document.close() finishes writing to a document that was opened with document.open(). After write() / writeln(), call close() so the browser can finish parsing the stream. It returns undefined (MDN).
Pass the required arguments shown below. Check return values and browser support before you rely on the result.
Call document.close. Start with this line.
document.close()| Call | What it does |
|---|---|
document.close() | Primary signature. |
document.close(...) | Call with the arguments your case needs. |
Built into the browser. Call close(...) on document — no import required.
document.close()| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Prior open() | Required. Starts the document input stream |
| Return Value | Description |
|---|---|
| * | Always undefined |
MDN pattern on an iframe so the host page is not replaced.
const iframe = document.createElement("iframe");
document.body.appendChild(iframe);
const doc = iframe.contentDocument;
doc.open();
doc.write("<p>The one and only content.</p>");
doc.close();
console.log(doc.body.textContent.trim()); // "The one and only content."
console.log(doc.body.childElementCount); // 1undefinedConfirm the method exists and returns nothing useful to chain on.
const iframe = document.createElement("iframe");
document.body.appendChild(iframe);
const doc = iframe.contentDocument;
doc.open();
doc.write("<p>Hi</p>");
const result = doc.close();
console.log(typeof doc.close); // "function"
console.log(result); // undefined
console.log(typeof result); // "undefined"doc.close() in a variable.undefined.document.close() vs window.close()Same word, different jobs — stream finish vs closing a window.
console.log(typeof document.close); // "function"
console.log(typeof window.close); // "function"
console.log(document.close === window.close); // false
// document.close() → finish open/write stream (Deprecated)
// window.close() → attempt to close a window/tabclose function.Document, one on Window.window.close().Document.close() is Deprecated on MDN as part of dynamic markup insertion, but remains widely implemented for legacy compatibility.
Still present in modern browsers for open/write streams. Prefer DOM APIs for new work.
Bottom line: Educational / legacy reference. See the MDN Document.close() reference.
Learn how to create an Attr node with document.createAttribute().
11 people found this page helpful