# End of file seen without seeing a doctype first. Expected “”.
> Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/end-of-file-seen-without-seeing-a-doctype-first-expected-doctype-html
> Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com)
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Every HTML document must begin with a Document Type Declaration (doctype). The doctype tells browsers which version and standard of HTML the document uses, ensuring they render the page in **standards mode** rather than **quirks mode**. Without it, browsers fall back to quirks mode, which emulates legacy rendering behavior from the early web — leading to inconsistent layouts, unexpected CSS behavior, and subtle bugs that differ across browsers.
Since HTML5, the doctype is simply ``. It is case-insensitive (`` also works), but it **must** appear before any other content in the document, including the `` tag. Even a blank line or whitespace before the doctype can sometimes cause issues in older browsers.
This error can be triggered by several common scenarios:
- **The doctype is completely missing.** The file jumps straight into `` or other markup.
- **The doctype is misspelled.** For example, `` or ``.
- **The file is empty or contains only non-HTML content.** The validator reached the end without finding any valid HTML structure.
- **A Byte Order Mark (BOM) or invisible characters** appear before the doctype, which can happen when files are saved with certain text editors.
- **The doctype is placed after other elements**, such as a comment or `` tag.
To fix this, ensure `` is the very first line of your file, with no preceding content.
## Examples
### ❌ Missing doctype entirely
```html
My Page
Hello, world!
```
This triggers the error because the validator never encounters a doctype declaration.
### ❌ Misspelled doctype
```html
My Page
Hello, world!
```
The typo `DOCKTYPE` means the validator does not recognize it as a valid doctype.
### ❌ Doctype placed after the `` tag
```html
My Page
Hello, world!
```
The doctype must come **before** the `` tag, not after it.
### ✅ Correct minimal HTML5 document
```html
My Page
Hello, world!
```
The `` declaration appears on the very first line, followed by the `` tag with a `lang` attribute, a `` containing a ``, and a `<body>` with the page content. This is the minimal structure for a valid HTML5 document.