<data>: The DATA Element
Last updated: 2026-10-13
<data>The DATA Element
Associates visible text with a machine-readable value, e.g. a product name plus its price or code. The browser shows only the text; scripts can read value.
| Category | Text Content |
|---|---|
| Content Model | Flow content |
| Allowed Parents | Any element that accepts flow content |
| Content Tag | Yes — requires closing </data> tag |
| Status | Standard |
📝 Syntax
<data value="598">$598</data>⚙️ Attributes
This element supports the global attributes plus the following:
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
value | The machine-readable value; the text is still shown as-is. |
▶ Example
Edit the code below and see the live result in the playground:
🌐 Browser Support
| Browser |  Chrome |
 Edge |
 Firefox |
 Safari |
 Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <data> | ✓ v1 | ✓ v12 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 |
| Supported in all major browsers | |||||
Tip： For time-related values, prefer <time> over <data> for better semantics.
❓ FAQ
QWhat does the data tag do?
A
<data> binds human-readable content to a machine-readable value: the text sits between the tags and the value goes in the value attribute. For example <data value='20261009'>October 9</data> — scripts and crawlers get the normalized value.QWhat is the difference between data and time?
AA clean division: dates and times use
<time> (datetime constrained to ISO 8601); everything else (IDs, quantities, coordinates, part numbers) uses <data> with a free-form value. Both separate display from data.QIs the value attribute required on data?
AYes. A
<data> without a value attribute has no reason to exist (the spec requires it); for plain text just write text. If you need machine readability with no natural value, consider hidden fields or data-* custom attributes.🏷️ Related Tags
💡 Related Cases
More case studies coming soon — check back later.
📚 Related Tutorials
