The HTML aria-colspan attribute
The aria-colspan attribute states how many columns a cell spans in a table or grid. Prefer the native colspan attribute on real <td>/<th> cells; use aria-colspan only on custom grids.
Overview
The aria-colspan attribute defines the number of columns a cell spans in a table or grid.
It exposes table or grid structure to assistive technology. You generally only need it when you build a custom grid (role="grid") or when a native <table> cannot express the structure — for example a grid whose rows are virtualized and not all present in the DOM. A real <table> with <th> headers conveys most of this automatically.
Like all ARIA, aria-colspan changes only the accessibility tree — what assistive technology perceives — never the element's behavior or appearance. The first rule of ARIA applies: if a native HTML element or attribute conveys this, use that instead, and only reach for ARIA when nothing native fits.
Syntax
<div role="gridcell" aria-colspan="2"> … </div>Values
| Value |
|---|
| An integer greater than or equal to 1. |
Example
<div role="gridcell" aria-colspan="3">Spans three columns</div>Best practices
- Follow the first rule of ARIA — use a native HTML element or attribute that conveys this where one exists, rather than adding ARIA.
- Use a native <table> with <th> headers where possible — it conveys most structure for free.
- Reach for these attributes on a custom grid, or when rows and columns are not all in the DOM.
- Keep the index and count values accurate as the grid changes.