that the element should automatically get focus when the page loads

<button>, <input>, 

<select>, <textarea>

   Yes    
autoplay Specifies that the audio/video will start playing as soon as it is ready <audio>, <video>   Yes    
bgcolor Specifies the background color of an element. Use CSS instead Not supported in HTML 5.   No    
border Specifies the width of the border of an element. Use CSS instead Not supported in HTML 5.   No    
charset Specifies the character encoding <meta>, <script>   Yes    
checked Specifies that an <input> element should be pre-selected when the page loads (for type="checkbox" or type="radio") <input>   Yes    
cite Specifies a URL which explains the quote/deleted/inserted text

<blockquote>, <del>, 

<ins>, <q>

   Yes    
class Specifies one or more class names for an element (refers to a class in a style sheet) Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
color Specifies the text color of an element. Use CSS instead Not supported in HTML 5.   No    
cols Specifies the visible width of a text area <textarea>   Yes    
colspan Specifies the number of columns a table cell should span <td>, <th>   Yes    
content Gives the value associated with the http-equiv or name attribute <meta>   Yes    
contenteditable Specifies whether the content of an element is editable or not Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
controls Specifies that audio/video controls should be displayed (such as a play/pause button etc) <audio>, <video>   Yes    
coords Specifies the coordinates of the area <area>   Yes    
data Specifies the URL of the resource to be used by the object <object>   Yes    
data-* Used to store custom data private to the page or application Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
datetime Specifies the date and time <del>, <ins>, <time>   Yes    
default Specifies that the track is to be enabled if the users preferences do not indicate that another track would be more appropriate <track>   Yes    
defer Specifies that the script is executed when the page has finished parsing (only for external scripts) <script>   Yes    
dir Specifies the text direction for the content in an element Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
dirname Specifies that the text direction will be submitted <input>, <textarea>   Yes    
disabled Specifies that the specified element/group of elements should be disabled

<button>, <fieldset>, 

<input>, <optgroup>, 

<option>, <select>, 

<textarea>

   Yes    
download Specifies that the target will be downloaded when a user clicks on the hyperlink <a>, <area>   Yes    
draggable Specifies whether an element is draggable or not Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
enctype Specifies how the form-data should be encoded when submitting it to the server (only for method="post") <form>   Yes    
for Specifies which form element(s) a label/calculation is bound to <label>, <output>   Yes    
form Specifies the name of the form the element belongs to

<button>, <fieldset>, 

<input>, <label>, 

<meter>, <object>, 

<output>, <select>, 

<textarea>

   Yes    
formaction Specifies where to send the form-data when a form is submitted. Only for type="submit" <button>, <input>   Yes    
headers Specifies one or more headers cells a cell is related to <td>, <th>   Yes    
height Specifies the height of the element

<canvas>, <embed>, 

<iframe>, <img>, 

<input>, <object>, 

<video>

   Yes    
hidden Specifies that an element is not yet, or is no longer, relevant Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
high Specifies the range that is considered to be a high value <meter>   Yes    
href Specifies the URL of the page the link goes to

<a>, <area>, 

<base>, <link>

   Yes    
hreflang Specifies the language of the linked document

<a>, <area>, 

<link>

   Yes    
http-equiv Provides an HTTP header for the information/value of the content attribute <meta>   Yes    
id Specifies a unique id for an element Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
ismap Specifies an image as a server-side image map <img>   Yes    
kind Specifies the kind of text track <track>   Yes    
label Specifies the title of the text track

<track>, <option>, 

<optgroup>

   Yes    
lang Specifies the language of the element content Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
list Refers to a <datalist> element that contains pre-defined options for an <input> element <input>   Yes    
loop Specifies that the audio/video will start over again, every time it is finished <audio>, <video>   Yes    
low Specifies the range that is considered to be a low value <meter>   Yes    
max Specifies the maximum value

<input>, <meter>, 

<progress>

   Yes    
maxlength Specifies the maximum number of characters allowed in an element <input>, <textarea>   Yes    
media Specifies what media/device the linked document is optimized for

<a>, <area>, <link>, 

<source>, <style>

   Yes    
method Specifies the HTTP method to use when sending form-data <form>   Yes    
min Specifies a minimum value <input>, <meter>   Yes    
multiple Specifies that a user can enter more than one value <input>, <select>   Yes    
muted Specifies that the audio output of the video should be muted <video>, <audio>   Yes    
name Specifies the name of the element

