HTML <blink>

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Sriparno08
Published Mar 20, 2022Updated Aug 20, 2025
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The HTML <blink> element is an obsolete tag that was historically used to make text flash on and off. However, it is now considered to be obsolete and non-standard.

Note: This is now deprecated from most browsers and is not part of the current HTML specifications. Using this tag is a bad design practice and is heavily discouraged by accessibility standards. The CSS specification allows browsers to ignore this tag.

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<blink>Blinking Text</blink>

This example demonstrates the basic usage of the HTML <blink> element:

<blink>Blinking Text</blink>

This used to make the specified text blink in old browsers. However, it has no effect in modern browsers today.

This example uses CSS instead of HTML <blink> to create a blinking effect:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>Blink</title>
    <style>
      @keyframes blink {
        0%,
        49% {
          opacity: 1;
        }
        50%,
        100% {
          opacity: 0;
        }
      }


      .blink {
        animation: blink 1s steps(1, start) infinite;
      }


      @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
        .blink {
          animation: none;
        }
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p class="blink">This text blinks using CSS animation</p>
  </body>
</html>

Here is the output:

Blinking text using CSS instead of HTML `<blink>`

Example 3: Using CSS + JS instead of HTML <blink>

This example uses CSS and JS instead of HTML <blink> to create a blinking effect:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>JS blink</title>
    <style>
      .hidden {
        visibility: hidden;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <p id="alertText">This text will blink via JS</p>


    <script>
      const el = document.getElementById('alertText');


      let blinking = true;
      let interval = setInterval(() => {
        el.classList.toggle('hidden');
      }, 700);
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Here is the output:

Blinking text using CSS and JS instead of HTML `<blink>`

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The HTML <blink> tag is obsolete and no longer works in modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. It was only supported in some older browsers and now it’s ignored by HTML parsers.

HTML <blink> was removed because it caused accessibility problems, distracted readers, and offered no real semantic or functional benefit. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) deprecated it in HTML 4.01 and excluded it from HTML5 standards.

The old <blink> tag made text flash on and off in some early browsers, but it’s deprecated and no longer supported. If you need the effect today, use a short CSS animation instead—though blinking text is generally discouraged for accessibility reasons.

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  • Career path

    Front-End Engineer

    Front-end engineers work closely with designers to make websites beautiful, functional, and fast.
    • Includes 34 Courses
    • With Professional Certification
    • Beginner Friendly.
      115 hours
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    Learn HTML

    Start at the beginning by learning HTML basics — an important foundation for building and editing web pages.
    • Beginner Friendly.
      7 hours