HTML <link>
Tag
Example
Link to an external style sheet:
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="theme.css">
</head>
Browser Support
All major browsers support the <link>
tag.
Tag Definition and Usage
The <link>
tag defines the relationship between the current document and an external resource.
The <link>
tag is most commonly used to link to style sheets.
Note: The link element is an empty element, it contains attributes only.
Note: This element can only appear in the head section, though it can appear any number of times.
Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5
Some HTML 4.01 attributes are not supported in HTML5.
HTML5 introduced the "sizes" attribute.
Differences Between HTML and XHTML
In HTML, the <link>
tag has no end tag.
In XHTML, the <link>
tag must be properly closed.
Attributes
Attribute | Value | Description |
---|---|---|
charset | char_encoding | Not supported in HTML5. Defines the character encoding of the linked document. |
href | URL | Defines the location of the linked document. |
hreflang | language_code | Defines the language of the text in the linked document. |
media | media_query | Specifies on what device the linked document will be displayed. |
rel | alternate <br>archives <br>author <br>bookmark <br>external <br>first <br>help <br>icon <br>last <br>license <br>next <br>nofollow <br>noreferrer <br>pingback <br>prefetch <br>prev <br>search <br>sidebar <br>stylesheet <br>tag <br>up | Required. Defines the relationship between the current document and the linked document. rel is short for relationship. |
rev | reversed relationship | Not supported in HTML5. Defines the relationship between the linked document and the current document. |
sizes New | HeightxWidthany | Defines the size of the linked resource. Only for rel="icon". |
target | _blank <br>_self <br>_top <br>_parent <br> frame_name | Not supported in HTML5. Defines where to open the linked document. |
type | MIME_type | Specifies the MIME type of the linked document. |
Global Attributes
The <link>
tag supports global attributes. See the complete list of HTML Global Attributes.
Event Attributes
The <link>
tag supports all HTML Event Attributes.
Related Articles
HTML Tutorial: HTML Styles
HTML DOM Reference: Link Object