W3cubDocs

/HTML

<main>

The HTML <main> element represents the main content of the <body> of a document or application. The main content area consists of content that is directly related to, or expands upon the central topic of a document or the central functionality of an application.

Content categories	Flow content, palpable content.
Permitted content	Flow content.
Tag omission	None; both the starting and ending tags are mandatory.
Permitted parents	Any element that accepts flow content other than `<article>`, `<aside>`, `<footer>`, `<header>` or `<nav>`.
Permitted ARIA roles	None
DOM interface	`HTMLElement`

Attributes

This element only includes the global attributes.

Usage notes

Documents conforming to the requirements for <main> in the W3C HTML specification must not include more than one <main> element in a document.

The content of a <main> element should be unique to the document, excluding any content that is repeated across a set of documents such as sidebars, navigation links, copyright information, site logos, and search forms (unless the document's main function is as a search form).

Example

<!-- other content -->

<main>
  <h1>Apples</h1>
  <p>The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree.</p>
  
  <article>
    <h2>Red Delicious</h2>
    <p>These bright red apples are the most common found in many
    supermarkets.</p>
    <p>... </p>
    <p>... </p>
  </article>

  <article>
    <h2>Granny Smith</h2>
    <p>These juicy, green apples make a great filling for
    apple pies.</p>
    <p>... </p>
    <p>... </p>
  </article>

</main>

<!-- other content -->

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
WHATWG HTML Living Standard The definition of '<main>' in that specification.	Living Standard	Removed the restriction about using `<main>` multiple times in a document, or as a descendent of an `<article>` element.
HTML5.1 The definition of '<main>' in that specification.	Recommendation	No change from HTML5
HTML5 The definition of '<main>' in that specification.	Recommendation	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

The <main> element is widely supported. For Internet Explorer 11 and below, it is suggested that an aria role of "main" be added to the <main> element to ensure it is accessible (screen readers like JAWS, used in combination with older versions of Internet Explorer will be able to understand the semantic meaning of the <main> element once this role attribute is included).

<main role="main">
  ...
</main>

Feature	Chrome	Firefox (Gecko)	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari (WebKit)
Basic support	Chrome 26	21.0 (21.0)	12	Opera 16	Safari 7