The hidden attribute in HTML5 is used to semantically hide elements that are not currently relevant. 1. It provides conditional visibility, keeping elements in the DOM but hidden until needed, such as success messages after form submission. 2. It improves accessibility by ensuring screen readers and assistive technologies ignore the element, as it is intentionally hidden. 3. It is a boolean attribute that can be toggled via JavaScript using element.hidden = true or false. 4. It should not be used for layout tricks or temporarily off-screen content, can be overridden by CSS if not properly handled, and differs from visibility: hidden or opacity: 0 by removing the element from layout entirely, functioning like display: none but with semantic meaning.
The hidden
attribute in HTML5 is used to indicate that an element is not yet, or is no longer, relevant to the page. When present, it tells the browser to hide the element from view — visually and to assistive technologies — as if it were styled with display: none
in CSS.

Here’s what you need to know about the hidden
attribute:
1. Basic Purpose: Conditional Visibility
The main purpose is to conditionally hide elements without removing them from the DOM. This is useful when:

- Content exists in the HTML but should only appear under certain conditions (e.g., a success message that shows after form submission).
- You want to toggle visibility via JavaScript later.
<p hidden>This won't be visible until shown.</p>
2. Accessibility and Semantics
Unlike just using CSS (display: none
), the hidden
attribute has semantic meaning: it explicitly signals that the element is hidden intentionally as part of the document’s logic. Screen readers and other assistive technologies typically ignore hidden elements, improving accessibility.
Note: The
hidden
attribute behaves similarly todisplay: none
in terms of layout and accessibility, but it's more declarative and easier to manage in HTML/JavaScript.
3. How It Works
- The
hidden
attribute is a boolean attribute. - If present (regardless of value), the element is hidden.
- If absent, the element may be visible, depending on other styles.
<div hidden>Hidden content</div> <div hidden="hidden">Also hidden</div> <div hidden="">Also hidden</div> <div>Visible content</div>
You can toggle it with JavaScript:
element.hidden = true; // hides the element element.hidden = false; // shows it again
4. Important Notes
Not for all hiding cases: Avoid using
hidden
for things that are temporarily off-screen (like modals or tooltips), or for layout tricks. It’s best for content that is semantically irrelevant at the moment.Can be overridden by CSS: Since
hidden
works likedisplay: none
, custom CSS rules could override it unless they respect the attribute:[hidden] { display: none; }
(This rule is included in many CSS resets.)
Not the same as
visibility: hidden
oropacity: 0
: Those keep space in layout;hidden
removes it completely.
Basically, the hidden
attribute is a clean, semantic, and script-friendly way to hide content that isn’t currently relevant — without deleting it from the page.
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