HTML <meta> tag
When writing in HTML (hypertext markup language), the <meta> tag is used to provide metadata about a web page. All <meta> tags are stored in the <head> element and while they're not visible on the page, they are still viewable to browsers and search engines. They are useful for storing information, like keywords and content descriptions.
The following sections contain information about the <meta> tag, including an example of its code, and related attributes and browser compatibility.
Example code
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="description" content="Meta tag definition">
<meta name="robots" content="nzdpo"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/>
</head>
Attributes
All HTML tags support standard attributes that define the settings of an HTML element. In addition to the standard settings, the <meta> tag has the following unique attributes.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| charset | Designates the character encoding for the web page. |
| content | Gives the value associated with the name attribute or http-equiv. |
| http-equiv | Creates an HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) header for the value of the content attribute. |
| name | Designates the name for the metadata. |
Deprecated attributes
In addition to the above attributes, the <meta> tag had the following deprecated attributes.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| scheme | Designates the scheme used to interpret the value of the content attribute. |
Compatibility
| Edge | Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari | Opera | Chrome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All versions | All versions | All versions | All version | All versions | All versions |
Browser, Code, Compatibility, Encode, Keyword, Meta tags, Web design terms