HTMLElement: inert property

The HTMLElement property inert reflects the value of the element's inert attribute. It is a boolean value that, when present, makes the browser "ignore" user input events for the element, including focus events and events from assistive technologies. The browser may also ignore page search and text selection in the element. This can be useful when building UIs such as modals where you would want to "trap" the focus inside the modal when it's visible.

Note that if the inert attribute is unspecified, the element itself may still inherit inertness from its parent. However, that inherited inertness is not reflected by this property's value.

Value

A Boolean which is true if the element is inert; otherwise, the value is false.

Example

HTML

html
<div>
  <label for="button1">Button 1</label>
  <button id="button1">I am not inert</button>
</div>
<div inert>
  <label for="button2">Button 2</label>
  <button id="button2">I am inert</button>
</div>

CSS

css
[inert] > * {
  opacity: 0.5;
}

Note: This attribute, by itself, will not cause any visual change to the content as displayed in the browser. In the example above, CSS has been applied so that any direct descendant of an element with the inert attribute is rendered semi-opaque.

Specifications

Specification
HTML
# dom-inert

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also