<frameset>: The FRAMESET Element
Last updated: 2026-10-13
<frameset>The FRAMESET Element
Splits the browser window into multiple sub-windows (frame) laid out by rows/cols. HTML5 has deprecated it; prefer <iframe> or modern CSS layout.
| Category | Document Structure |
|---|---|
| Content Model | Flow content |
| Allowed Parents | Any element that accepts flow content |
| Content Tag | Yes — requires closing </frameset> tag |
| Status | Obsolete |
📝 Syntax
<frameset cols="25%,75%">
<frame src="nav.html">
<frame src="content.html">
</frameset>⚙️ Attributes
This element supports the global attributes plus the following:
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
rows | Row heights as pixels, % or *. | |
cols | Column widths as pixels, % or *. | |
border | Border width between frames, in pixels. |
▶ Example
Edit the code below and see the live result in the playground:
🌐 Browser Support
| Browser |  Chrome |
 Edge |
 Firefox |
 Safari |
 Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <frameset> | ✓ v1 | ✓ v12 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 | ✓ v1 |
| Supported in all major browsers | |||||
Tip： frameset is obsolete and bad for SEO/mobile; use <iframe> or CSS Grid/Flex.
❓ FAQ
QWhat is frameset and why was it deprecated?
A
<frameset> split the window into multiple <frame> panes via rows/cols, each pane loading its own document. It died for good reasons: broken URL and history mapping, an accessibility disaster, chaotic crawling, no responsive layout. HTML5 deleted the element.QWhat happens when a frameset page opens in a modern browser?
AModern browsers still parse frameset for backward compatibility but do not render the frame layout — usually partial content or blank pages. Systems relying on frameset must migrate; they cannot work on new browsers.
QHow were rows and cols written in frameset?
AHistorical syntax:
<frameset rows='80,*,100'> meant a three-row layout of 80px top, flexible middle, and 100px bottom, with the asterisk taking remaining space. Read it only to maintain old code; new layouts should use CSS Grid's grid-template-rows for the same effect.🏷️ Related Tags
💡 Related Cases
More case studies coming soon — check back later.
📚 Related Tutorials
