Style display Property

❮ Previous ❮ Style Object Reference Next ❯

Example

Set a <div> element to not be displayed:

document.getElementById("myDIV").style.display = "none";

Definition and Usage

The display property sets or returns the element's display type.

Elements in HTML are mostly "inline" or "block" elements: An inline element has floating content on its left and right side. A block element fills the entire line, and nothing can be displayed on its left or right side.

The display property also allows the author to show or hide an element. It is similar to the visibility property. However, if you set display:none, it hides the entire element, while visibility:hidden means that the contents of the element will be invisible, but the element stays in its original position and size.

Tip: If an element is a block element, its display type can also be changed with the float property.

Browser Support

Property
display	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Syntax

Return the display property:

object.style.display

Set the display property:

object.style.display = value

Property Values

Value	Description
block	Element is rendered as a block-level element
compact	Element is rendered as a block-level or inline element. Depends on context
flex	Element is rendered as a block-level flex box. New in CSS3
inline	Element is rendered as an inline element. This is default
inline-block	Element is rendered as a block box inside an inline box
inline-flex	Element is rendered as a inline-level flex box. New in CSS3
inline-table	Element is rendered as an inline table (like <table>), with no line break before or after the table
list-item	Element is rendered as a list
marker	This value sets content before or after a box to be a marker (used with :before and :after pseudo-elements. Otherwise this value is identical to "inline")
none	Element will not be displayed
run-in	Element is rendered as block-level or inline element. Depends on context
table	Element is rendered as a block table (like <table>), with a line break before and after the table
table-caption	Element is rendered as a table caption (like <caption>)
table-cell	Element is rendered as a table cell (like <td> and <th>)
table-column	Element is rendered as a column of cells (like <col>)
table-column-group	Element is rendered as a group of one or more columns (like <colgroup>)
table-footer-group	Element is rendered as a table footer row (like <tfoot>)
table-header-group	Element is rendered as a table header row (like <thead>)
table-row	Element is rendered as a table row (like <tr>)
table-row-group	Element is rendered as a group of one or more rows (like <tbody>)
initial	Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial
inherit	Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit

Technical Details

Default Value:	inline
Return Value:	A String, representing the display type of an element
CSS Version	CSS1

More Examples

Example

Difference between the display property and the visibility property:

function demoDisplay() {
document.getElementById("myP1").style.display = "none";
}

function demoVisibility() {
document.getElementById("myP2").style.visibility = "hidden";
}

Try it Yourself »

Example

Toggle between hiding and showing an element:

function myFunction() {
var x = document.getElementById('myDIV');
if (x.style.display === 'none') {
    x.style.display = 'block';
  } else {
    x.style.display = 'none';
}
}

Try it Yourself »

Example

Difference between "inline", "block" and "none":

function myFunction(x) {
var whichSelected = x.selectedIndex;
var sel = x.options[whichSelected].text;
var elem = document.getElementById("mySpan");
elem.style.display = sel;
}

Try it Yourself »