The KeyboardEvent.altKey read-only property is a Boolean that indicates if the alt key (Option or ⌥ on OS X) was pressed (true) or not (false) when the event occured.
Syntax
var altKeyPressed = instanceOfKeyboardEvent.altKey
Return value
Examples
<html>
<head>
<title>altKey example</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
function showChar(e){
alert(
"Key KeyDown: " + String.fromCharCode(e.charCode) + "\n"
+ "charCode: " + e.charCode + "\n"
+ "ALT key KeyDown: " + e.altKey + "\n"
);
}
</script>
</head>
<body onkeydown="showChar(event);">
<p>
Press any character key,
with or without holding down the ALT key.<br />
You can also use the SHIFT key together with the ALT key.
</p>
</body>
</html>
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Events Specification The definition of 'KeyboardEvent.altkey' in that specification. |
Obsolete | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
The compatibility table on this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.
| Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
altKey | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support Yes | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support Yes | Opera Android Full support Yes | Safari iOS Full support Yes | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support