Web/HTML/Element/main

From Get docs


The HTML <main> element represents the dominant content of the <body> of a document. The main content area consists of content that is directly related to or expands upon the central topic of a document, or the central functionality of an application.


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.

A document mustn't have more than one <main> element that doesn't have the hidden attribute specified.

Content categories Flow content, palpable content.
Permitted content Flow content.
Tag omission None; both the starting and ending tags are mandatory.
Permitted parents Where flow content is expected, but only if it is a hierarchically correct main element.
Implicit ARIA role main
Permitted ARIA roles No role permitted
DOM interface HTMLElement

Attributes

This element only includes the global attributes.

Usage notes

The content of a <main> element should be unique to the document. Content that is repeated across a set of documents or document sections such as sidebars, navigation links, copyright information, site logos, and search forms shouldn't be included unless the search form is the main function of the page.

<main> doesn't contribute to the document's outline; that is, unlike elements such as <body>, headings such as <h2>, and such, <main> doesn't affect the DOM's concept of the structure of the page. It's strictly informative.

Example

<!-- other content -->

<main>
  <h1>Apples</h1>
  <p>The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree.</p>
  
  <article>
    <h2>Red Delicious</h2>
    <p>These bright red apples are the most common found in many
    supermarkets.</p>
    <p>... </p>
    <p>... </p>
  </article>

  <article>
    <h2>Granny Smith</h2>
    <p>These juicy, green apples make a great filling for
    apple pies.</p>
    <p>... </p>
    <p>... </p>
  </article>
</main>

<!-- other content -->

Accessibility concerns

Landmark

The <main> element behaves like a main landmark role. Landmarks can be used by assistive technology to quickly identify and navigate to large sections of the document. Prefer using the <main> element over declaring role="main", unless there are legacy browser support concerns.

Skip navigation

Skip navigation, also known as "skipnav", is a technique that allows an assistive technology user to quickly bypass large sections of repeated content (main navigation, info banners, etc.). This lets the user access the main content of the page faster.

Adding an id attribute to the <main> element lets it be a target of a skip navigation link.

<body>
  <a href="#main-content">Skip to main content</a>

  <!-- navigation and header content -->

  <main id="main-content">
    <!-- main page content -->
  </main>
</body>

Reader mode

Browser reader mode functionality looks for the presence of the <main> element, as well as heading and content sectioning elements when converting content into a specialized reader view.

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
HTML Living StandardThe definition of '<main>' in that specification. Living Standard
HTML 5.1The definition of '<main>' in that specification. Recommendation No change from HTML5.
HTML5The definition of '<main>' in that specification. Recommendation Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

The <main> element is widely supported. For Internet Explorer 11 and lower, it's suggested that an ARIA role of "main" be added to the <main> element to ensure it is accessible (screen readers like JAWS, used in combination with older versions of Internet Explorer, understand the semantic meaning of the <main> element when this role attribute is included).

<main role="main">
  ...
</main>

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
main Chrome

Full support 26

Edge

Full support 12

Firefox

Full support 21

IE

No support No

Opera

Full support 16

Safari

Full support 7

WebView Android

Full support Yes

Chrome Android

Full support Yes

Firefox Android

Full support 21

Opera Android

Full support Yes

Safari iOS

Full support 7

Samsung Internet Android

Full support Yes

Legend

Full support  
Full support
No support  
No support


See also

<main> by Mozilla Contributors is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.5.