files/en-us/web/api/htmlareaelement/alt/index.md
{{APIRef("HTML DOM")}}
The alt property of the {{DOMxRef("HTMLAreaElement")}} interface specifies the text of the hyperlink, defining the textual label for an image map's link. It reflects the {{htmlelement("area")}} element's alt attribute.
The alt value must be text that, when presented with the alt text of the other <area> hyperlinks within the same {{htmlelement("map")}}, along with the alt text of the {{htmlelement("img")}} itself, provides the user with the same kind of choice as the hyperlink would when used without its text but with its shape applied to the image.
If the {{htmlelement("area")}} is a link (contains an {{DOMxRef("HTMLAreaElement.href", "href")}} property), the alt property value should be a non-empty string giving the label for the link that would be appropriate if the image were unavailable. The alt attribute for a link <area> can only be empty if there is another <area> element in the same <map> that points to the same resource and has a non-blank alt attribute.
A string.
const areaElement = document.getElementById("imageArea");
console.log(areaElement.alt);
areaElement.alt = "A much better link description";
{{Specifications}}
{{Compat}}