The type attribute on an <a> tag specifies the media type of the link.
A media type indicates the format and nature of a link or document.
On an <a> tag, the default is ‘text/html‘.
A type attribute on an <a> tag. The attribute specifies the media type (formerly MIME type) of the linked page.
Go to <a type="text/html" target="_blank"
href="https://microsoft.com/">Microsoft</a>
A media type, formerly known as a MIME type, indicates the format and nature of a file.
Browsers don't look at a link's file extension, but rather what media type it is.
A list with common media types is available on this site.
Tip: The IANA organization maintains a full list of official media types.
There are hundreds of media types.
Below are some common ones that are used on the web.
| Media Type | Description |
|---|---|
| text/html | HTML |
| image/png | PNG |
| application/pdf | |
| application/vnd.ms-excel | Excel |
| text/csv | Comma Separated Values |
| video/mp4 | MP4 |
Tip: Check our HTTP Media Types Reference for a more complete list of common media types.
<a href="URL" type="media-type" />
Note: The type attribute requires that href has a value.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| media-type | The media type of the linked page. For a page link the default is 'text/html'. |
Here is when type support started for each browser:
 Chrome
|
1.0 | Sep 2008 |
 Firefox
|
1.0 | Sep 2002 |
 IE/Edge
|
1.0 | Aug 1995 |
 Opera
|
1.0 | Jan 2006 |
 Safari
|
1.0 | Jan 2003 |
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