Window
The Window
interface represents a window containing a DOM document; the document
property points to the DOM document loaded in that window.
A window for a given document can be obtained using the document.defaultView
property.
A global variable, window
, representing the window in which the script is running, is exposed to JavaScript code.
The Window
interface is home to a variety of functions, namespaces, objects, and constructors which are not necessarily directly associated with the concept of a user interface window. However, the Window
interface is a suitable place to include these items that need to be globally available. Many of these are documented in the JavaScript Reference and the DOM Reference.
In a tabbed browser, each tab is represented by its own Window
object; the global window
seen by JavaScript code running within a given tab always represents the tab in which the code is running. That said, even in a tabbed browser, some properties and methods still apply to the overall window that contains the tab, such as resizeTo()
and innerHeight
. Generally, anything that can't reasonably pertain to a tab pertains to the window instead.
Instance properties
This interface inherits properties from the EventTarget
interface.
Note that properties which are objects (e.g., for overriding the prototype of built-in elements) are listed in a separate section below.
Window.caches
Read only-
Returns the
CacheStorage
object associated with the current context. This object enables functionality such as storing assets for offline use, and generating custom responses to requests. Window.clientInformation
Read only-
An alias for
Window.navigator
. Window.closed
Read only-
This property indicates whether the current window is closed or not.
Window.console
Read only-
Returns a reference to the console object which provides access to the browser's debugging console.
Window.credentialless
Read only Experimental Non-standard-
Returns a boolean that indicates whether the current document was loaded inside a credentialless
<iframe>
. See IFrame credentialless for more details. Window.crypto
Read only-
Returns the browser crypto object.
Window.customElements
Read only-
Returns a reference to the
CustomElementRegistry
object, which can be used to register new custom elements and get information about previously registered custom elements. Window.devicePixelRatio
Read only-
Returns the ratio between physical pixels and device independent pixels in the current display.
Window.document
Read only-
Returns a reference to the document that the window contains.
Window.frameElement
Read only-
Returns the element in which the window is embedded, or null if the window is not embedded.
Window.frames
Read only-
Returns an array of the subframes in the current window.
Window.fullScreen
Non-standard-
This property indicates whether the window is displayed in full screen or not.
Window.history
Read only-
Returns a reference to the history object.
Window.indexedDB
Read only-
Provides a mechanism for applications to asynchronously access capabilities of indexed databases; returns an
IDBFactory
object. Window.innerHeight
Read only-
Gets the height of the content area of the browser window including, if rendered, the horizontal scrollbar.
Window.innerWidth
Read only-
Gets the width of the content area of the browser window including, if rendered, the vertical scrollbar.
Window.isSecureContext
Read only-
Returns a boolean indicating whether the current context is secure (
true
) or not (false
). Window.launchQueue
Read only Experimental-
When a progressive web app (PWA) is launched with a
launch_handler
client_mode
value offocus-existing
,navigate-new
, ornavigate-existing
, thelaunchQueue
provides access to theLaunchQueue
class, which allows custom launch navigation handling to be implemented for the PWA. Window.length
Read only-
Returns the number of frames in the window. See also
window.frames
. Window.location
-
Gets/sets the location, or current URL, of the window object.
Window.locationbar
Read only-
Returns the locationbar object.
Window.localStorage
Read only-
Returns a reference to the local storage object used to store data that may only be accessed by the origin that created it.
-
Returns the menubar object.
Window.mozInnerScreenX
Read only Non-standard-
Returns the horizontal (X) coordinate of the top-left corner of the window's viewport, in screen coordinates. This value is reported in CSS pixels. See
mozScreenPixelsPerCSSPixel
innsIDOMWindowUtils
for a conversion factor to adapt to screen pixels if needed. Window.mozInnerScreenY
Read only Non-standard-
Returns the vertical (Y) coordinate of the top-left corner of the window's viewport, in screen coordinates. This value is reported in CSS pixels. See
mozScreenPixelsPerCSSPixel
for a conversion factor to adapt to screen pixels if needed. Window.name
-
Gets/sets the name of the window.
-
Returns the current
window
's associatedNavigation
object. The entry point for theNavigation API
. -
Returns a reference to the navigator object.
