W3Schools.com

HTML <a> Tag

Example

A link to W3Schools.com:

<a href="http://www.w3schools.com">Visit W3Schools.com!</a>

Try it yourself »
(more examples at the bottom of this page)

Browser Support

Internet Explorer Firefox Opera Google Chrome Safari

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

Definition and Usage

The <a> tag defines an anchor. An anchor can be used in two ways:

  1. To create a link to another document, by using the href attribute
  2. To create a bookmark inside a document, by using the name attribute

The <a> element is usually referred to as a link or a hyperlink.

The most important attribute of the <a> element is the href attribute, which indicates the link’s destination.

By default, links will appear as follows in all browsers:

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

Tips and Notes

Tip: Use CSS to style links!

Differences Between HTML and XHTML

In XHTML, the name attribute of the <a> tag is deprecated, and will be removed. Use the id attribute instead.

Optional Attributes

DTD indicates in which HTML 4.01/XHTML 1.0 DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.

Attribute Value Description DTD
charset char_encoding Specifies the character-set of a linked document STF
coords coordinates Specifies the coordinates of a link STF
href URL Specifies the URL of the page the link goes to STF
hreflang language_code Specifies the language of the linked document STF
name section_name Specifies the name of an anchor STF
rel text Specifies the relationship between the current document and the linked document STF
rev text Specifies the relationship between the linked document and the current document STF
shape default
rect
circle
poly		 Specifies the shape of a link STF
target _blank
_parent
_self
_top
framename		 Specifies where to open the linked document TF

Standard Attributes

The <a> tag supports the following standard attributes:

Attribute Value Description DTD
accesskey character Specifies a keyboard shortcut to access an element STF
class classname Specifies a classname for an element STF
dir rtl
ltr		 Specifies the text direction for the content in an element STF
id id Specifies a unique id for an element STF
lang language_code Specifies a language code for the content in an element STF
style style_definition Specifies an inline style for an element STF
tabindex number Specifies the tab order of an element STF
title text Specifies extra information about an element STF
xml:lang language_code Specifies a language code for the content in an element, in XHTML documents STF

More information about Standard Attributes.

Event Attributes

The <a> tag supports the following event attributes:

Attribute Value Description DTD
onblur script Script to be run when an element loses focus STF
onclick script Script to be run on a mouse click STF
ondblclick script Script to be run on a mouse double-click STF
onfocus script Script to be run when an element gets focus STF
onmousedown script Script to be run when mouse button is pressed STF
onmousemove script Script to be run when mouse pointer moves STF
onmouseout script Script to be run when mouse pointer moves out of an element STF
onmouseover script Script to be run when mouse pointer moves over an element STF
onmouseup script Script to be run when mouse button is released STF
onkeydown script Script to be run when a key is pressed STF
onkeypress script Script to be run when a key is pressed and released STF
onkeyup script Script to be run when a key is released STF

More information about Event Attributes.

Examples

Try it Yourself - Examples

Create hyperlinks
How to create hyperlinks.

An image as a link
How to use an image as a link.

Open a link in a new browser window
How to open a link in a new browser window, so that the visitor does not have to leave your Web site.

Link to a location on the same page
How to link to a bookmark.

Break out of a frame
How to break out of a frame (if your site is locked in a frame).

Create a mailto link
How to link to a mail message (will only work if you have mail installed).

Create a mailto link 2
Another mailto link.

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