Codectionary / Developer documentation / HTML

<body>

The <body> element contains all the visible content of an HTML document — text, images, links, forms, and everything a user actually sees and interacts with in the browser. There can only be one <body> per document, and it must come after the <head> element. Unlike <head>, which holds metadata, everything inside <body> is rendered on the page.

Syntax

<body>
  <h1>Visible content goes here</h1>
</body>

Examples

Basic Body Content

A body containing typical page content.

<body>
  <h1>Welcome</h1>
  <p>This is the visible content of the page.</p>
</body>

Body with Event Attributes

Attaching a page-load event directly to body (though addEventListener is generally preferred).

<body onload="console.log('Page loaded')">
  <p>Content...</p>
</body>

Full Document Structure

Seeing body in context alongside head.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <title>My Page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>My Page</h1>
  <p>Content visible to the user.</p>
</body>
</html>

Best practices

  • Only one <body> element is allowed per document
  • Keep metadata like <title>, <meta>, and <link> in <head>, not <body>
  • Prefer addEventListener in a script over inline event attributes like onload for cleaner separation of concerns
  • Everything a user can see or interact with belongs inside <body>

Browser compatibility

Support applies to the named feature, not every attribute or behaviour in this article. Versions refer to browsers, not operating systems.

<body>

Desktop

Chrome
Supported
From 1
Firefox
Supported
From 1
Safari
Supported
From 1
Edge
Supported
From 12
Opera
Supported
From 15

Mobile

Safari on iOS
Supported
From 1
Chrome for Android
Supported
From 18
Firefox for Android
Supported
From 4
Samsung Internet
Supported
From 1.0

MDN BCD record for this feature · MDN reference

Support history and limitations

Chrome

  • From 1

Firefox

  • From 1

Safari

  • From 1

Edge

  • From 12

Opera

  • From 15

Safari on iOS

  • From 1

Chrome for Android

  • From 18

Firefox for Android

  • From 4

Samsung Internet

  • From 1.0

MDN BCD 8.1.5 · Dataset built 2026-10-08 · Mapping reviewed 2026-10-21. These dates are not individual browser-test or claim-verification dates. Unknown means the data does not establish support.

HTML Living Standard

Specifications & further reading