Window.opener
-
Returns a reference to the window that opened this current window.
Window.origin
Read only-
Returns the global object's origin, serialized as a string.
Window.outerHeight
Read only-
Gets the height of the outside of the browser window.
Window.outerWidth
Read only-
Gets the width of the outside of the browser window.
Window.pageXOffset
Read only-
An alias for
window.scrollX
. Window.pageYOffset
Read only-
An alias for
window.scrollY
. Window.parent
Read only-
Returns a reference to the parent of the current window or subframe.
Window.performance
Read only-
Returns a
Performance
object, which includes thetiming
andnavigation
attributes, each of which is an object providing performance-related data. See also Using Navigation Timing for additional information and examples. Window.personalbar
Read only-
Returns the personalbar object.
Window.scheduler
Read only-
Returns the
Scheduler
object associated with the current context. This is the entry point for using the Prioritized Task Scheduling API. Window.screen
Read only-
Returns a reference to the screen object associated with the window.
Window.screenX
andWindow.screenLeft
Read only-
Both properties return the horizontal distance from the left border of the user's browser viewport to the left side of the screen.
Window.screenY
andWindow.screenTop
Read only-
Both properties return the vertical distance from the top border of the user's browser viewport to the top side of the screen.
Window.scrollbars
Read only-
Returns the scrollbars object.
Window.scrollMaxX
Non-standard Read only-
The maximum offset that the window can be scrolled to horizontally, that is the document width minus the viewport width.
Window.scrollMaxY
Non-standard Read only-
The maximum offset that the window can be scrolled to vertically (i.e., the document height minus the viewport height).
Window.scrollX
Read only-
Returns the number of pixels that the document has already been scrolled horizontally.
Window.scrollY
Read only-
Returns the number of pixels that the document has already been scrolled vertically.
Window.self
Read only-
Returns an object reference to the window object itself.
Window.sessionStorage
-
Returns a reference to the session storage object used to store data that may only be accessed by the origin that created it.
Window.speechSynthesis
Read only-
Returns a
SpeechSynthesis
object, which is the entry point into using Web Speech API speech synthesis functionality. Window.statusbar
Read only-
Returns the statusbar object.
Window.toolbar
Read only-
Returns the toolbar object.
Window.top
Read only-
Returns a reference to the topmost window in the window hierarchy. This property is read only.
Window.visualViewport
Read only-
Returns a
VisualViewport
object which represents the visual viewport for a given window. Window.window
Read only-
Returns a reference to the current window.
window[0]
,window[1]
, etc.-
Returns a reference to the
window
object in the frames. SeeWindow.frames
for more details.
Deprecated properties
Window.defaultStatus
Deprecated-
Gets/sets the status bar text for the given window.
Window.event
Deprecated Read only-
Returns the current event, which is the event currently being handled by the JavaScript code's context, or
undefined
if no event is currently being handled. TheEvent
object passed directly to event handlers should be used instead whenever possible. Window.external
Deprecated Read only-
Returns an object with functions for adding external search providers to the browser.
Window.orientation
Deprecated Read only-
Returns the orientation in degrees (in 90 degree increments) of the viewport relative to the device's natural orientation.
Window.returnValue
Deprecated-
The return value to be returned to the function that called
window.showModalDialog()
to display the window as a modal dialog. -
Returns a reference to the window object of the sidebar
Window.status
Deprecated-
Gets/sets the text in the statusbar at the bottom of the browser.
Instance methods
This interface inherits methods from the EventTarget
interface.
Window.addEventListener()
-
Register an event handler to a specific event type on the window.
Window.atob()
-
Decodes a string of data which has been encoded using base-64 encoding.
Window.alert()
-
Displays an alert dialog.
Window.blur()
-
Sets focus away from the window.
Window.btoa()
-
Creates a base-64 encoded ASCII string from a string of binary data.
Window.cancelAnimationFrame()
-
Enables you to cancel a callback previously scheduled with
Window.requestAnimationFrame
. Window.cancelIdleCallback()
-
Enables you to cancel a callback previously scheduled with
Window.requestIdleCallback
. Window.clearImmediate()
-
Cancels the repeated execution set using
setImmediate()
. Window.clearInterval()
-
Cancels the repeated execution set using
setInterval()
. Window.clearTimeout()
-
Cancels the delayed execution set using
setTimeout()
. Window.close()
-
Closes the current window.
