HTML5 Tutorial

Examples in Every Chapter

This HTML tutorial contains hundreds of HTML examples.
With our online HTML editor, you can edit the HTML, and click on a button to view the result.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Page Title</title>
</head>
<body>

<h1>This is a Heading</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>

</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself »
Click on the "Try it Yourself" button to see how it works.

HTML Examples

At the end of the HTML tutorial, you can find more than 200 examples.
With our online editor, you can edit and test each example yourself.

HTML Exercises and Quiz Test

Test your HTML skills at W3Schools!

HTML References

At W3Schools you will find complete references about tags, attributes, events, color names, entities, character-sets, URL encoding, language codes, HTTP messages, and more.

HTML Exam - Get Your Diploma!


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HTML Editors

Write HTML Using Notepad or TextEdit

Web pages can be created and modified by using professional HTML editors.
However, for learning HTML we recommend a simple text editor like Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac).
We believe using a simple text editor is a good way to learn HTML.
Follow the four steps below to create your first web page with Notepad or TextEdit.

Step 1: Open Notepad (PC)

Windows 8 or later:
Open the Start Screen (the window symbol at the bottom left on your screen). Type Notepad.
Windows 7 or earlier:
Open Start > Programs > Accessories > Notepad

Step 1: Open TextEdit (Mac)

Open Finder > Applications > TextEdit
Also change some preferences to get the application to save files correctly. In Preferences > Format > choose "Plain Text"
Then under "Open and Save", check the box that says "Ignore rich text commands in HTML files".
Then open a new document to place the code.

Step 2: Write Some HTML

Write or copy some HTML into Notepad.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<h1>My First Heading</h1>

<p>My first paragraph.</p>

</body>
</html>
Notepad

Step 3: Save the HTML Page

Save the file on your computer. Select File > Save as in the Notepad menu.
Name the file "index.htm" and set the encoding to UTF-8 (which is the preferred encoding for HTML files).
View in Browser
You can use either .htm or .html as file extension. There is no difference, it is up to you.

Step 4: View the HTML Page in Your Browser

Open the saved HTML file in your favorite browser (double click on the file, or right-click - and choose "Open with").
The result will look much like this:
View in Browser
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HTML Attributes

HTML Attributes

  • All HTML elements can have attributes
  • Attributes provide additional information about an element
  • Attributes are always specified in the start tag
  • Attributes usually come in name/value pairs like: name="value"

The href Attribute

HTML links are defined with the <a> tag. The link address is specified in the href attribute:

Example

<a href="https://www.w3schools.com">This is a link</a>
Try it Yourself »
You will learn more about links and the <a> tag later in this tutorial.

The src Attribute

HTML images are defined with the <img> tag.
The filename of the image source is specified in the src attribute:

Example

<img src="img_girl.jpg">
Try it Yourself »

The width and height Attributes

Images in HTML have a set of size attributes, which specifies the width and height of the image:

Example

<img src="img_girl.jpg" width="500" height="600">
Try it Yourself »
The image size is specified in pixels: width="500" means 500 pixels wide.
You will learn more about images in our HTML Images chapter.

The alt Attribute

The alt attribute specifies an alternative text to be used, when an image cannot be displayed.
The value of the attribute can be read by screen readers. This way, someone "listening" to the webpage, e.g. a blind person, can "hear" the element.

Example

<img src="img_girl.jpg" alt="Girl with a jacket">
Try it Yourself »
The alt attribute is also useful if the image does not exist:

Example

What happens if we try to display an image that does not exist:
<img src="img_typo.jpg" alt="Girl with a jacket">
Try it Yourself »

The style Attribute

The style attribute is used to specify the styling of an element, like color, font, size etc.

Example

<p style="color:red">I am a paragraph</p>
Try it Yourself »
You will learn more about styling later in this tutorial, and in our CSS Tutorial.

