Web/API/GlobalEventHandlers/onfocus

The onfocus property of the GlobalEventHandlers mixin is an EventHandler that processes focus events on the given element.

The focus event is raised when the user sets focus on an element.

For onfocus to fire on non-input elements, they must be given the tabindex attribute (see Building keyboard accessibility back in for more details).

Note: The opposite of onfocus is onblur.

Syntax

target.onfocus = functionRef;

Value

functionRef is a function name or a function expression. The function receives a FocusEvent object as its sole argument.

Example

This example uses onblur and onfocus to change the text within an <input> element.

HTML

<input type="text" value="CLICK HERE">

JavaScript

let input = document.querySelector('input');

input.onblur = inputBlur;
input.onfocus = inputFocus;

function inputBlur() {
  input.value = 'Focus has been lost';
}

function inputFocus() {
  input.value = 'Focus is here';
}

Result

Try clicking in and out of the form field, and watch its contents change accordingly.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
HTML Living StandardThe definition of 'onfocus' in that specification.	Living Standard

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`onfocus`	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

In contrast to IE, in which almost all kinds of elements receive the focus event, almost all kinds of elements on Gecko browsers do NOT work with this event.