HTML <progress> Tag

The HTML <progress> tag represents the progress of a task.

The <progress> element can be used in conjunction with JavaScript to display the progress of a task or process as it is underway.

The <progress> tag should not be confused with the <meter> tag (which represents a gauge).

Syntax

The <progress> tag is typically written as <progress value="" max=""></progress> with any contents inside the start and end tags. This content could be the current value and/or maximum value that can be displayed to legacy browsers (i.e. browsers that don't support the <progress> element).

The value attribute represents the current value (i.e. where the progress is currently at). If you omit this attribute, the progress bar becomes "indeterminate", and it will not display any progress (but most browsers will display an animated bar to indicate to the user that it's trying...).

The max attribute represents the total amount (i.e. where the progress bar's value will be when it's finished).

Like this:

Examples

Basic tag usage

Indeterminate Progress Bar

You can make a progress bar "indeterminate" by removing the value attribute.

JavaScript Example

Here's a quick example that uses JavaScript to modify the value of the <progress> element on the fly.

Attributes

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

The <progress> element accepts the following attributes.

AttributeDescription
valueSpecifies how much of the task has been completed.
maxSpecifies how much work the task requires in total.

Global Attributes

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

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.

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.