HTML <button> tag

Updated: 10/11/2017 by Computer Hope

When writing in HTML, the <button> tag is an inline element used to create a clickable button. It is useful when you want to allow users to submit information or perform a search on your website. The following sections contain information about this tag, including an example of it in use, as well as related attributes and browser compatibility.

Note: The <button> tag belongs to a group of tags called form elements.

Example code

<form action="https://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi">
<input name="q" type="text" size="23">
<button type="Submit">Search</button>

Example result

Clicking the Search button will search Computer Hope for whatever text you enter into the adjacent box.

Attributes

Within an HTML tag, an attribute dictates certain aspects of an HTML element. Attributes are made up of a name and value pair; all tags support standard attributes. The following table shows all of the current unique HTML attributes for the <button> tag, as well as a description of each.

Attribute	Description
autofocus	Designates that the button will be focused when the page loads
disabled	Disables the button
form	Designates which form(s) belong to the button
formaction	Designates where form-data is sent when the button is clicked
formenctype	Designates the encoding for form-data before sending it to a server
formmethod	Designates which HTTP method to use when sending form-data
formnovalidate	Designates that form-data should not be validated when it is submitted
formtarget	Designates where to display submitted form data
name	Designates a name for the button
type	Designates the button's type
value	Designates an initial value for the button

Compatibility

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

Additional form elements

Browser, Compatibility, Encode, Form, HTTP, Server, Web design terms