Troubleshooting “Not Working” Comment Tags in HTML When the comment tag appears to be “not working” or displays directly on your web page, it is almost always caused by syntax errors, unclosed strings, or improper nesting. Here is how to identify and fix the most common causes. 1. Broken Comment Syntax
HTML comments require an exact sequence of characters. Missing a single dash or adding extra spaces inside the brackets will break the comment.
Wrong: <– This is wrong –> (Missing opening exclamation mark) Wrong: (Incorrect closing tag)
Wrong: (Space after the exclamation mark) Right: 2. Nested Comments
HTML does not support nesting one comment inside another. If you try to comment out a block of code that already contains a comment, the browser will stop commenting at the very first –> it encounters.
This text will actually display on your website! –> Use code with caution.
The Fix: Remove any inner comments before wrapping a large block of code in a main comment. 3. Trailing Dashes Inside the Comment
Using consecutive dashes (–) inside your comment text can confuse older browsers or strict HTML parsers, causing them to close the comment early. Wrong: Right: 4. Writing HTML Comments inside Script or Style Tags
HTML comments only work in the main body of your HTML document. They do not work inside