What does window.location do?

JavaScriptJunior~2 min read

window.location is a built-in browser object that stores and manages the address of the current page (URL). It lets you get, change, or redirect the user to another address.

Definition

window.location is an object representing the current URL in the browser's address bar. It is also known as location, since window. can be omitted.

1. Example: viewing the current URL

javascript

console.log(window.location);

Example console output:

javascript

Location {
  href: "https://example.com/path/page.html?user=123#section",
  protocol: "https:",
  host: "example.com",
  pathname: "/path/page.html",
  search: "?user=123",
  hash: "#section"
}

2. Main `window.location` properties

Property	What it returns	Example
`href`	Full URL	`"https://example.com/path?page=1#info"`
`protocol`	Protocol	`"https:"` or `"http:"`
`host`	Domain + port	`"example.com"` or `"localhost:3000"`
`hostname`	Domain only	`"example.com"`
`port`	Port number	`"3000"` (if specified)
`pathname`	Path after the domain	`"/path/page.html"`
`search`	Query string (query params)	`"?page=1&sort=asc"`
`hash`	Anchor (the part after `#`)	`"#section"`
`origin`	Protocol + domain + port only	`"https://example.com"`

3. Example: usage

javascript

console.log(location.href);      // Full page address
console.log(location.hostname);  // example.com
console.log(location.pathname);  // /articles/js
console.log(location.search);    // ?id=42
console.log(location.hash);      // #comments

4. Redirecting the user

You can change the page address in several ways

Way 1: set `href` directly

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window.location.href = 'https://google.com';

A full redirect (the equivalent of clicking a link).

Way 2: use the `assign()` method

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window.location.assign('https://example.com/login');

Also redirects, but keeps the current page in the browser's history. So the user can still click "Back".

Way 3: use `replace()`

javascript

window.location.replace('https://example.com/logout');

A redirect without adding to history, the user won't be able to go back with the "<-" button.

Way 4: reload the page

javascript

window.location.reload(); // Refresh
window.location.reload(true); // (deprecated) force from the server

5. Example: working with query parameters

javascript

console.log(window.location.search); // "?user=42&theme=dark"

const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
console.log(params.get('user')); // "42"
console.log(params.get('theme')); // "dark"

6. Changing the hash (anchor)

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window.location.hash = '#about';

This does not reload the page, it just scrolls to the element with id="about" or fires the hashchange event.

Summary

What it does	Example
Gets the current URL	`location.href`
Changes the page address	`location.href = 'https://...'`
Redirects while keeping history	`location.assign(url)`
Redirects without history	`location.replace(url)`
Refreshes the page	`location.reload()`
Gets query parameters	`location.search`, `URLSearchParams`
Changes the hash without reloading	`location.hash = '#id'`

Keep it simple: window.location is "JavaScript's address bar". With it you can:

find out where you are,

navigate where you need,

refresh the page,

or change part of the URL without reloading.

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