You're probably using some older example/template. Try to use code from the documentation

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
    <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-eOJMYsd53ii+scO/bJGFsiCZc+5NDVN2yr8+0RDqr0Ql0h+rP48ckxlpbzKgwra6" crossorigin="anonymous"/>
    <title>Hello, world!</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div class="container">
      <h2>Basic Modal Example</h2>
      <!-- Button trigger modal -->
      <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#exampleModal">
        Launch demo modal
      </button>

      <!-- Modal -->
      <div class="modal fade" id="exampleModal" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="exampleModalLabel" aria-hidden="true">
        <div class="modal-dialog">
          <div class="modal-content">
            <div class="modal-header">
              <h5 class="modal-title" id="exampleModalLabel">Modal title</h5>
              <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></button>
            </div>
            <div class="modal-body">
              ...
            </div>
            <div class="modal-footer">
              <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-bs-dismiss="modal">Close</button>
              <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Save changes</button>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/js/bootstrap.min.js" integrity="sha384-j0CNLUeiqtyaRmlzUHCPZ+Gy5fQu0dQ6eZ/xAww941Ai1SxSY+0EQqNXNE6DZiVc" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
  </body>
</html>

Answer from GAMELASTER on Stack Overflow
🌐
Bootstrap
getbootstrap.com › docs › 5.0 › components › modal
Modal · Bootstrap v5.0
Use Bootstrap’s JavaScript modal plugin to add dialogs to your site for lightboxes, user notifications, or completely custom content.
🌐
Bootstrap
getbootstrap.com › docs › 5.3 › components › modal
Modal · Bootstrap v5.3
Use Bootstrap’s JavaScript modal plugin to add dialogs to your site for lightboxes, user notifications, or completely custom content.
Discussions
html - Bootstrap 5 modal not working with starter template - Stack Overflow
I'm trying to implement a simple modal using the Bootstrap 5 starter template (I'm using the Bootstrap Bundle with Popper option) but for some reason, it's not working. I've gone through other simi... More on stackoverflow.com
🌐 stackoverflow.com
Bootstrap 5 modal doesn't show - Stack Overflow
following the documentation I try to implement a modal when you click on a button. What I did is the following.Inside a form I have a button: More on stackoverflow.com
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Bootstrap V5 manually call a modal myModal.show() not ...
whats the correct way to manually call a modal in bootstrap 5? i want to show the modal when page is open. i tried this: my modal More on stackoverflow.com
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🌐
W3Schools
w3schools.com › bootstrap5 › bootstrap_modal.php
Bootstrap 5 Modal
Change the size of the modal by adding the .modal-sm class for small modals (max-width 300px), .modal-lg class for large modals (max-width 800px), or .modal-xl for extra large modals (max-width 1140px). Default is 500px max-width.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 67381848 › bootstrap-5-modal-not-working-with-starter-template
html - Bootstrap 5 modal not working with starter template - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 1
21

You're probably using some older example/template. Try to use code from the documentation

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
    <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-eOJMYsd53ii+scO/bJGFsiCZc+5NDVN2yr8+0RDqr0Ql0h+rP48ckxlpbzKgwra6" crossorigin="anonymous"/>
    <title>Hello, world!</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div class="container">
      <h2>Basic Modal Example</h2>
      <!-- Button trigger modal -->
      <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#exampleModal">
        Launch demo modal
      </button>

      <!-- Modal -->
      <div class="modal fade" id="exampleModal" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="exampleModalLabel" aria-hidden="true">
        <div class="modal-dialog">
          <div class="modal-content">
            <div class="modal-header">
              <h5 class="modal-title" id="exampleModalLabel">Modal title</h5>
              <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></button>
            </div>
            <div class="modal-body">
              ...
            </div>
            <div class="modal-footer">
              <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-bs-dismiss="modal">Close</button>
              <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Save changes</button>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/js/bootstrap.min.js" integrity="sha384-j0CNLUeiqtyaRmlzUHCPZ+Gy5fQu0dQ6eZ/xAww941Ai1SxSY+0EQqNXNE6DZiVc" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
  </body>
</html>

