HTML <form> rel Attribute

Last Updated : 23 May, 2026

The rel attribute in the <form> tag specifies the relationship between the current document and the linked resource after form submission. It is mainly used when the target="_blank" attribute opens the response in a new tab or window.

  • Defines the relationship between the current page and the destination resource.
  • Common values include noopener, noreferrer, and external.
  • Helps improve security and control browser behavior.

Syntax:

<form rel="value">
  • external: It specifies that the external document is not a part of current site.
  • help: It specifies a link to a help document.
  • license: It defines a copyright information for the document.
  • next: It specifies the next document in a selection.
  • nofollow: It specifies that the google search spider should not follow that link and mostly used for paid links.
  • noreferrer: It defines the browser should not send an HTTP referrer header, if the user follows the hyperlink.
  • prev: It defines a  previous document in a selection.
  • search:  It specifies the search tool for the document.

Example 1: This example uses rel="noreferrer" to prevent the browser from sending referrer information to the target webpage during form submission.

HTML
<!--Driver Code Starts-->

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<body>
    <h2 style="color: green">GeeksforGeeks</h2>
    <h2>HTML form rel="noreferrer" Attribute</h2>

    <b>This will avoid information passed to the post page </b>

    <!-- It avoids passing the referrer information
        to target website by removing the referral 
        info from the HTTP header.
        It is safe to use -->
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

    <form rel="noreferrer" action="mypage.php">
        <input type="search" placeholder="search here" />
        <input type="button" value="search" />
    </form>

<!--Driver Code Starts-->
</body>

</html>

<!--Driver Code Ends-->

Example 2: This example uses rel="external" to indicate that the form submission points to a resource outside the current website.

HTML
<!--Driver Code Starts-->

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <style>
        h2 {
            font-family: Impact;
            color: green;
        }

        body {
            text-align: center;
        }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <h2>GeeksforGeeks</h2>

    <b> HTML Form rel="external" Attribute </b>

    <!-- The referred document is not part 
        of the current site -->
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

    <form rel="external" action="mypage.php">
        User_id:<input type="text" /><br /><br />
        Password:<input type="password" /><br />
        <input type="submit" value="submit" />
    </form>

<!--Driver Code Starts-->
</body>

</html>

<!--Driver Code Ends-->
Comment