Tag basefont

The <basefont> tag was used in older versions of HTML (prior to HTML5) to set a default font size, color, and face for all text in a document.

🕰️ Syntax (Old HTML)

<basefont size="4" color="blue" face="Arial">

This would set:

  • size — font size (1 to 7)
  • color — font color
  • face — font family (like Arial, Verdana, etc.)

🛑 Why You Shouldn’t Use It

  • It’s not supported in HTML5.
  • It breaks semantic structure and separates content from style.
  • It has been replaced by CSS, which is much more powerful and flexible.

✅ Modern Alternative (CSS)

Instead of <basefont>, use CSS to set default styles for the <body> or text elements:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <style>
    body {
      font-size: 16px;
      color: blue;
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>This is styled with CSS, not basefont.</p>
</body>
</html>

Summary

Feature<basefont>CSS Alternative
Font Sizesize="3"font-size: 16px;
Font Colorcolor="red"color: red;
Font Faceface="Verdana"font-family: Verdana;

✅ Use CSS. Avoid <basefont>.

If you’re working on a modern website or application, stick to HTML5 and CSS for all styling. The <basefont> tag exists now only for legacy support.

Would you like a styled example with modern CSS to replace old <basefont> usage? I can create one for you.