HTML Tags
HTML <basefont> Tag
The
<basefont>tag was used to define a default font size, color, and font face for all text in an HTML document.
Once set, all text on the page inherited these font properties unless overridden by other tags.
Syntax
html
<basefont size="value" color="color" face="font-name">Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| size | Sets the base font size (1–7 or relative values like +1) |
| color | Sets the default text color |
| face | Sets the default font family |
| (Global attributes) | Not supported |
Example
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Basefont Tag Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<basefont size="4" color="blue" face="Arial">
<h2>Basefont Tag Example</h2>
<p>This paragraph follows the base font settings.</p>
<p>All text inherits size, color, and font face.</p>
</body>
</html>Output
Browser Output
html
In older browsers, all text appears:
Blue
Larger than default
Rendered in Arial
In modern browsers, the <basefont> tag is ignored, so no styling effect is visible.Browser Support
Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Opera | IE9+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The tag is ignored by modern browsers.
Notes
<basefont>affects the entire document globally.- It was replaced by CSS font rules like:
- Deprecated due to lack of flexibility and poor separation of content and style.
css
body {
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 16px;
color: blue;
}Conclusion
The <basefont> tag was an early attempt at global text styling in HTML but is now obsolete.
Modern websites should always use CSS for font control, consistency, and responsiveness.