The customElements read-only property of the Window interface returns a reference to the CustomElementRegistry object, which can be used to register new custom elements and get information about previously registered custom elements.
Syntax
let customElementRegistry = window.customElements;
Return value
A CustomElementRegistry object instance representing the custom element registry for the current window.
Examples
The most common example you'll see of this property being used is to get access to the CustomElementRegistry.define() method to define and register a new custom element, e.g.:
let customElementRegistry = window.customElements;
customElementRegistry.define('my-custom-element', MyCustomElement);
However, it is usually shortened to something like the following:
customElements.define('element-details',
class extends HTMLElement {
constructor() {
super();
const template = document
.getElementById('element-details-template')
.content;
const shadowRoot = this.attachShadow({mode: 'open'})
.appendChild(template.cloneNode(true));
}
});
See our web-components-examples repo for more usage examples.
Specification
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| HTML Living Standard The definition of 'window.customElements' in that specification. |
Living Standard | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
| Feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | 54 | No1 | 592 Yes — 593 | No | 41 | 10.1 |
| Feature | Android webview | Chrome for Android | Edge mobile | Firefox for Android | Opera Android | iOS Safari | Samsung Internet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | 54 | 54 | No1 | 592 Yes — 593 | 41 | 10.1 | ? |
2. From version 59: this feature is behind the dom.webcomponents.customelements.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
3. Until version 59 (exclusive): this feature is behind the dom.webcomponents.enabled preference (needs to be set to true) and the dom.webcomponents.customelements.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.

