HTML <input> tag

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope
HTML input tag

When writing in HTML (hypertext markup language), the <input> tag is an inline element used to create both input fields and interactive controls for web-based forms. Nested within a <form> tag, they are useful for allowing the acceptance of user-input data of various types on a website. The following sections contain information about the <input> tag, including an example of it in use, and related attributes and browser compatibility.

Note

The <input> tag belongs to a group of tags called form elements.

Example of <input> code

<form action="script name" method="get">
  Name: <input type="text" name="name"><br>
  E-mail: <input type="text" name="email"><br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
Note

The"script name" in the action attribute should be changed to the name and location of your script file. For example, it could be changed to an ASP (Active Server Pages), Perl, PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), or Python script file.

Example result

Name:
E-mail:
Note

The above example returns you to this page because nothing is used for the action. If you want a working example of the form tag, you can use our search engine found at the top and bottom of every page. For example, enter any computer term in the search to get an immediate definition of that term.

Attributes

All HTML tags support standard attributes that define the settings of an HTML element. In addition to the standard settings, the <input> tag has the following unique attributes.

Attribute Description
accept Designates the files types that a server accepts (only used for type="file").
alt Designates an alternate text for images (only used for type="image").
autocomplete Toggles the autocomplete function.
autofocus Designates that an <input> element should be the first thing focused when the page loads.
checked Designates that an <input> element should be pre-selected when the page loads (for type="checkbox" or type="radio").
disabled Designates that the <input> element is disabled.
form Designates the form(s) of where an <input> element belongs.
formaction Designates the URL (uniform resource locator) of the file that will process the submitted form data (for type="submit" and type="image").
formenctype Designates how the form data should be encoded upon submission (for type="submit" and type="image").
formmethod Designates the HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) method to be used when sending data to the formaction URL (for type="submit" and type="image").
formnovalidate Designates that form data should not be validated upon submission.
formtarget Designates where to display the response to submitted data (for type="submit" and type="image").
height Designates the height of the <input> element.
list Points to a <datalist> element containing options for the <input> element.
max Designates the max value of an <input> element.
maxlength Designates the max number of characters allowed in an <input> element.
min Designates the minimum value of an <input> element.
multiple Designates that a user can enter multiple values in an <input> element.
name Designates a name for the <input> element.
pattern Designates a regular expression that an <input> element's value is used to check.
placeholder Designates a message that describes the expected value of an <input> element.
readonly Designates that an <input> element is read-only.
required Designates that an input field must be filled out before form submission.
size Designates how many characters wide an <input> element is.
src Designates the URL of the image to use as a submit button.
step Designates the allowed number intervals for an input field.
type Designates the type of <input> element to display.
value Designates the value of an <input> element.
width Designates the width of an <input> element.

Deprecated attributes

In addition to the above attributes, the <input> tag had the following deprecated attributes.

Attribute Description
align Designates the alignment of the <input> element with respect to the content around it.

Compatibility

Edge Internet Explorer Firefox Safari Opera Chrome
All versions All versions All versions All version All versions All versions

Additional form elements

Autocomplete, Browser, Compatibility, HTML datalist tag, HTTP, Nesting, Read-only, Regular expression, URL, Web design terms