The error document.all.tags is not a function happens because document.all is a non-standard, deprecated feature that was once supported in older versions of Internet Explorer. Modern browsers either don’t support it or treat it as a quirky object—not a true array or function—so calling .tags() on it throws an error.
✅ What to Use Instead
If you’re trying to get all elements of a specific tag (like all <div>s), use:
document.getElementsByTagName("div");
Or, if you want a more modern and flexible approach:
document.querySelectorAll("div");
These are standards-compliant, widely supported, and much more reliable.
🔍 Why document.all Fails
- It’s not a real array or collection—it’s a weird legacy object.
- It doesn’t have a
.tags()method in modern JavaScript engines. - Using it can lead to unpredictable behavior across browsers.
If you’re maintaining legacy code, it’s best to refactor away from document.all entirely. Want help modernizing a specific snippet? Drop it in and I’ll help you clean it up.