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HTML <html> tag


Example

A simple HTML document, with the minimum of required tags:

<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
</head>

<body>
The content of the document......
</body>

</html>

Try it yourself!


Definition and Usage

The <html> tag tells the browser that this is an HTML document.

The html element is the outermost element in HTML and XHTML documents. The html element is also known as the root element.


Browser Support

Internet Explorer Firefox Opera Google Chrome Safari

The <html> tag is supported in all major browsers.


Differences Between HTML and XHTML

The xmlns attribute is required in XHTML but is invalid in HTML.

However, the HTML validator at w3.org does not complain when the xmlns attribute is missing in an XHTML document. This is because the namespace "xmlns=http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" is default, and will be added to the <html> tag even if you do not include it.


Tips and Notes

Note: Even though the html element is the root element, it does not contain the doctype element. The doctype element must be placed before the html element.


Required Attributes

DTD indicates in which DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.

Attribute Value Description DTD
xmlns http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml Defines the namespace to use STF

Standard Attributes

dir, lang, xml:lang

For a full description, go to Standard Attributes.


From http://www.w3schools.com (Copyright Refsnes Data)