Window.confirm()
-
Displays a dialog with a message that the user needs to respond to.
Window.createImageBitmap()
-
Accepts a variety of different image sources, and returns a
Promise
which resolves to anImageBitmap
. Optionally the source is cropped to the rectangle of pixels originating at (sx, sy) with width sw, and height sh. Window.dispatchEvent()
-
Used to trigger an event.
Window.dump()
Non-standard-
Writes a message to the console.
Window.fetch()
-
Starts the process of fetching a resource from the network.
Window.find()
Non-standard-
Searches for a given string in a window.
Window.focus()
-
Sets focus on the current window.
Window.getComputedStyle()
-
Gets computed style for the specified element. Computed style indicates the computed values of all CSS properties of the element.
Window.getDefaultComputedStyle()
Non-standard-
Gets default computed style for the specified element, ignoring author stylesheets.
Window.getSelection()
-
Returns the selection object representing the selected item(s).
Window.matchMedia()
-
Returns a
MediaQueryList
object representing the specified media query string. Window.moveBy()
-
Moves the current window by a specified amount.
Window.moveTo()
-
Moves the window to the specified coordinates.
Window.open()
-
Opens a new window.
Window.postMessage()
-
Provides a secure means for one window to send a string of data to another window, which need not be within the same domain as the first.
Window.print()
-
Opens the Print Dialog to print the current document.
Window.prompt()
-
Returns the text entered by the user in a prompt dialog.
Window.queryLocalFonts()
Experimental-
Returns a
Promise
that fulfills with an array ofFontData
objects representing the font faces available locally. Window.removeEventListener()
-
Removes an event listener from the window.
Window.reportError()
-
Reports an error in a script, emulating an unhandled exception.
Window.requestAnimationFrame()
-
Tells the browser that an animation is in progress, requesting that the browser schedule a repaint of the window for the next animation frame.
Window.requestIdleCallback()
-
Enables the scheduling of tasks during a browser's idle periods.
Window.resizeBy()
-
Resizes the current window by a certain amount.
Window.resizeTo()
-
Dynamically resizes window.
Window.scroll()
-
Scrolls the window to a particular place in the document.
Window.scrollBy()
-
Scrolls the document in the window by the given amount.
Window.scrollByLines()
Non-standard-
Scrolls the document by the given number of lines.
Window.scrollByPages()
Non-standard-
Scrolls the current document by the specified number of pages.
Window.scrollTo()
-
Scrolls to a particular set of coordinates in the document.
Window.setImmediate()
-
Executes a function after the browser has finished other heavy tasks.
Window.setInterval()
-
Schedules a function to execute every time a given number of milliseconds elapses.
Window.setResizable()
Non-standard-
Toggles a user's ability to resize a window.
Window.setTimeout()
-
Schedules a function to execute in a given amount of time.
Window.sizeToContent()
Non-standard-
Sizes the window according to its content.
Window.showOpenFilePicker()
Experimental-
Shows a file picker that allows a user to select a file or multiple files.
Window.showSaveFilePicker()
Experimental-
Shows a file picker that allows a user to save a file.
Window.showDirectoryPicker()
Experimental-
Displays a directory picker which allows the user to select a directory.
Window.stop()
-
This method stops window loading.
Window.updateCommands()
Non-standard-
Updates the state of commands of the current chrome window (UI).
Deprecated methods
Window.back()
Non-standard Deprecated-
Moves back one in the window history. This method is deprecated; you should instead use
history.back()
. Window.captureEvents()
Deprecated-
Registers the window to capture all events of the specified type.
Window.forward()
Non-standard Deprecated-
Moves the window one document forward in the history. This method is deprecated; you should instead use
history.forward()
. Window.releaseEvents()
Deprecated-
Releases the window from trapping events of a specific type.
Window.showModalDialog()
Non-standard Deprecated-
Displays a modal dialog.
