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HTML: <main> tag

This HTML tutorial explains how to use the HTML element called the <main> tag with syntax and examples.

Description

The HTML <main> tag is an HTML5 element that defines the main content in the HTML document and there should only be one <main> element in a document. This tag is also commonly referred to as the <main> element.

Syntax

In HTML, the syntax for the <main> tag is:

<body>
<main role="main">
  <h1>TechOnTheNet.com</h1>
  <p>Your trusted resource for learning new technologies.</p>

  <article>
    <h2>HTML</h2>
    <p>Learn HTML (HyperText Markup Language) with our step-by-step tutorials and references.</p>
  </article>

  <article>
    <h2>CSS</h2>
    <p>Learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) with our step-by-step tutorials and references.</p>
  </article>
</main>
</body>

Sample Output

Attributes

Only the Global Attributes apply to the <main> tag. There are no attributes that are specific to the <main> tag.

Note

  • The HTML <main> element is an HTML5 element that is found within the <body> tag.
  • The <main> tag should not be used for repeated content such as navigation, site logos, social media links, copyright information and sidebars.
  • It is recommended that you use an ARIA role of "main" on the <main> element so that it is accessible by screen readers in older browsers, for example: <main role="main">
  • For IE browsers older than IE 9, use HTML5shiv which is a javascript workaround to provide support for the new HTML5 elements such as: <header>, <main>, <article>, <section>, <aside>, <nav>, <footer>.

Browser Compatibility

The <main> tag has basic support with the following browsers:

  • Chrome 26+
  • Android
  • Firefox 21+
  • Firefox Mobile 21+
  • Internet Edge 12+
  • Edge Mobile 12+
  • Opera 16+
  • Opera Mobile
  • Safari 7+ (WebKit)
  • Safari Mobile 7.1+

Example

We will discuss the <main> tag below, exploring examples of how to use the <main> tag in HTML5, HTML 4.01 Transitional, XHTML 1.0 Transitional, XHTML 1.0 Strict, and XHTML 1.1.

  • HTML5
  • HTML4
  • XHTML

HTML5 Document

If you created a new web page in HTML5, your <main> tag might look like this:

<!doctype html>
<html>

<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>HTML5 Example by www.techonthenet.com</title>
</head>

<body>
<main role="main">
  <h1>TechOnTheNet.com</h1>
  <p>Your trusted resource for learning new technologies.</p>

  <article>
    <h2>HTML</h2>
    <p>Learn HTML (HyperText Markup Language) with our step-by-step tutorials and references.</p>
  </article>

  <article>
    <h2>CSS</h2>
    <p>Learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) with our step-by-step tutorials and references.</p>
  </article>
</main>
</body>

</html>

In this HTML5 Document example, we have created a <main> tag that contains the <h1> tag and two <article> tags.

HTML 4.01 Transitional Document

You can not use the <main> tag in HTML 4.01 Transitional.

XHTML 1.0 Transitional Document

You can not use the <main> tag in XHTML 1.0 Transitional.

XHTML 1.0 Strict Document

You can not use the <main> tag in XHTML 1.0 Strict.

XHTML 1.1 Document

You can not use the <main> tag in XHTML 1.1.

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