HTTP 205 — Reset Content
HTTP 205
Reset Content
The request succeeded and the client should clear the form that sent it.
What 205 actually means
Like 204, but with an extra instruction: reset the document view — in practice, empty the form fields so the user can enter another entry. It was designed for data-entry screens where someone submits record after record. Modern applications handle this in JavaScript instead, so 205 is almost never seen.
Common causes
- A data-entry form submission designed for repeated entries
- A legacy application following the original form-submission model
If you're just trying to view the page
- Nothing — your submission was accepted and the form has been cleared for the next one
- If the form did not clear, your browser simply ignored the instruction; the data was still saved
If it's your site
- Very few clients actually implement the reset behaviour; do not rely on it
- Use 204 plus explicit client-side handling if you need the form cleared
- Like 204, a 205 must not carry a body
Reference
- Status code
- 205
- Reason phrase
- Reset Content
- Category
- 2xx — Success
- Defined in
- RFC 9110 §15.3.6
Common questions
- What does HTTP 205 mean?
- The request succeeded and the client should clear the form that sent it. Like 204, but with an extra instruction: reset the document view — in practice, empty the form fields so the user can enter another entry. It was designed for data-entry screens where someone submits record after record.
- How do I fix a 205 error?
- Nothing — your submission was accepted and the form has been cleared for the next one
- Is 205 a client error or a server error?
- 205 is in the 2xx range, which means success. It is not an error at all.
Related pages
- 200 OK The request worked and the response contains what was asked for.
- 204 No Content The request succeeded and there is deliberately no body to send back.
- 201 Created The request succeeded and a new resource was created as a result.
- 206 Partial Content The server is returning only the requested byte range of a file, not the whole t
- 202 Accepted The request was accepted for processing, but the work has not finished yet.
- 207 Multi-Status A WebDAV response carrying separate status codes for several resources at once.
- 203 Non-Authoritative Information The request succeeded, but an intermediary modified the response on the way.
- 208 Already Reported Inside a WebDAV multi-status response, this member was already listed earlier so
- 226 IM Used The server is returning a delta against a copy the client already has, rather th