The lang Attribute

The language of the document can be declared in the <html> tag.
The language is declared with the lang attribute.
Declaring a language is important for accessibility applications (screen readers) and search engines:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en-US">
<body>

...

</body>
</html>
The first two letters specify the language (en). If there is a dialect, use two more letters (US).

The title Attribute

Here, a title attribute is added to the <p> element. The value of the title attribute will be displayed as a tooltip when you mouse over the paragraph:

Example

<p title="I'm a tooltip">
This is a paragraph.
</p>
Try it Yourself »

We Suggest: Use Lowercase Attributes

The HTML5 standard does not require lowercase attribute names.
The title attribute can be written with uppercase or lowercase like title or TITLE.
W3C recommends lowercase in HTML, and demands lowercase for stricter document types like XHTML.
At W3Schools we always use lowercase attribute names.

We Suggest: Quote Attribute Values

The HTML5 standard does not require quotes around attribute values.
The href attribute, demonstrated above, can be written as:

Example

<a href=https://www.w3schools.com>
Try it Yourself »
W3C recommends quotes in HTML, and demands quotes for stricter document types like XHTML.
Sometimes it is necessary to use quotes. This example will not display the title attribute correctly, because it contains a space:

Example

<p title=About W3Schools>
Try it Yourself »
Using quotes are the most common. Omitting quotes can produce errors. 
At W3Schools we always use quotes around attribute values.

Single or Double Quotes?

Double quotes around attribute values are the most common in HTML, but single quotes can also be used.
In some situations, when the attribute value itself contains double quotes, it is necessary to use single quotes:
<p title='John "ShotGun" Nelson'>
Or vice versa:
<p title="John 'ShotGun' Nelson">

Chapter Summary

  • All HTML elements can have attributes
  • The title attribute provides additional "tool-tip" information
  • The href attribute provides address information for links
  • The width and height attributes provide size information for images
  • The alt attribute provides text for screen readers
  • At W3Schools we always use lowercase attribute names
  • At W3Schools we always quote attribute values with double quotes
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HTML Headings

Headings

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

Heading 5
Heading 6
Try it Yourself »

HTML Headings

Headings are defined with the <h1> to <h6> tags.
<h1> defines the most important heading. <h6> defines the least important heading.

Example

<h1>Heading 1</h1>
<h2>Heading 2</h2>
<h3>Heading 3</h3>
<h4>Heading 4</h4>
<h5>Heading 5</h5>
<h6>Heading 6</h6>
Try it Yourself »
Note: Browsers automatically add some white space (a margin) before and after a heading.

Headings Are Important

Search engines use the headings to index the structure and content of your web pages.
Users skim your pages by its headings. It is important to use headings to show the document structure.
<h1> headings should be used for main headings, followed by <h2> headings, then the less important <h3>, and so on.
Note: Use HTML headings for headings only. Don't use headings to make text BIG or bold.

Bigger Headings

Each HTML heading has a default size. However, you can specify the size for any heading with the style attribute, using the font-size property:

Example

<h1 style="font-size:60px;">Heading 1</h1>
Try it Yourself »

HTML Horizontal Rules

The <hr> tag defines a thematic break in an HTML page, and is most often displayed as a horizontal rule.
The <hr> element is used to separate content (or define a change) in an HTML page:

Example

<h1>This is heading 1</h1>
<p>This is some text.</p>
<hr>
<h2>This is heading 2</h2>
<p>This is some other text.</p>
<hr>
Try it Yourself »

The HTML <head> Element

The HTML <head> element has nothing to do with HTML headings.
The <head> element is a container for metadata. HTML metadata is data about the HTML document. Metadata is not displayed.
The <head> element is placed between the <html> tag and the <body> tag:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
  <title>My First HTML</title>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
</head>

<body>
.
.
.
Try it Yourself »
Note: Metadata typically define the document title, character set, styles, links, scripts, and other meta information.

How to View HTML Source?

Have you ever seen a Web page and wondered "Hey! How did they do that?"

