References

Beginner-friendly references for web development, with live, editable examples.

The HTML onmouseenter event

Event All modern browsers Updated
Quick answer

The HTML onmouseenter attribute runs JavaScript when the pointer enters the element. It is an inline handler for the mouseenter event; in modern code prefer addEventListener('mouseenter', …).

Overview

The onmouseenter event attribute runs JavaScript when the mouse enters the element (does not bubble). In JavaScript the event itself is named mouseenter — drop the on prefix when you call addEventListener.

It is one of the mouse events. Its handler receives a MouseEvent with details such as the pointer coordinates (clientX/clientY), which button was used, and which modifier keys were held. For input that also covers touch and pen with one code path, the modern pointer events are the recommended replacement.

You can wire this up with the inline onmouseenter HTML attribute, but the modern, recommended approach is element.addEventListener('mouseenter', handler) in JavaScript. That keeps behavior out of your markup, lets you attach several handlers to the same event, and makes them easy to remove. The inline attribute is fine for quick demos.

Syntax

<element onmouseenter="handler()">…</element>

element.addEventListener('mouseenter', handler);

Example

Live example 
<div onmouseenter="this.style.background='#bbf7d0'" onmouseleave="this.style.background=''" style="padding:10px;border-radius:6px;">Hover me</div>

Best practices

  • Prefer element.addEventListener('mouseenter', handler) over the inline onmouseenter attribute — it separates behavior from markup and allows multiple handlers.
  • Build interactivity on real <button> or link elements so it also works with the keyboard — not on mouse events alone.
  • Consider the unified pointer events to handle mouse, touch and pen together.
  • Read coordinates and the pressed button from the MouseEvent the handler receives.

Frequently asked questions

What is the onmouseenter event?
It runs JavaScript when the mouse enters the element (does not bubble). In JavaScript the event is named mouseenter.
Does this event work on touch screens?
Mouse events have limited support on touch devices. For input that works across mouse, touch and pen, use the pointer events instead.
How do I get the mouse position?
Read event.clientX and event.clientY (viewport-relative) from the MouseEvent passed to the handler.
Should I use the onmouseenter attribute or addEventListener?
Prefer addEventListener('mouseenter', …) in JavaScript. The inline onmouseenter attribute works but mixes behavior into the markup and allows only one handler per element.
onmousedown onmouseleave