navigator.platform is a read-only string that identifies the platform the browser is running on — for example "MacIntel", "Win32", or "Linux x86_64" (MDN).
Read the notes below before you rely on this property. Prefer feature detection when support is limited.
Use navigator.platform. Start with this line.
navigator.platform| Call | What it does |
|---|---|
navigator.platform | Primary signature. |
Built into the browser. Read navigator.platform on Navigator — no import required.
navigator.platform| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Apple check | Optional. Choose ⌘ vs Ctrl for UI copy |
| Return Value | Description |
|---|---|
| * | The current value of navigator.platform. |
Log whatever this browser reports for navigator.platform.
console.log(navigator.platform);
// e.g. "Win32", "MacIntel", "Linux x86_64"navigator.platform.MacIntel, Win32, and Linux variants.Win32 often appears even on 64-bit Windows.Show ⌘ on Apple platforms and Ctrl elsewhere for UI hints.
const modifierKeyPrefix =
navigator.platform.startsWith("Mac") || navigator.platform === "iPhone"
? "⌘"
: "Ctrl";
console.log("Save: " + modifierKeyPrefix + "+S");startsWith("Mac") or exact "iPhone".⌘; otherwise → Ctrl.Check the API itself instead of sniffing the OS string.
// ✗ brittle: if (navigator.platform === "Win32") { … }
// ✓ reliable: test the capability
if ("geolocation" in navigator) {
console.log("Geolocation API available");
} else {
console.log("Geolocation API missing — use a fallback");
}
console.log("platform (info only): " + navigator.platform);"geolocation" in navigator answers the real question.platform for diagnostics or UI hints only.navigator.platform is Baseline Widely available (MDN: since July 2015). Support is excellent — the hard part is using it wisely (UI hints only, not sniffing).
Read-only platform string such as MacIntel, Win32, or Linux x86_64. Prefer feature detection for capabilities; use platform mainly for shortcut-label UX.
Bottom line: Available almost everywhere. Read it for coarse labels or ⌘/Ctrl hints — never as a substitute for testing the real API.
Continue with the next Navigator property in the JavaScript guide.
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