<desc>

The <desc> element provides an accessible, long-text description of any SVG container element or graphics element.

Text in a <desc> element is not rendered as part of the graphic. If the element can be described by visible text, it is possible to reference that text with the aria-describedby attribute. If aria-describedby is used, it will take precedence over <desc>.

The hidden text of a <desc> element can also be concatenated with the visible text of other elements using multiple IDs in an aria-describedby value. In that case, the <desc> element must provide an ID for reference.

<svg viewBox="0 0 10 10" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <circle cx="5" cy="5" r="4">
    <desc>
      I'm a circle and that description is here to
      demonstrate how I can be described, but is it
      really necessary to describe a simple circle
      like me?
    </desc>
  </circle>
</svg>

Attributes

This element only includes global attributes

Global attributes

Core Attributes
Most notably: id
Styling Attributes
class, style
Event Attributes
Global event attributes, Document element event attributes

Usage notes

CategoriesDescriptive element
Permitted contentAny elements or character data

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2
The definition of '<desc>' in that specification.
Candidate Recommendation
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.1 (Second Edition)
The definition of '<desc>' in that specification.
Recommendation Initial definition

Browser compatibility

DesktopMobile
ChromeEdgeFirefoxInternet ExplorerOperaSafariAndroid webviewChrome for AndroidFirefox for AndroidOpera for AndroidSafari on iOSSamsung Internet
descChrome Full support 1Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support YesIE Full support 9Opera Full support 8Safari Full support 3.1WebView Android Full support 3Chrome Android Full support 18Firefox Android Full support 4Opera Android Full support YesSafari iOS Full support 3.1Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0

Legend

Full support
Full support

See also