TypeError
Baseline Widely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It's been available across browsers since July 2015.
The TypeError object represents an error when an operation could not be performed, typically (but not exclusively) when a value is not of the expected type.
A TypeError may be thrown when:
- an operand or argument passed to a function is incompatible with the type expected by that operator or function; or
- when attempting to modify a value that cannot be changed; or
- when attempting to use a value in an inappropriate way.
TypeError is a serializable object, so it can be cloned with structuredClone() or copied between Workers using postMessage().
TypeError is a subclass of Error.
Constructor
-
TypeError() - Creates a new
TypeErrorobject.
Instance properties
Also inherits instance properties from its parent Error.
These properties are defined on TypeError.prototype and shared by all TypeError instances.
-
TypeError.prototype.constructor - The constructor function that created the instance object. For
TypeErrorinstances, the initial value is theTypeErrorconstructor. -
TypeError.prototype.name - Represents the name for the type of error. For
TypeError.prototype.name, the initial value is"TypeError".
Instance methods
Inherits instance methods from its parent Error.
Examples
Catching a TypeError
try {
null.f();
} catch (e) {
console.log(e instanceof TypeError); // true
console.log(e.message); // "null has no properties"
console.log(e.name); // "TypeError"
console.log(e.stack); // Stack of the error
}
Creating a TypeError
try {
throw new TypeError("Hello");
} catch (e) {
console.log(e instanceof TypeError); // true
console.log(e.message); // "Hello"
console.log(e.name); // "TypeError"
console.log(e.stack); // Stack of the error
}
Specifications
| Specification |
|---|
| ECMAScript® 2027 Language Specification # sec-native-error-types-used-in-this-standard-typeerror |
Browser compatibility
| Desktop | Mobile | Server | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Opera | Safari | Chrome Android | Firefox for Android | Opera Android | Safari on iOS | Samsung Internet | WebView Android | WebView on iOS | Bun | Deno | Node.js | |
TypeError |
1 |
12 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
18 |
4 |
10.1 |
1 |
1.0 |
4.4 |
1 |
1.0.0 |
1.0 |
0.10.0 |
TypeError |
1 |
12 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
18 |
4 |
10.1 |
1 |
1.0 |
4.4 |
1 |
1.0.0 |
1.0 |
0.10.0 |
serializable_object |
77 |
79 |
103Version 103 serializable properties:name, message, cause, fileName, lineNumber and columnNumber.Version 104 also serializes stack in the main thread (window.postMessage() and structuredClone()).Version 110 also serializes stack in workers (worker.postMessage() and structuredClone()). |
64 |
No |
77 |
103Version 103 serializable properties:name, message, cause, fileName, lineNumber and columnNumber.Version 104 also serializes stack in the main thread (window.postMessage() and structuredClone()).Version 110 also serializes stack in workers (worker.postMessage() and structuredClone()). |
55 |
No |
12.0 |
77 |
No |
? |
No |
No |
See also
© 2005–2025 MDN contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/TypeError