HTML Reference Manual

HTML Tag Encyclopedia

HTML: <link> tag

The HTML <link> tag links external resources (such as CSS files) to the HTML document. This tag is also commonly referred to as the <link> element.

Online Example

Link to external style file:

Example

!DOCTYPE　html>
<html>
<head>　
<meta　charset="utf-8">　
<title>Basic Tutorial Website(oldtoolbag.com)</title>　
<link　rel="stylesheet"　type="text/css"　href="theme.css">
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

Test and see ‹/›

HTML <link> tag syntax-Linking Style Sheets

The syntax for linking style sheets using HTML <link> tag is:

<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/main.css" type="text/css">
</head>

Or in XHTML, the syntax of the <link> tag is:

<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/main.css" type="text/css" />
</head>

Browser Compatibility

IEFirefoxOperaChromeSafari

All mainstream browsers support the <link> tag.

Definition and Usage Description

The <link> tag is most commonly used to link style sheets or CSS files to HTML documents.

The <link> tag defines the relationship between the document and external resources.

The most common use of the <link> tag is to link style sheets.

Note: The <link> element is an empty element, it only contains attributes.

Note:　This element can only exist in the head section, but it can appear any number of times.

HTML 4.01 and HTML5Differences between

Some HTML 4.01 Attribute in HTML5 Not supported in Chinese.

HTML5 The "sizes" attribute has been added.

Differences between HTML and XHTML

In HTML, the <link> tag does not have a closing tag.

In XHTML, the <link> tag must be closed correctly.

Attribute

Attribute	Value	Description
charset	char_encoding	HTML5 This attribute is not supported. Define the character encoding method of the linked document.
href	URL	Define the location of the linked document.
hreflang	language_code	Define the language of the text in the linked document.
media	media_query	The linked document will be displayed on what device.
rel	alternate archives author bookmark external first help icon last license next nofollow noreferrer pingback prefetch prev search sidebar stylesheet tag up	Required. Defines the relationship between the current document and the linked document.
rev	reversed relationship	HTML5 This attribute is not supported. Defines the relationship between the linked document and the current document.
sizesHTML5	HeightxWidth any	Defined the size of the link attribute, only effective for the attribute rel="icon".
target	_blank _self _top _parent frame_name	HTML5 This attribute is not supported. Defines where to load the linked document.
type	MIME_type	Specifies the MIME type of the linked document.

Global Attributes

event attributes

HTML Tutorial:HTML Styles

HTML DOM Reference Manual:Link Object

HTML: <map> tag HTML: <li> tag