HTML <meta> Tag
Example
Describe metadata within an HTML document:
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="description" content="Free Web tutorials">
<meta name="keywords" content="HTML,CSS,XML,JavaScript">
<meta name="author" content="John Doe">
<meta
name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
</head>
Try it Yourself »
Definition and Usage
Metadata is data (information) about data.
The <meta> tag provides metadata about the HTML document. Metadata will not be displayed on the page, but will be machine parsable.
Meta elements are typically used to specify page description, keywords, author of the document, last modified, and other metadata.
The metadata can be used by browsers (how to display content or reload page), search engines (keywords), or other web services.
HTML5 introduced a method to let web designers take control over the viewport (the user's visible area of a web page), through the <meta> tag (See "Setting The Viewport" example below).
Browser Support
| Element | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <meta> | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tips and Notes
Note: <meta> tags always go inside the <head> element.
Note: Metadata is always passed as name/value pairs.
Note: The content attribute MUST be defined if the name or the http-equiv attribute is defined. If none of these are defined, the content attribute CANNOT be defined.
Setting The Viewport
HTML5 introduced a method to let web designers take control over the viewport, through the <meta> tag.
The viewport is the user's visible area of a web page. It varies with the device, and will be smaller on a mobile phone than on a computer screen.
You should include the following <meta> viewport element in all your web pages:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
A <meta> viewport element gives the browser instructions on how to control the page's dimensions and scaling.
The width=device-width part sets the width of the page to follow the screen-width of the device (which will vary depending on the device).
The initial-scale=1.0 part sets the initial zoom level when the page is first loaded by the browser.
Here is an example of a web page without the viewport meta tag, and the same web page with the viewport meta tag:
Tip: If you are browsing this page with a phone or a tablet, you can click on the two links below to see the difference.
You can read more about the viewport in our Responsive Web Design - The Viewport Tutorial.
Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5
The scheme attribute is not supported in HTML5.
HTML5 has a new attribute, charset, which makes it easier to define charset:
- HTML 4.01: <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
- HTML5: <meta charset="UTF-8">
Differences Between HTML and XHTML
In HTML the <meta> tag has no end tag.
In XHTML the <meta> tag must be properly closed.
Examples
Example 1 - Define keywords for search engines:
<meta name="keywords" content="HTML, CSS, XML, XHTML, JavaScript">
Example 2 - Define a description of your web page:
<meta name="description" content="Free Web tutorials on HTML and CSS">
Example 3 - Define the author of a page:
<meta name="author" content="John Doe">
Example 4 - Refresh document every 30 seconds:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="30">
Example 5 - Setting the viewport to make your website look good on all devices:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
Attributes
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| charset | character_set | Specifies the character encoding for the HTML document |
| content | text | Gives the value associated with the http-equiv or name attribute |
| http-equiv | content-type default-style refresh |
Provides an HTTP header for the information/value of the content attribute |
| name | application-name author description generator keywords viewport |
Specifies a name for the metadata |
| scheme | format/URI | Not supported in HTML5. Specifies a scheme to be used to interpret the value of the content attribute |
Global Attributes
The <meta> tag also supports the Global Attributes in HTML.
Related Pages
HTML tutorial: HTML Head
HTML DOM reference: Meta Object
Default CSS Settings
None.
