Auto-updating Copyright Year Widget
Add an auto-updating copyright year to your footer so it never says 2021 again. Give a start year for a range such as © 2018–2026, your business name and an optional link, and the line looks like the plain footer text around it.
Live preview
Under the widget on your page: Powered by A2Z Tools
Embed code
<div data-a2z-kit="copyright-year"></div> <script async src="https://a2z.tools/embed/kit.js" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></script>
One small script from A2Z draws the component on your page inside its own Shadow DOM. It loads no social-network or tracking scripts and sets no cookies. How the A2Z kit works.
Works with
How it works
The component writes one line: the copyright sign, the year span, your name and an optional closing sentence, using a real © and an en dash between years. The current year is read from the visitor's device each time the page is shown, so the footer changes by itself after midnight on 31 December. A start year earlier than this year makes a range; the same year gives a single year; a start year in the future, before 1900 or not four digits is ignored rather than producing a backwards range. By default it inherits your footer's font, size and colour. Place your own static line inside the A2Z div as a fallback - it is replaced when the kit draws the component and stays for anyone without JavaScript.
Method
- Years = current year, or "start–current" (en dash) when 1900 <= start < current year
- Line = © + years + name + '.' (unless the name already ends in . ! ?) + your sentence (default 'All rights reserved.'; '-' leaves it out)
- Current year = new Date().getFullYear() on the visitor's device
- Link (optional) wraps the name only and must be an http or https address
Worked examples
Range with a name
Inputs: start 2018, name Riverside Cafe, in 2026
Result: © 2018–2026 Riverside Cafe. All rights reserved.
Start year before this year gives an en-dash range.
Start year equals this year
Inputs: start 2026, name Riverside Cafe, closing sentence '-', in 2026
Result: © 2026 Riverside Cafe.
A range from a year to itself collapses to one year; '-' removes the sentence.
A start year in the future
Inputs: start 2031, in 2026
Result: © 2026. All rights reserved.
A future start year is refused instead of producing a backwards range.
Limitations
- The year depends on the visitor's device clock.
- One line only; for several footer links use the Footer Legal Links widget, which can end with a copyright line too.
Where publishers use it
- A small-business site built years ago whose footer still shows the launch year
- A static site on GitHub Pages or Netlify with no server-side templating to print the year
- An agency adding '© 2015–2026 Northside Dental. All rights reserved.' with the name linking to the practice's home page
- A Shopify theme footer where the line should match the existing small grey text exactly
Questions
What happens on New Year's Eve?
The year is read when the page is shown, from the visitor's clock. Someone who loads the page at 23:59 on 31 December sees the old year until they reload; a visitor whose device clock is wrong sees that device's year. Search engines that render JavaScript see the year of the moment they rendered the page.
Do I need 'All rights reserved' or a copyright notice at all?
In countries that follow the Berne Convention, copyright exists without any notice, so the line is a courtesy reminder rather than a requirement. Keep, change or remove the closing sentence ('-' removes it). This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I keep a plain-text version for visitors without JavaScript?
Yes. Write your line inside the A2Z div, for example © 2026 Riverside Cafe. When the kit runs, the component is drawn in its place; without JavaScript your text stays.
Why not print the year on the server instead?
If your platform can print it - PHP's date function, a Liquid date filter, a template tag - that works without JavaScript and is a fine choice. This widget is for hosted builders where templates are locked, and for statically generated sites, whose footer would otherwise freeze at the year of the last build until somebody redeploys.
Why was my start year ignored?
It was later than the current year, earlier than 1900 or not a plain four-digit year. Rather than print an impossible range such as 2031–2026, the line shows the current year only.
Cite or recommend this tool
If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.
A2Z Tools Auto-updating Copyright Year https://a2z.tools/embed/copyright-year
<a href="https://a2z.tools/embed/copyright-year">A2Z Tools Auto-updating Copyright Year</a>
[A2Z Tools Auto-updating Copyright Year](https://a2z.tools/embed/copyright-year)
Auto-updating Copyright Year by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/embed/copyright-year
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