The HTML <header> element represents introductory content, typically a group of introductory or navigational aids. It may contain some heading elements but also a logo, a search form, an author name, and other elements.
| Content categories | Flow content, palpable content. |
|---|---|
| Permitted content | Flow content, but with no <header> or <footer> descendant. |
| Tag omission | None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory. |
| Permitted parents | Any element that accepts flow content. Note that a <header> element must not be a descendant of an <address>, <footer> or another <header> element. |
| Implicit ARIA role | banner, or no corresponding role if a descendant of an article, aside, main, nav or section element, or an element with role=article, complementary, main, navigation or region |
| Permitted ARIA roles | group, presentation or none |
| DOM interface | HTMLElement |
Usage notes
The <header> element is not sectioning content and therefore does not introduce a new section in the outline. That said, a <header> element is intended to usually contain the surrounding section's heading (an h1–h6 element), but this is not required.
Historical Usage
Although the <header> element didn't make its way into specifications until HTML5, it actually existed at the very beginning of HTML. As seen in the very first website, it was originally used as the <head> element. At some point, it was decided to use a different name. This allowed <header> to be free to fill a different role later on.
Attributes
This element only includes the global attributes.
Examples
Page Header
<header> <h1>Main Page Title</h1> <img src="mdn-logo-sm.png" alt="MDN logo"> </header>
Article Header
<article>
<header>
<h2>The Planet Earth</h2>
<p>Posted on Wednesday, <time datetime="2017-10-04">4 October 2017</time> by Jane Smith</p>
</header>
<p>We live on a planet that's blue and green, with so many things still unseen.</p>
<p><a href="https://janesmith.com/the-planet-earth/">Continue reading....</a></p>
</article>
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| HTML Living Standard The definition of '<header>' in that specification. |
Living Standard | |
| HTML5 The definition of '<header>' in that specification. |
Recommendation |
Browser compatibility
| Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
header | Chrome Full support 5 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 4 | IE Full support 9 | Opera Full support 11.1 | Safari Full support 5 | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android Full support 11.1 | Safari iOS Full support 4.2 | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support