Symbol.toStringTag

The Symbol.toStringTag well-known symbol is a string valued property that is used in the creation of the default string description of an object. It is accessed internally by the Object.prototype.toString() method.

Property attributes of `Symbol.toStringTag`
Writable	no
Enumerable	no
Configurable	no

Examples

Default tags

Object.prototype.toString.call('foo');     // "[object String]"
Object.prototype.toString.call([1, 2]);    // "[object Array]"
Object.prototype.toString.call(3);         // "[object Number]"
Object.prototype.toString.call(true);      // "[object Boolean]"
Object.prototype.toString.call(undefined); // "[object Undefined]"
Object.prototype.toString.call(null);      // "[object Null]"
// ... and more

Built-in toStringTag symbols

Object.prototype.toString.call(new Map());       // "[object Map]"
Object.prototype.toString.call(function* () {}); // "[object GeneratorFunction]"
Object.prototype.toString.call(Promise.resolve()); // "[object Promise]"
// ... and more

Custom classes default to object tag

When creating your own class, JavaScript defaults to the "Object" tag:

class ValidatorClass {}

Object.prototype.toString.call(new ValidatorClass()); // "[object Object]"

Custom tag with toStringTag

Now, with the help of toStringTag, you are able to set your own custom tag:

class ValidatorClass {
  get [Symbol.toStringTag]() {
    return 'Validator';
  }
}

Object.prototype.toString.call(new ValidatorClass()); // "[object Validator]"

toStringTag available on all DOM prototype objects

Due to a WebIDL spec change in mid-2020, browsers are adding a Symbol.toStringTag property to all DOM prototype objects. For example, to acccess the Symbol.toStringTag property on HTMLButtonElement:

let test = document.createElement('button');
test.toString(); // Returns [object HTMLButtonElement]
test[Symbol.toStringTag];  // Returns HTMLButtonElement

Specifications

Specification
ECMAScript Language Specification (ECMAScript) # sec-symbol.tostringtag

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`toStringTag`	49	15	51	No	36	10	49	49	51	36	10	5.0
`dom-objects`	50	79	78	No	37	14	50	50	79	37	14	5.0