Description

HTML element <a> (also known as anchor tag) defines a hyperlink, which can be used in many ways.

  • Link to another HTML document using the href attribute
  • Bookmark a specific section inside an HTML document using the id attribute.
  • Link to an email address
  • Links to file downloads

By default, links will appear as below in all browsers. However, the default appearance of links can be changed using CSS.

  • An unvisited link is underlined and blue
  • A visited link is underlined and purple
  • An active link is underlined and red

Syntax

Here is the basic syntax of this tag.

<a href="url">Link display content</a>

Examples

Basic Usage

<a href="https://randomcodez.com">Random Codez Website</a>

Using title attribute

<a href="https://randomcodez.com" title="Random Codez Official Website">Visit Our Website</a>

Using target attribute

<a href="https://randomcodez.com" target="_blank">Random Codez Website</a>

Link over an image

<a href="https://randomcodez.com" target="_blank">
    <img src="logo.png" alt="Random Codez logo" style="width:50px; height:50px;">
</a>

Link for a container

<a href="https://randomcodez.com">
    <div style="border: 2px solid orange; padding: 20px;">
        <h2>Random Codez</h2>
        <p>For Online Tutorials, Articles, Videos and many more..</p>
        <p>For Online Tools</p>
    </div>
</a>

Link for an email address

<a href="mailto:feedback@randomcodez.com">Send us an email</a>

Link for file downloads

<a href="files/sample.txt">File Download Link</a>

Link for webpage bookmarks

<a href="#sectionA">Section A on same web page</a>
<a href="other.html#sectionA">Section A on other web page</a>

Attributes

The following table shows the list of supported and unsupported attributes for the <a> tag.

Attribute Type Details
Tag-Specific Attributes The tag <a> has some tag-specific attributes listed in the below table.
Global Attributes Like all other HTML tags, the tag <a> also supports HTML Global Attributes.
Event Attributes The tag <a> also supports the HTML Event Attributes.

Here is a list of attributes that are specific to the <a> tag.

Attribute Value Description HTML5 Support
download filename Specifies that the target will be downloaded when a user clicks on the hyperlink Yes - New in HTML5
href URL Specifies the URL of the page the link goes to Yes
hreflang language_code Specifies the language of the linked document Yes
media media_query Specifies what media/device the linked document is optimized for Yes - New in HTML5
ping list_of_URLs Specifies a space-separated list of URLs to which, when the link is followed, post requests with the body ping will be sent by the browser (in the background). Typically used for tracking. Yes
referrerpolicy no-referrer
no-referrer-when-downgrade
origin
origin-when-cross-origin
same-origin
strict-origin-when-cross-origin
unsafe-url		 Specifies which referrer information to send with the link Yes
rel alternate
author
bookmark
external
help
license
next
nofollow
noreferrer
noopener
prev
search
tag		 Specifies the relationship between the current document and the linked document Yes
target _blank
_parent
_self
_top		 Specifies where to open the linked document Yes
type media_type Specifies the media type of the linked document Yes

Browser Compatibility

The tag <a> is supported in most modern browsers.

  • Google Chrome 1+
  • Internet Explorer or Edge 2+
  • Firefox 1+
  • Apple Safari 1+
  • Opera 4+

Related Links