HTML <textarea> Tag
Example
An HTML text area:
<label for="w3mission">W3Schools mission:</label>
<textarea
id="w3mission" rows="4" cols="50">
At w3schools.com you will learn how to make a website. We offer free tutorials in all web development technologies.
</textarea>
Try it Yourself »
Definition and Usage
The <textarea> tag defines a multi-line text input control.
A text area can hold an unlimited number of characters, and the text renders in a fixed-width font (usually Courier).
The size of a text area can be specified by the cols and rows attributes, or even better; through CSS' height and width properties.
Tip: Always add the <label> tag for best accessibility practices!
Browser Support
| Element | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <textarea> | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Attributes
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| autofocus | autofocus | Specifies that a text area should automatically get focus when the page loads |
| cols | number | Specifies the visible width of a text area |
| dirname | textareaname.dir | Specifies that the text direction of the textarea will be submitted |
| disabled | disabled | Specifies that a text area should be disabled |
| form | form_id | Specifies which form the text area belongs to |
| maxlength | number | Specifies the maximum number of characters allowed in the text area |
| name | text | Specifies a name for a text area |
| placeholder | text | Specifies a short hint that describes the expected value of a text area |
| readonly | readonly | Specifies that a text area should be read-only |
| required | required | Specifies that a text area is required/must be filled out |
| rows | number | Specifies the visible number of lines in a text area |
| wrap | hard soft |
Specifies how the text in a text area is to be wrapped when submitted in a form |
Global Attributes
The <textarea> tag also supports the Global Attributes in HTML.
Event Attributes
The <textarea> tag also supports the Event Attributes in HTML.
Related Pages
HTML DOM reference: Textarea Object
CSS Tutorial: Styling Forms
Default CSS Settings
None.
