The HTML <main> element represents the dominant content of the <body> of a document. The main content area consists of content that is directly related to or expands upon the central topic of a document, or the central functionality of an application.
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A document mustn't have more than one <main> element that doesn't have the hidden attribute specified.
| Content categories | Flow content, palpable content. |
|---|---|
| Permitted content | Flow content. |
| Tag omission | None; both the starting and ending tags are mandatory. |
| Permitted parents | Where flow content is expected, but only if it is a hierarchically correct main element. |
| Implicit ARIA role | main |
| Permitted ARIA roles | No role permitted |
| DOM interface | HTMLElement |
Attributes
This element only includes the global attributes.
Usage notes
The content of a <main> element should be unique to the document. Content that is repeated across a set of documents or document sections such as sidebars, navigation links, copyright information, site logos, and search forms shouldn't be included unless the search form is the main function of the page.
<main> doesn't contribute to the document's outline; that is, unlike elements such as <body>, headings such as <h2>, and such, <main> doesn't affect the DOM's concept of the structure of the page. It's strictly informative.
Example
<!-- other content -->
<main>
<h1>Apples</h1>
<p>The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree.</p>
<article>
<h2>Red Delicious</h2>
<p>These bright red apples are the most common found in many
supermarkets.</p>
<p>... </p>
<p>... </p>
</article>
<article>
<h2>Granny Smith</h2>
<p>These juicy, green apples make a great filling for
apple pies.</p>
<p>... </p>
<p>... </p>
</article>
</main>
<!-- other content -->
Accessibility concerns
Landmark
The <main> element behaves like a main landmark role. Landmarks can be used by assistive technology to quickly identify and navigate to large sections of the document. Prefer using the <main> element over declaring role="main", unless there are legacy browser support concerns.
Skip navigation
Skip navigation, also known as "skipnav", is a technique that allows an assistive technology user to quickly bypass large sections of repeated content (main navigation, info banners, etc.). This lets the user access the main content of the page faster.
Adding an id attribute to the <main> element lets it be a target of a skip navigation link.
<body> <a href="#main-content">Skip to main content</a> <!-- navigation and header content --> <main id="main-content"> <!-- main page content --> </main> </body>
Reader mode
Browser reader mode functionality looks for the presence of the <main> element, as well as heading and content sectioning elements when converting content into a specialized reader view.
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| HTML Living Standard The definition of '<main>' in that specification. |
Living Standard | |
| HTML 5.1 The definition of '<main>' in that specification. |
Recommendation | No change from HTML5. |
| HTML5 The definition of '<main>' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
The <main> element is widely supported. For Internet Explorer 11 and lower, it's suggested that an ARIA role of "main" be added to the <main> element to ensure it is accessible (screen readers like JAWS, used in combination with older versions of Internet Explorer, understand the semantic meaning of the <main> element when this role attribute is included).
<main role="main"> ... </main>
| Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
main | Chrome Full support 26 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 21 | IE No support No | Opera Full support 16 | Safari Full support 7 | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 21 | Opera Android Full support Yes | Safari iOS Full support 7 | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support
- No support
- No support