HTML kbd Tag

HTML kbd Tag: Main Tips

• <kbd> tag is the keyboard input tag (one of the phrase tags).
• You can customize the <kbd> HTML using additional CSS.
• Use it for short commands and not phrases.

Use of kbd

HTML <kbd> identifies a user keyboard entry. Which is why it's extremely useful when displaying user documentation (such as which onscreen or keyboard button you should press), keystrokes, and even instructions for echoed commands (when the system repeats what was inputted). These distinctions can be achieved by nesting kbd tag within samp or more kbd tags:

• If you nest kbd element inside samp tag, it will act like echoed command: it will output the input command which was typed earlier (i.e.My Input).
• If you nest kbd element, it will be seen as a keystroke representation (i.e. CTRL).
• If you nest samp inside kbd tag, it will display onscreen input options, such as navigational or button names (i.e.Cancel).

This tag is typically displayed in a plain, fixed-width (monospace) font.

<kbd>CTRL</kbd> 
<kbd>ALT</kbd>

Remember: the default kbd HTML styling is in the monospace font.

The following example styles the HTML <kbd> with CSS:

<p>Please press <kbd>CTRL</kbd> + <kbd>ALT</kbd> to undo the last operation.</p>

It's recommended to style kbd elements as otherwise they look identical to code elements.

Note: there are no specific attributes for HTML kbd. However, it includes all global attributes.

Browser Support

Chrome

All

Edge

All

Firefox

1+

IE

All

Opera

All

Safari

All

Mobile Browser Support

Chrome

All

Firefox

4+

Opera

All

Safari

All