Events
Listen to these events using addEventListener()
or by assigning an event listener to the oneventname
property of this interface.
error
-
Fired when a resource failed to load, or can't be used. For example, if a script has an execution error or an image can't be found or is invalid.
languagechange
-
Fired at the global scope object when the user's preferred language changes.
devicemotion
-
Fired at a regular interval, indicating the amount of physical force of acceleration the device is receiving and the rate of rotation, if available.
deviceorientation
-
Fired when fresh data is available from the magnetometer orientation sensor about the current orientation of the device as compared to the Earth coordinate frame.
resize
-
Fired when the window has been resized.
storage
-
Fired when a storage area (
localStorage
orsessionStorage
) has been modified in the context of another document.
Animation events
animationcancel
-
Fired when an animation unexpectedly aborts.
animationend
-
Fired when an animation has completed normally.
animationiteration
-
Fired when an animation iteration has completed.
animationstart
-
Fired when an animation starts.
Clipboard events
copy
-
Fired when the user initiates a copy action through the browser's user interface. Also available via the
oncopy
property. cut
-
Fired when the user initiates a cut action through the browser's user interface. Also available via the
oncut
property. paste
-
Fired when the user initiates a paste action through the browser's user interface. Also available via the
onpaste
property.
Connection events
Focus events
Gamepad events
gamepadconnected
-
Fired when the browser detects that a gamepad has been connected or the first time a button/axis of the gamepad is used.
gamepaddisconnected
-
Fired when the browser detects that a gamepad has been disconnected.
History events
hashchange
-
Fired when the fragment identifier of the URL has changed (the part of the URL beginning with and following the
#
symbol). pagehide
-
Sent when the browser hides the current document while in the process of switching to displaying in its place a different document from the session's history. This happens, for example, when the user clicks the Back button or when they click the Forward button to move ahead in session history.
pageshow
-
Sent when the browser makes the document visible due to navigation tasks, including not only when the page is first loaded, but also situations such as the user navigating back to the page after having navigated to another within the same tab.
popstate
-
Fired when the active history entry changes.
Load & unload events
beforeunload
-
Fired when the window, the document and its resources are about to be unloaded.
DOMContentLoaded
-
Fired when the document has been completely loaded and parsed, without waiting for stylesheets, images, and subframes to finish loading.
load
-
Fired when the whole page has loaded, including all dependent resources such as stylesheets images.
unload
-
Fired when the document or a child resource is being unloaded.
Manifest events
appinstalled
-
Fired when the browser has successfully installed a page as an application.
beforeinstallprompt
-
Fired when a user is about to be prompted to install a web application.
Messaging events
message
-
Fired when the window receives a message, for example from a call to
Window.postMessage()
from another browsing context. messageerror
-
Fired when a
Window
object receives a message that can't be deserialized.
Print events
afterprint
-
Fired after the associated document has started printing or the print preview has been closed.
beforeprint
-
Fired when the associated document is about to be printed or previewed for printing.
Promise rejection events
rejectionhandled
-
Sent every time a JavaScript
Promise
is rejected, regardless of whether or not there is a handler in place to catch the rejection. unhandledrejection
-
Sent when a JavaScript
Promise
is rejected but there is no handler in place to catch the rejection.
Transition events
transitioncancel
-
Fired when a CSS transition is canceled.
transitionend
-
Fired when a CSS transition has completed.
transitionrun
-
Fired when a CSS transition is first created.
transitionstart
-
Fired when a CSS transition has actually started.
Deprecated events
orientationchange
Deprecated-
Fired when the orientation of the device has changed.
vrdisplayactivate
Deprecated Non-standard-
Fired when a display is able to be presented to.
vrdisplayconnect
Deprecated Non-standard-
Fired when a compatible VR device has been connected to the computer.
vrdisplaydisconnect
Deprecated Non-standard-
Fired when a compatible VR device has been disconnected from the computer.
vrdisplaydeactivate
Deprecated Non-standard-
Fired when a display can no longer be presented to.
vrdisplaypresentchange
Deprecated Non-standard-
Fired when the presenting state of a VR device changes — i.e. goes from presenting to not presenting, or vice versa.
Interfaces
See DOM Reference.
Specifications
Specification |
---|
HTML Standard # the-window-object |
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser