HTML <button> Tag
Example
A clickable button is marked up as follows:
<button type="button">Click Me!</button>
Try it yourself »
Definition and Usage
The <button> tag defines a clickable button.
Inside a <button> element you can put content, like text or images. This is the difference between this element and buttons created with the <input> element.
Tip: Always specify the type attribute for a <button> element. Different browsers use different default types for the <button> element.
Browser Support
| Element | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <button> | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tips and Notes
Note: If you use the <button> element in an HTML form, different browsers may submit different values. Use <input> to create buttons in an HTML form.
Tip: Visit our CSS Buttons Tutorial to find out how to style buttons with CSS.
Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5
HTML5 has the following new attributes: autofocus, form, formaction, formenctype, formmethod, formnovalidate, and formtarget.
Attributes
= New in HTML5.
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| autofocus | autofocus | Specifies that a button should automatically get focus when the page loads |
| disabled | disabled | Specifies that a button should be disabled |
| form | form_id | Specifies one or more forms the button belongs to |
| formaction | URL | Specifies where to send the form-data when a form is submitted. Only for type="submit" |
| formenctype | application/x-www-form-urlencoded multipart/form-data text/plain |
Specifies how form-data should be encoded before sending it to a server. Only for type="submit" |
| formmethod | get post |
Specifies how to send the form-data (which HTTP method to use). Only for type="submit" |
| formnovalidate | formnovalidate | Specifies that the form-data should not be validated on submission. Only for type="submit" |
| formtarget | _blank _self _parent _top framename |
Specifies where to display the response after submitting the form. Only for type="submit" |
| name | name | Specifies a name for the button |
| type | button reset submit |
Specifies the type of button |
| value | text | Specifies an initial value for the button |
Global Attributes
The <button> tag also supports the Global Attributes in HTML.
Event Attributes
The <button> tag also supports the Event Attributes in HTML.
Related Pages
HTML DOM reference: Button Object
CSS Tutorial: Styling Buttons
Default CSS Settings
None.
