# Bad value “nothanks” for attribute “autocomplete” on element “input”: The string “nothanks” is not a valid autofill field name.

> Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/bad-value-nothanks-for-attribute-autocomplete-on-element-input-the-string-nothanks-is-not-a-valid-autofill-field-name
> Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com)
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The `autocomplete` attribute tells browsers whether and how to autofill a form field. The HTML specification defines a strict set of valid values for this attribute, known as autofill field names. These include values like `"on"`, `"off"`, `"name"`, `"email"`, `"username"`, `"new-password"`, `"current-password"`, `"address-line1"`, `"postal-code"`, `"cc-number"`, and many others. When you use a value that doesn't appear in this list — such as `"nothanks"`, `"nope"`, or `"false"` — the W3C validator reports it as an invalid autofill field name.

A common reason developers use made-up values is frustration with browsers ignoring `autocomplete="off"`. Some browsers (notably Chrome) may still autofill certain fields even when `autocomplete="off"` is set, particularly for login-related fields. This has led to workarounds using random strings, but these are non-standard and can produce unpredictable behavior across different browsers and assistive technologies.

## Why This Matters

- **Standards compliance**: Invalid attribute values make your HTML non-conforming, which can lead to unexpected browser behavior now or in the future.
- **Accessibility**: Screen readers and other assistive technologies may use the `autocomplete` attribute to help users fill in forms. A recognized value like `"name"` or `"email"` gives these tools meaningful context, while a random string provides none.
- **Browser behavior**: Browsers are designed to interpret the standard values. An unrecognized value may be treated inconsistently — some browsers might ignore it, others might treat it as `"on"`, and behavior could change between versions.

## How to Fix It

If you want to **disable autocomplete**, use `"off"`:

```html
<input type="text" name="search" autocomplete="off">
```

If you want to **help browsers autofill correctly**, use the appropriate autofill field name from the specification:

```html
<input type="email" name="email" autocomplete="email">
```

If `autocomplete="off"` isn't being respected by the browser (a known issue with some login fields in Chrome), consider these standards-compliant alternatives:

- Use `autocomplete="new-password"` on password fields where you don't want saved passwords suggested.
- Use a more specific valid token that doesn't match what the browser is trying to autofill.
- Use the `readonly` attribute and remove it on focus via JavaScript as a supplementary measure.

## Examples

### ❌ Invalid: arbitrary string as autocomplete value

```html
<form>
  <label for="firstName">First name</label>
  <input type="text" name="firstName" id="firstName" autocomplete="nothanks">

  <label for="userEmail">Email</label>
  <input type="email" name="userEmail" id="userEmail" autocomplete="nope">
</form>
```

Both `"nothanks"` and `"nope"` are not valid autofill field names and will trigger the validation error.

### ✅ Valid: using `"off"` to disable autocomplete

```html
<form>
  <label for="firstName">First name</label>
  <input type="text" name="firstName" id="firstName" autocomplete="off">

  <label for="userEmail">Email</label>
  <input type="email" name="userEmail" id="userEmail" autocomplete="off">
</form>
```

### ✅ Valid: using proper autofill field names

```html
<form>
  <label for="firstName">First name</label>
  <input type="text" name="firstName" id="firstName" autocomplete="given-name">

  <label for="userEmail">Email</label>
  <input type="email" name="userEmail" id="userEmail" autocomplete="email">

  <label for="newPass">New password</label>
  <input type="password" name="newPass" id="newPass" autocomplete="new-password">
</form>
```

Using descriptive autofill tokens like `"given-name"`, `"email"`, and `"new-password"` is the best approach when you want browsers and assistive technologies to understand your form fields. For a complete list of valid autofill field names, refer to the [WHATWG HTML specification's autofill section](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/form-control-infrastructure.html#autofill).