The tabindex
global attribute indicates that its element can be focused, and where it participates in sequential keyboard navigation (usually with the Tab key, hence the name).
The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.
It accepts an integer as a value, with different results depending on the integer's value:
- A negative value (usually
tabindex="-1"
) means that the element is not reachable via sequential keyboard navigation, but could be focused with Javascript or visually by clicking with the mouse. It's mostly useful to create accessible widgets with JavaScript.A negative value is useful when you have off-screen content that appears on a specific event. The user won't be able to focus any element with a negative
tabindex
using the keyboard, but a script can do so by calling thefocus()
method. tabindex="0"
means that the element should be focusable in sequential keyboard navigation, after any positive tabindex values and its order is defined by the document's source order.- A positive value means the element should be focusable in sequential keyboard navigation, with its order defined by the value of the number. That is,
tabindex="4"
is focused beforetabindex="5"
andtabindex="0"
, but aftertabindex="3"
. If multiple elements share the same positivetabindex
value, their order relative to each other follows their position in the document source. The maximum value fortabindex
is 32767. If not specified, it takes the default value 0.Avoid using
tabindex
values greater than 0. Doing so makes it difficult for people who rely on assistive technology to navigate and operate page content. Instead, write the document with the elements in a logical sequence.
If you set the tabindex
attribute on a <div>
, then its child content cannot be scrolled with the arrow keys unless you set tabindex
on the content, too. Check out this fiddle to understand the scrolling effects of tabindex
.
Accessibility concerns
Avoid using the tabindex
attribute in conjunction with non-interactive content to make something intended to be interactive focusable by keyboard input. An example of this would be using a <div>
element to describe a button, instead of the <button>
element.
Interactive components authored using non-interactive elements are not be listed in the accessibility tree. This prevents assistive technology from being able to navigate to and manipulate those components. The content should be semantically described using interactive elements (<a>
, <button>
, <details>
, <input>
, <select>
, <textarea>
, etc.) instead. These elements have built-in roles and states that communicate status to the accessibility that would otherwise have to be managed by ARIA.
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
HTML Living Standard The definition of 'tabindex' in that specification. |
Living Standard | No change from latest snapshot, HTML 5.1. |
HTML 5.1 The definition of 'tabindex' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Snapshot of HTML Living Standard, no change from HTML5. |
HTML5 The definition of 'tabindex' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Snapshot of HTML Living Standard. From HTML 4.01 Specification, the attribute is now supported on all elements (global attributes). |
HTML 4.01 Specification The definition of 'tabindex' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Only supported on <a> , <area> , <button> , <input> , <object> , <select> , and <textarea> . |
Browser compatibility
The compatibility table on this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
tabindex | 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
See also
- All global attributes
HTMLElement.tabIndex
that reflects this attribute- Accessibility problems with tabindex: see Donβt Use Tabindex Greater than 0 by Adrian Roselli