<button>, <fieldset>, 

<form>, <iframe>, 

<input>, <map>, 

<meta>, <object>, 

<output>, <param>, 

<select>, <textarea>

   Yes    
novalidate Specifies that the form should not be validated when submitted <form>   Yes    
onabort Script to be run on abort

<audio>, <embed>, 

<img>, 

<object>, <video>

 Event Attributes Yes    
onafterprint Script to be run after the document is printed <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onbeforeprint Script to be run before the document is printed <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onbeforeunload Script to be run when the document is about to be unloaded <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onblur Script to be run when the element loses focus All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
oncanplay Script to be run when a file is ready to start playing (when it has buffered enough to begin)

<audio>, <embed>, 

<object>, <video>

 Event Attributes Yes    
oncanplaythrough Script to be run when a file can be played all the way to the end without pausing for buffering <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onchange Script to be run when the value of the element is changed All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onclick Script to be run when the element is being clicked All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
oncontextmenu Script to be run when a context menu is triggered All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
oncopy Script to be run when the content of the element is being copied All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
oncuechange Script to be run when the cue changes in a <track> element <track> Event Attributes Yes    
oncut Script to be run when the content of the element is being cut All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondblclick Script to be run when the element is being double-clicked All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondrag Script to be run when the element is being dragged All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondragend Script to be run at the end of a drag operation All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondragenter Script to be run when an element has been dragged to a valid drop target All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondragleave Script to be run when an element leaves a valid drop target All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondragover Script to be run when an element is being dragged over a valid drop target All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondragstart Script to be run at the start of a drag operation All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondrop Script to be run when dragged element is being dropped All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
ondurationchange Script to be run when the length of the media changes <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onemptied Script to be run when something bad happens and the file is suddenly unavailable (like unexpectedly disconnects) <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onended Script to be run when the media has reach the end (a useful event for messages like "thanks for listening") <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onerror Script to be run when an error occurs

<audio>, <body>, 

<embed>, <img>, 

<object>, <script>, 

<style>, <video>

 Event Attributes Yes    
onfocus Script to be run when the element gets focus All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onhashchange Script to be run when there has been changes to the anchor part of the a URL <body> Event Attributes Yes    
oninput Script to be run when the element gets user input All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
oninvalid Script to be run when the element is invalid All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onkeydown Script to be run when a user is pressing a key All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onkeypress Script to be run when a user presses a key All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onkeyup Script to be run when a user releases a key All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onload Script to be run when the element is finished loading

