Document.write()

The Document.write() method writes a string of text to a document stream opened by document.open().

Note: as document.write writes to the document stream, calling document.write on a closed (loaded) document automatically calls document.open, which will clear the document.

Syntax

document.write(markup);

Parameters

markup: A string containing the text to be written to the document.

Example

<html>

<head>
  <title>write example</title>

  <script>
    function newContent() {
      document.open();
      document.write("<h1>Out with the old - in with the new!</h1>");
      document.close();
    }
  </script>
</head>

<body onload="newContent();">
  <p>Some original document content.</p>
</body>

</html>

Notes

Writing to a document that has already loaded without calling document.open() will automatically call document.open. Once you have finished writing, it is recommended to call document.close() to tell the browser to finish loading the page. The text you write is parsed into the document's structure model. In the example above, the h1 element becomes a node in the document.

If the document.write() call is embedded within an inlined HTML <script> tag, then it will not call document.open(). For example:

<script> 
  document.write("<h1>Main title</h1>") 
</script>

Note: document.write and document.writeln do not work in XHTML documents (you'll get a "Operation is not supported" [NS_ERROR_DOM_NOT_SUPPORTED_ERR] error in the error console). This happens when opening a local file with the .xhtml file extension or for any document served with an application/xhtml+xml MIME type. More information is available in the W3C XHTML FAQ.

Note: document.write in deferred or asynchronous scripts will be ignored, and you'll get a message like "A call to document.write() from an asynchronously-loaded external script was ignored" in the error console.

Note: In Edge only, calling document.write more than once in an <iframe> causes the error SCRIPT70: Permission denied.

Note: Starting in 55, Chrome will not execute <script> elements injected via document.write() in case of an HTTP cache miss for users on a 2G connection. See here for a list of the conditions that need to be met for this to be true.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
HTML Living Standard The definition of 'document.write(...)' in that specification.	Living Standard
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 HTML Specification The definition of 'document.write(...)' in that specification.	Obsolete

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`write`	Chrome Full support 45 Notes Full support 45 Notes Notes Before Chrome 64, this method was accessed through the `HTMLDocument` alias.	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support Yes	IE ?	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support 45 Notes Full support 45 Notes Notes Before Chrome 64, this method was accessed through the `HTMLDocument` alias.	Chrome Android Full support 45 Notes Full support 45 Notes Notes Before Chrome 64, this method was accessed through the `HTMLDocument` alias.	Firefox Android Full support Yes	Opera Android Full support Yes	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support 5.0 Notes Full support 5.0 Notes Notes Before Samsung Internet 9.0, this method was accessed through the `HTMLDocument` alias.

Legend

Full support: Full support
Compatibility unknown: Compatibility unknown
See implementation notes.: See implementation notes.