Meta refresh is a method of instructing a web browser to automatically refresh the current web page or frame after a given time interval, using an HTML meta element with the http-equiv parameter set to "refresh" and a content parameter giving the time interval in seconds. It is also possible to instruct the browser to fetch a different URL when the page is refreshed, by including the alternative URL in the content parameter. By setting the refresh time interval to zero (or a very low value), meta refresh can be used as a method of URL redirection. History This feature was originally introduced by Netscape Navigator 1.1 (circa 1995), in a form of HTTP header and corresponding HTML meta HTTP-equivalent element, which allows document author to signal client to automatically reload the document or change to a specified URL after a specified timeout. It is the earliest polling mechanism available for the web, allowing a user to see the latest update in a frequently-changing webpage, such as ones displaying stock price or weather forecast. Usability Use of meta refresh is discouraged by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), since unexpected refresh can disorient users. Meta refresh also impairs the web browser's "back" button in some browsers (including Internet Explorer 6 and before), although most modern browsers compensate for this (Internet Explorer 7 and higher, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome). There are legitimate uses of meta-refresh, such as providing updates to dynamic web pages or implementing site controlled navigation of a website without JavaScript. Many large websites use it to refresh news or status updates, especially when dependencies on JavaScript and redirect headers are unwanted. Examples Place inside the <head> element to refresh page after 5 seconds: <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5"> Redirect to https://example.com/ after 5 seconds: <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5; url=https://example.com/"> Redirect to https://example.com/ immediately: <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=https://example.com/"> Drawbacks Meta refresh tags have some drawbacks: If a page redirects too quickly (less than 2–3 seconds), using the "Back" button on the next page may cause some browsers to move back to the redirecting page, whereupon the redirect will occur again. This is bad for usability, as this may cause a reader to be "stuck" on the last website. A reader may or may not want to be redirected to a different page, which can lead to user dissatisfaction or raise concerns about security. Alternatives Meta refresh uses the http-equiv meta tag