The
<blink>tag in HTML was used to make enclosed text blink or flash on and off continuously on the screen.
It was introduced in Netscape Navigator browsers in the 1990s as a visual attention grabber for important text or warnings.
Note: The<blink>tag is deprecated and not supported in HTML5 or modern browsers.
The blinking effect can be recreated using CSS animations or JavaScript.
Syntax
<blink>Your text goes here</blink>Attributes
| Attribute | Description | Possible Values |
|---|---|---|
| (none) | The <blink> tag does not support any standard attributes other than the global HTML attributes like class, id, style, etc. | — |
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Example of blink Tag</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Blink Tag Example</h2>
<p>This is a normal text.</p>
<blink style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">
This text used to blink in old browsers!
</blink>
</body>
</html>Output
Browser Output
When opened in modern browsers, the text inside <blink> will appear as normal static text because the tag is no longer supported.
In older browsers (like early Netscape), the text would flash on and off continuously.
Browser Support
Chrome | Firefox | Edge | Safari | Opera | IE9+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ❌No | ❌No | ❌No | ❌No | ❌No | ❌No |
Notes
- The
<blink>tag is completely obsolete and should never be used in modern HTML documents. - The blinking effect can cause accessibility issues for users with epilepsy or visual sensitivity.
- To achieve a similar blinking effect safely, use CSS animations:
<style>
.blink {
animation: blink-effect 1s step-start infinite;
color: red;
font-weight: bold;
}
@keyframes blink-effect {
50% { opacity: 0; }
}
</style>
<p class="blink">This is a CSS-based blinking text!</p>Conclusion
The <blink> tag was once used to create a flashing text effect, but it is deprecated and no longer supported by any modern browsers.
For modern, accessible websites, use CSS animations instead to simulate blinking or highlight text in a more user-friendly way.