Track the focused element with Chrome DevTools
Written byPhuoc Nguyen
Category
Trick
Tags
DevTools
Created
23 Feb, 2021
Assume that you want to test the keyboard accessibility in your website.
There's a case that the pressing the Tab key jumps to a particular element which is invisible in the viewport.
Chrome DevTools provides the ability of tracking the focused element.
- Open the Console
- Click the eye icon which is located at the right of the Filter box to create a live expression
- Type
`document.activeElement`
This live expression will represent the active element which has the focus currently. You can right click on the expression's result and then choose Reveal in Elements panel to inspect the focused element.

#See also
Questions? 🙋
Do you have any questions? Not just about this specific post, but about any topic in front-end development that you'd like to learn more about? If so, feel free to send me a message on Twitter or send me an email. You can find them at the bottom of this page.
I have a long list of upcoming posts, but your questions or ideas for the next one will be my top priority. Let's learn together! Sharing knowledge is the best way to grow 🥷.
Recent posts ⚡
Copy the content of an element to your clipboard
01 Oct, 2023
Make a text area fit its content automatically
30 Sep, 2023
Quickly insert alternate characters while typing
30 Sep, 2023
Zebra-like background
30 Sep, 2023
Add autocomplete to your text area
28 Sep, 2023
Linear scale of a number between two ranges
28 Sep, 2023
Highlight the current line in a text area
27 Sep, 2023
Create your own custom cursor in a text area
27 Sep, 2023
Mirror a text area for improving user experience
26 Sep, 2023
Display the line numbers in a text area
24 Sep, 2023
Select a given line in a text area
24 Sep, 2023
Newsletter 🔔
If you're into front-end technologies and you want to see more of the content I'm creating, then you might want to consider subscribing to my newsletter.
By subscribing, you'll be the first to know about new articles, products, and exclusive promotions.
Don't worry, I won't spam you. And if you ever change your mind, you can unsubscribe at any time.
Phước Nguyễn