Window.parent

The Window.parent property is a reference to the parent of the current window or subframe.

If a window does not have a parent, its parent property is a reference to itself.

When a window is loaded in an <iframe>, <object>, or <frame>, its parent is the window with the element embedding the window.

Syntax

var parentWindow = window.parent;

Example

if (window.parent != window.top) {
  // We're deeper than one down
}

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
HTML Living Standard
The definition of 'window.parent' in that specification.		 Living Standard

Browser compatibility

DesktopMobile
ChromeEdgeFirefoxInternet ExplorerOperaSafariAndroid webviewChrome for AndroidFirefox for AndroidOpera for AndroidSafari on iOSSamsung Internet
parentChrome Full support 1Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 1IE Full support 9Opera Full support 3Safari Full support 1.3WebView Android Full support 1Chrome Android Full support 18Firefox Android Full support 4Opera Android Full support 10.1Safari iOS Full support 1Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0

Legend

Full support
Full support

See also

  • window.frameElement returns the specific element (such as <iframe>) the window is embedded into.
  • window.top returns a reference to the top-level window.