HTML <button> Tag

The HTML <button> tag is used for creating a button control in an HTML document.

A <button> element enables the user to submit forms and interact with the document by clicking on the button.

Although this tag is often nested inside a <form> element, this is not a requirement. It can also be linked to a form elsewhere in the document with the form attribute. It can also be used as a standalone control (i.e. without being associated with any <form> elements).

Syntax

The <button> tag is written as <button></button> with its contents between the start and end tag. The contents act as the button's label (i.e. anything written between the start and end tag is displayed on the button). The <button> element accepts a number of attributes that enable you to customize the button's appearance, behavior and more. See below for a full list of attributes that can be used with the <button> tag.

Here's an example of the basic syntax for presenting a <button> element:

Examples

Basic tag usage

Here we use a standalone button (i.e. not attached to a form). We keep things simple by using JavaScript to display an alert box when the user clicks on the button.

Button Nested within a Form

Here we nest the button within a <form> element, which makes the button part of the form.

Button Associated to a Form

Here we associate the button to a <form> element by using the form attribute (i.e. we insert the form id as the value). By doing this, we don't need to nest the <button> element inside the <form> element.

About Form-Associated Elements

Some HTML elements can have a "form owner". This means that the element is associated with the form and it can be used as though it was part of that form. This can be handy if you have one or more forms on a page and the element is not nested within any of them.

The following HTML elements are "form-associated elements":

button
fieldset
input
keygen
label
object
output
select
textarea
img

The ability to associate a form control with a form can overcome the lack of support for nested <form> elements. Although nested <form> elements are not supported in the HTML specification, it is possible that a script could manipulate the DOM in a way that results in nested <form> elements. The HTML5 specification acknowledges this situation and appears to make allowances for it, while warning about the non-conformance of nested <form> elements.

Button with an Image

You can include an <img> element inside your <button> element to display the image on the button. You can still add text to the button, resulting in a combination of image and text.

Like this:

Attributes

Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.

The <button> element accepts the following attributes.

Attribute	Description
`autofocus`	Automatically gives focus to this control when the page loads. This allows the user to start using the control without having to select it first. There must not be more than one element in the document with the autofocus attribute specified. This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either `autofocus` or `autofocus="autofocus"`). Possible values: [Empty string] `autofocus`
`disabled`	Disables the control. Therefore, if the user tries to use the control, nothing will happen. This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either `disabled` or `disabled="disabled"`). Possible values: [Empty string] `disabled`
`form`	Specifies the ID of a form to which this control belongs. Possible values: [The ID of a form element in the element's owner `Document`]
`formaction`	Specifies the URL of the file that will process the control when submitted.
`formenctype`	Specifies the content type used to encode the form data set when it's submitted to the server. Possible values: `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` (default) `multipart/form-data` (use this when uploading files) `text/plain` (use this when uploading files)
`formmethod`	Specifies the HTTP method to use when the control is submitted. Possible values: `get` (the form data is appended to the URL when submitted) `post` (the form data is not appended to the URL) `dialog` (Closes the dialog box in which the form finds itself, if any, and otherwise does not submit.)
`formnovalidate`	Specifies that the form is not to be validated during submission. This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either `novalidate` or `novalidate="novalidate"`). Possible values: [Empty string] `novalidate`
`formtarget`	Specifies the browsing context to load the destination indicated in the `action` attribute. Possible values: `_blank` `_self` `_top` `_parent`
`menu`	If the `type` attribute has a value of `menu`, the `menu` attribute must be provided in order to specify the element's menu. The value must be the ID of a `<menu>` element in the same home subtree whose `type` attribute is in the popup menu state. The `menu` attribute can only be used when the `type` attribute has a value of `menu`.
`name`	Assigns the name of the control.
`type`	Specifies the type of button. Possible values: `submit` Submits the form. This is the default value. `reset` Resets the form. `button` Does nothing. You can use JavaScript to make the control actually do something. `menu` Displays a menu. When using this value, you must specify the menu using the `menu` attribute (see above).
`value`	Assigns an initial value to the control. A button (and its value) is only included in the form submission if the button itself was used to initiate the form submission.

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <button> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.

accesskey
autocapitalize
class
contenteditable
data-*
dir
draggable
hidden
id
inputmode
is
itemid
itemprop
itemref
itemscope
itemtype
lang
part
slot
spellcheck
style
tabindex
title
translate

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handlers

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

onabort
onauxclick
onblur
oncancel
oncanplay
oncanplaythrough
onchange
onclick
onclose
oncontextmenu
oncopy
oncuechange
oncut
ondblclick
ondrag
ondragend
ondragenter
ondragexit
ondragleave
ondragover
ondragstart
ondrop
ondurationchange
onemptied
onended
onerror
onfocus
onformdata
oninput
oninvalid
onkeydown
onkeypress
onkeyup
onlanguagechange
onload
onloadeddata
onloadedmetadata
onloadstart
onmousedown
onmouseenter
onmouseleave
onmousemove
onmouseout
onmouseover
onmouseup
onpaste
onpause
onplay
onplaying
onprogress
onratechange
onreset
onresize
onscroll
onsecuritypolicyviolation
onseeked
onseeking
onselect
onslotchange
onstalled
onsubmit
onsuspend
ontimeupdate
ontoggle
onvolumechange
onwaiting
onwheel

Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.

For more detail, see HTML event handler content attributes.