<body>, <iframe>, 

<img>, <input>, 

<link>, <script>, 

<style>

 Event Attributes Yes    
onloadeddata Script to be run when media data is loaded <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onloadedmetadata Script to be run when meta data (like dimensions and duration) are loaded <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onloadstart Script to be run just as the file begins to load before anything is actually loaded <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onmousedown Script to be run when a mouse button is pressed down on an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onmousemove Script to be run as long as the  mouse pointer is moving over an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onmouseout Script to be run when a mouse pointer moves out of an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onmouseover Script to be run when a mouse pointer moves over an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onmouseup Script to be run when a mouse button is released over an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onmousewheel Script to be run when a mouse wheel is being scrolled over an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onoffline Script to be run when the browser starts to work offline <body> Event Attributes Yes    
ononline Script to be run when the browser starts to work online <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onpagehide Script to be run when a user navigates away from a page <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onpageshow Script to be run when a user navigates to a page <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onpaste Script to be run when the user pastes some content in an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onpause Script to be run when the media is paused either by the user or programmatically <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onplay Script to be run when the media has started playing <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onplaying Script to be run when the media has started playing <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onpopstate Script to be run when the window history changes. <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onprogress Script to be run when the browser is in the process of getting the media data <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onratechange Script to be run each time the playback rate changes (like when a user switches to a slow motion or fast forward mode). <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onreset Script to be run when a reset button in a form is clicked. <form> Event Attributes Yes    
onresize Script to be run when the browser window is being resized. <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onscroll Script to be run when an element scrollbar is being scrolled All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onsearch Script to be run when the user writes something in a search field (for <input="search">) <input> Event Attributes Yes    
onseeked Script to be run when the seeking attribute is set to false indicating that seeking has ended <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onseeking Script to be run when the seeking attribute is set to true indicating that seeking is active <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onselect Script to be run when the element gets selected All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
onstalled Script to be run when the browser is unable to fetch the media data for whatever reason <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onstorage Script to be run when a Web Storage area is updated <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onsubmit Script to be run when a form is submitted <form> Event Attributes Yes    
onsuspend Script to be run when fetching the media data is stopped before it is completely loaded for whatever reason <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
ontimeupdate Script to be run when the playing position has changed (like when the user fast forwards to a different point in the media) <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
ontoggle Script to be run when the user opens or closes the <details> element <details> Event Attributes Yes    
onunload Script to be run when a page has unloaded (or the browser window has been closed) <body> Event Attributes Yes    
onvolumechange Script to be run each time the volume of a video/audio has been changed <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onwaiting Script to be run when the media has paused but is expected to resume (like when the media pauses to buffer more data) <audio>, <video> Event Attributes Yes    
onwheel Script to be run when the mouse wheel rolls up or down over an element All visible elements. Event Attributes Yes    
open Specifies that the details should be visible (open) to the user <details>   Yes    
optimum Specifies what value is the optimal value for the gauge <meter>   Yes    
pattern Specifies a regular expression that an <input> element value is checked against <input>   Yes    
placeholder Specifies a short hint that describes the expected value of the element <input>, <textarea>   Yes    
poster Specifies an image to be shown while the video is downloading, or until the user hits the play button <video>   Yes    
preload Specifies if and how the author thinks the audio/video should be loaded when the page loads <audio>, <video>   Yes    
readonly Specifies that the element is read-only <input>, <textarea>   Yes    
rel Specifies the relationship between the current document and the linked document

<a>, <area>, 

<form>, <link>

   Yes    
required Specifies that the element must be filled out before submitting the form

<input>, <select>, 

<textarea>

   Yes    
reversed Specifies that the list order should be descending (9,8,7...) <ol>   Yes    
rows Specifies the visible number of lines in a text area <textarea>   Yes    
rowspan Specifies the number of rows a table cell should span <td>, <th>   Yes    
sandbox Enables an extra set of restrictions for the content in an <iframe> <iframe>   Yes    
scope Specifies whether a header cell is a header for a column, row, or group of columns or rows <th>   Yes    
selected Specifies that an option should be pre-selected when the page loads <option>   Yes    
shape Specifies the shape of the area <area>   Yes    
size Specifies the width, in characters (for <input>) or specifies the number of visible options (for <select>) <input>, <select>   Yes    
sizes Specifies the size of the linked resource

<img>, <link>, 

<source>

   Yes    
span Specifies the number of columns to span <col>, <colgroup>   Yes    
spellcheck Specifies whether the element is to have its spelling and grammar checked or not Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
src Specifies the URL of the media file

<audio>, <embed>, 

<iframe>, <img>, 

<input>, <script>, 

<source>, <track>, 

<video>

   Yes    
srcdoc Specifies the HTML content of the page to show in the <iframe> <iframe>   Yes    
srclang Specifies the language of the track text data (required if kind="subtitles") <track>   Yes    
srcset Specifies the URL of the image to use in different situations <img>, <source>   Yes    
start Specifies the start value of an ordered list <ol>   Yes    
step Specifies the legal number intervals for an input field <input>   Yes    
style Specifies an inline CSS style for an element Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
tabindex Specifies the tabbing order of an element Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
target Specifies the target for where to open the linked document or where to submit the form

<a>, <area>, 

<base>, <form>

   Yes    
title Specifies extra information about an element Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
translate Specifies whether the content of an element should be translated or not Global Attributes Global Attributes Yes    
type Specifies the type of element

<a>, <button>, 

<embed>, 

<input>, <link>, 

<menu>, <object>, 

<script>, <source>, 

<style>

   Yes    
usemap Specifies an image as a client-side image map <img>, <object>   Yes    
value Specifies the value of the element

<button>, <input>, 

<li>, <option>, 

<meter>, <progress>, 

<param>

   Yes    
width Specifies the width of the element

<canvas>, <embed>, 

<iframe>, <img>, 

<input>, <object>, 

<video>

   Yes    
wrap Specifies how the text in a text area is to be wrapped when submitted in a form <textarea>   Yes    

Examples

 

Overall

We now know the complete list of all HTML attributes.