Web/API/Selection/addRange

This is an experimental technologyCheck the Browser compatibility table carefully before using this in production.

The Selection.addRange() method adds a Range to a Selection.

Syntax

selection.addRange(range);

Parameters

range: A Range object that will be added to the Selection.

Example

Currently only Firefox supports multiple selection ranges, other browsers will not add new ranges to the selection if it already contains one.

HTML

<p>I <strong>insist</strong> that you <strong>try</strong> selecting the <strong>strong words</strong>.</p>
<button>Select strong words</button>

JavaScript

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

button.addEventListener('click', function () {
  let selection = window.getSelection();
  let strongs = document.getElementsByTagName('strong');

  if (selection.rangeCount > 0) {
    selection.removeAllRanges();
  }

  for (let i = 0; i < strongs.length; i++) {
    let range = document.createRange();
    range.selectNode(strongs[i]);
    selection.addRange(range);
  }
});

Result

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
Selection APIThe definition of 'Selection.addRange()' in that specification.	Working Draft	Current

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
`addRange` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support Yes	IE ?	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
Compatibility unknown: Compatibility unknown
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.': Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.