How to View the HTML Source in Google Chrome

Learn how a website was built by viewing its source code

What to Know

  • Right-click on the web page and choose View Page Source.
  • Shortcut: Press Ctrl+U (Windows PC) or Command+Option+U (Mac).
  • To use Chrome's developer tools, select Menu (three dots) > More tools > Developer tools.

This article explains how to access a website's HTML source code in the Google Chrome web browser, as well as access and use Chrome's developer tools. Viewing a site's source code is an excellent way for beginners to learn HTML.

View Source Code in Chrome

So how do you view the source code of a website? Here are the step-by-step instructions to do so using the Google Chrome browser.

  1. Open the Google Chrome web browser (if you do not have Google Chrome installed, this is a free download).

  2. Navigate to the web page you would like to examine.

  3. Right-click the page and look at the menu that appears. From that menu, click View page source.

    View Page Source in contextual menu for Chrome web browser
  4. The source code for that page will now appear as a new tab in the browser.

  5. Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts of Ctrl+U on a PC to open a window with a site's source code displayed. On a Mac, this shortcut is Command+Option+U.

Hilary Allison / Lifewire 

Use Chrome's Developer Tools

In addition to the simple View page source ability that Google Chrome offers, you can also take advantage of their excellent Developer Tools to dig even deeper into a site. These tools will allow you not only to see the HTML, but also the CSS that applies to view elements in that HTML document.

To use Chrome's developer tools:

  1. Open Google Chrome.

  2. Navigate to the web page you would like to examine.

  3. Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the browser window.

  4. From the menu, hover over More tools and then choose Developer tools in the menu that appears.

    Developer tools menu item in Google Chrome
  5. A window will open that shows the HTML source code on the left of the pane and the related CSS on the right.

  6. Alternatively, if you right-click an element in a web page and select Inspect from the menu that appears, Chrome's developer tools will pop up and highlight the specific part you chose in the HTML with the corresponding CSS shown to the right. It is super helpful if you want to learn more about a particular piece of a site.

Is Viewing Source Code Legal?

Over the years, we have had many new web designers question whether it is acceptable to view a site's source code and use it for their education and ultimately for the work that they do. While copying a site's code wholesale and passing it off as your own on a website is certainly not acceptable, using that code as a springboard to learn from is actually how many advancements are made in this industry.

As we mentioned at the start of this article, you would be hard-pressed to find a working web professional today who has not learned something by viewing a site's source! Yes, seeing a site's source code is legal. Using that code as a resource to build something similar is also safe. Taking code as-is and passing it off as your work is where you start to encounter problems.  

In the end, web professionals learn from each other and often improve upon the work that they see and are inspired by, so do not hesitate to view a site's source code and use it as a learning tool.

More Than Just HTML

One thing to remember is that source files can be very complicated (and the more complex the website you are viewing is, the more complex that site's code is likely to be). In addition to the HTML structure that makes up the page, there will also be CSS (cascading style sheets) that dictate the visual appearance of that site. Additionally, many websites today will include script files included along with the HTML.

There are likely to be multiple script files included; in fact, each one powering different aspects of the site. Frankly, a site's source code can seem overwhelming, especially if you are new to doing this. Don't get frustrated if you can't figure out what's going on with that site immediately. Viewing the HTML source is just the first step in this process. With a little experience, you will begin to understand better how all these pieces fit together to create the website that you see in your browser. As you get more familiar with the code, you will be able to learn more from it, and it will not seem so daunting to you.

FAQ
  • How do I edit HTML code in Chrome?

    Open Developer Tools in Chrome by pressing Ctrl (or Command on a Mac) + Shift + I. From there, press Ctrl (Command on Mac) + O and select the saved source file you want to edit to open it.

  • How do I view page source code in Chrome if View Source is disabled?

    If a website has disabled the View Source option, you might still be able to take a look under the hood. From the top of the browser window select View > Developer > View Source, which should pull up the webpage's source code.

  • How do I view a site's source code in Chrome using my Android device?

    Navigate to the website you want to view using your device's Chrome app, then select the browser's address bar. Move the text cursor to the far left—in front of the URL—and type view-source, then press Enter or select Go.

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