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HTML ondragstart Attribute


Definition and Usage

The ondragstart attribute fires when the user starts to drag an element or text selection.

To learn about Drag and Drop, read our HTML Tutorial on HTML5 Drag and Drop.

Tip: Links and images are draggable by default, and do not need the draggable attribute.

There are many event attributes that are used, and can occur, in the different stages of a drag and drop operation:

  • Events fired on the draggable target (the source element):
    • ondragstart - fires when the user starts to drag an element
    • ondrag - fires when an element is being dragged
    • ondragend - fires when the user has finished dragging the element

  • Events fired on the drop target:
    • ondragenter - fires when the dragged element enters the drop target
    • ondragover - fires when the dragged element is over the drop target
    • ondragleave - fires when the dragged element leaves the drop target
    • ondrop - fires when the dragged element is dropped on the drop target

Applies to

The ondragstart attribute is part of the Event Attributes, and can be used on any HTML elements.

Elements Event
All HTML elements ondragstart

Example

P Example

Execute a JavaScript when the user starts to drag a <p> element:

<p draggable="true" ondragstart="myFunction(event)">Drag me!</p>
Try it Yourself »

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the event attribute.

Event Attribute
ondragstart 4.0 9.0 3.5 6.0 12.0