View HTML Source Code:

To find out, right-click in the page and select "View Page Source" (in Chrome) or "View Source" (in IE), or similar in other browsers. This will open a window containing the HTML source code of the page.

Inspect an HTML Element:

Right-click on an element (or a blank area), and choose "Inspect" or "Inspect Element" to see what elements are made up of (you will see both the HTML and the CSS). You can also edit the HTML or CSS on-the-fly in the Elements or Styles panel that opens.

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HTML Paragraphs

HTML Paragraphs

The HTML <p> element defines a paragraph:

Example

<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
<p>This is another paragraph.</p>
Try it Yourself »
Note: Browsers automatically add some white space (a margin) before and after a paragraph.

HTML Display

You cannot be sure how HTML will be displayed.
Large or small screens, and resized windows will create different results.
With HTML, you cannot change the output by adding extra spaces or extra lines in your HTML code.
The browser will remove any extra spaces and extra lines when the page is displayed:

Example

<p>
This paragraph
contains a lot of lines
in the source code,
but the browser 
ignores it.
</p>

<p>
This paragraph
contains         a lot of spaces
in the source         code,
but the        browser 
ignores it.
</p>
Try it Yourself »

Don't Forget the End Tag

Most browsers will display HTML correctly even if you forget the end tag:

Example

<p>This is a paragraph.
<p>This is another paragraph.
Try it Yourself »
The example above will work in most browsers, but do not rely on it.
Note: Dropping the end tag can produce unexpected results or errors.

HTML Line Breaks

The HTML <br> element defines a line break.
Use <br> if you want a line break (a new line) without starting a new paragraph:

Example

<p>This is<br>a paragraph<br>with line breaks.</p>
Try it Yourself »
The <br> tag is an empty tag, which means that it has no end tag.

The Poem Problem

This poem will display on a single line:

Example

<p>
  My Bonnie lies over the ocean.

  My Bonnie lies over the sea.

  My Bonnie lies over the ocean.

  Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
</p>
Try it Yourself »

The HTML <pre> Element

The HTML <pre> element defines preformatted text.
The text inside a <pre> element is displayed in a fixed-width font (usually Courier), and it preserves both spaces and line breaks:

Example

<pre>
  My Bonnie lies over the ocean.

  My Bonnie lies over the sea.

  My Bonnie lies over the ocean.

  Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
</pre>
Try it Yourself »

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HTML Styles

Example

I am Red
I am Blue
I am Big
Try it Yourself »

The HTML Style Attribute

Setting the style of an HTML element, can be done with the style attribute.
The HTML style attribute has the following syntax:
<tagname style="property:value;">
The property is a CSS property. The value is a CSS value.
You will learn more about CSS later in this tutorial.

HTML Background Color

The background-color property defines the background color for an HTML element.
This example sets the background color for a page to powderblue:

Example

<body style="background-color:powderblue;">

<h1>This is a heading</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>

</body>
Try it Yourself »

HTML Text Color

The color property defines the text color for an HTML element:

Example

<h1 style="color:blue;">This is a heading</h1>
<p style="color:red;">This is a paragraph.</p>
Try it Yourself »

HTML Fonts

The font-family property defines the font to be used for an HTML element:

Example

<h1 style="font-family:verdana;">This is a heading</h1>
<p style="font-family:courier;">This is a paragraph.</p>
Try it Yourself »

HTML Text Size

The font-size property defines the text size for an HTML element:

Example

<h1 style="font-size:300%;">This is a heading</h1>
<p style="font-size:160%;">This is a paragraph.</p>
Try it Yourself »

HTML Text Alignment

The text-align property defines the horizontal text alignment for an HTML element:

Example

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Centered Heading</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;">Centered paragraph.</p>
Try it Yourself »

Chapter Summary

  • Use the style attribute for styling HTML elements
  • Use background-color for background color
  • Use color for text colors
  • Use font-family for text fonts
  • Use font-size for text sizes
  • Use text-align for text alignment
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