HTML 4 body Tag
Also see HTML5 <body> Tag.
This page is for the HTML 4 version of this element. For a more up to date version, see HTML5 <body> Tag.
The HTML body tag is used for indicating the main content section of the HTML document. The body tag is placed between the </head> and the </html> tags.
Note that the attributes for the body tag are deprecated in HTML 4.01 and obsolete in HTML 5. You should use CSS for defining the presentation of your document body. For example, see CSS background-color and CSS text-decoration.
Example
Attributes
| Attributes specific to this tag: | |
|---|---|
| Attribute | Description |
| background | Specifies the URI/URL of a background image. This attribute is now deprecated. |
| text | Specifies the text color. This attribute is now deprecated. |
| link | Specifies the color of unvisited hyperlink text. This attribute is now deprecated. |
| vlink | Specifies the color of visited hyperlink text. This attribute is now deprecated. |
| alink | Specifies the color of active hyperlink text (i.e. when the user clicks on it). This attribute is now deprecated. |
| Other Attributes: | |
| Attribute | Description |
| class | Document wide identifier. |
| id | Document wide identifier |
| lang | Language code |
| dir | Specifies the direction of the text |
| title | Specifies a title to associate with the element. Many browsers will display this when the cursor hovers over the element (similar to a "tool tip"). |
| style | Inline style (CSS) |
| bgcolor | Background color. This attribute is now deprecated. |
| onload | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onunload | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onclick | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| ondbclick | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onmousedown | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onmouseup | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onmouseover | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onmousemove | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onmouseout | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onkeypress | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onkeydown | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
| onkeyup | Intrinsic event (see event handlers) |
Try it Yourself!
Modify the code below, then click Update. See below for attributes.
HTML5 Tags
The information on this page is based on HTML version 4.01. Most modern browsers now support HTML5.
See HTML5 <body> Tag for the HTML5 version of the above element.
See this list of HTML tags for the latest list of HTML elements.