What do web browsers do with HTML content?

Web browsers primarily render HTML content, which means they interpret and display the structure and formatting of a webpage as defined by the HTML code. When a browser fetches an HTML document, it parses the code, constructs the Document Object Model (DOM), and subsequently renders the webpage for users to view, which includes laying out various elements like text, images, links, and other media according to the HTML structure. This rendering process is crucial for visually displaying content in a way that is both meaningful and interactive for users.

Downloading HTML files is a part of the initial process when a browser retrieves a webpage, but the essential action is rendering that downloaded content into a visual format. Similarly, compiling is not applicable to HTML, as it is a markup language rather than a programming language that requires compilation. Writing HTML is a different activity involving creating or editing markup code, which is not what the browser inherently does when it processes web pages.