🌐
Bootstrap
getbootstrap.com › docs › 5.2 › components › modal
Modal · Bootstrap v5.2
Use Bootstrap’s JavaScript modal plugin to add dialogs to your site for lightboxes, user notifications, or completely custom content.
🌐
MDBootstrap
mdbootstrap.com › standard › modal
Bootstrap Modal - free examples & tutorial
Responsive popup window with Bootstrap 5. Examples of with image, modal position i.e. center, z-index usage, modal fade animation, backdrop usage, modal size & more.
Find elsewhere
🌐
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › bootstrap › bootstrap-5-modal-via-javascript
Bootstrap 5 Modal Via JavaScript - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Example 1: In this example, we are initializing the Modal using JavaScript and using its toggle() method to toggle its visibility. ... <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <link href= "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.2.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script src= "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.2.2/dist/js/bootstrap.min.js"> </script> </head> <body> <div class="container"> <div> <h5>Bootstrap 5 Modal Via JavaSc
🌐
CoreUI
coreui.io › react › documentation › components › modal
Bootstrap Modal - extended examples and tutorials
July 5, 2023 - Once again, due to position: fixed, there are some caveats with using modals on mobile devices. See our browser support docs for details. Due to how HTML5 defines its semantics, the autofocus HTML attribute has no effect in Bootstrap modals.
🌐
React Bootstrap
react-bootstrap.netlify.app › modals
Modals | React Bootstrap
The Modal Header, Title, Body, and Footer components are available as static properties the <Modal/> component, but you can also, import them directly like: require("react-bootstrap/ModalHeader").
🌐
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 74127037 › bootstrap-5-modal-doesnt-show
Bootstrap 5 modal doesn't show - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 1
1

The code you posted above is working fine. Check your HTML and CSS.

Copy<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-EVSTQN3/azprG1Anm3QDgpJLIm9Nao0Yz1ztcQTwFspd3yD65VohhpuuCOmLASjC" crossorigin="anonymous">
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" integrity="sha384-MrcW6ZMFYlzcLA8Nl+NtUVF0sA7MsXsP1UyJoMp4YLEuNSfAP+JcXn/tWtIaxVXM" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<div class="col-12 offset-md-10">
  <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#staticBackdropLive"> Launch static backdrop modal
  </button>
</div>

<div class="modal fade" id="staticBackdropLive" data-bs-backdrop="static" data-bs-keyboard="false" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="staticBackdropLiveLabel" aria-hidden="true" style="display: none;">
  <div class="modal-dialog">
    <div class="modal-content">
      <div class="modal-header">
        <h1 class="modal-title fs-5" id="staticBackdropLiveLabel">Modal title</h1>
        <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close">
        </button>
      </div>
      <div class="modal-body">
        <p>I will not close if you click outside of me. Don't even try to press escape key.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="modal-footer">
        <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-bs-dismiss="modal">Close</button>
        <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Understood</button>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
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EDIT

You probably didn't include Bootstrap 5, but Bootstrap 4 into your project.

Bootstrap 4:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@4.6.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-xOolHFLEh07PJGoPkLv1IbcEPTNtaed2xpHsD9ESMhqIYd0nLMwNLD69Npy4HI+N" crossorigin="anonymous">
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/jquery@3.5.1/dist/jquery.slim.min.js" integrity="sha384-DfXdz2htPH0lsSSs5nCTpuj/zy4C+OGpamoFVy38MVBnE+IbbVYUew+OrCXaRkfj" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@4.6.2/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" integrity="sha384-Fy6S3B9q64WdZWQUiU+q4/2Lc9npb8tCaSX9FK7E8HnRr0Jz8D6OP9dO5Vg3Q9ct" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

Bootstrap 5:

<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-EVSTQN3/azprG1Anm3QDgpJLIm9Nao0Yz1ztcQTwFspd3yD65VohhpuuCOmLASjC" crossorigin="anonymous">
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" integrity="sha384-MrcW6ZMFYlzcLA8Nl+NtUVF0sA7MsXsP1UyJoMp4YLEuNSfAP+JcXn/tWtIaxVXM" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
🌐
Bootstrap
getbootstrap.com › docs › 4.0 › components › modal
Modal · Bootstrap
Once again, due to position: fixed, there are some caveats with using modals on mobile devices. See our browser support docs for details. Due to how HTML5 defines its semantics, the autofocus HTML attribute has no effect in Bootstrap modals.
🌐
Tutorial Republic
tutorialrepublic.com › twitter-bootstrap-tutorial › bootstrap-modals.php
How to Create Modals with Bootstrap 5 - Tutorial Republic
Learn how to implement modal window, dialog box or popup functionality using the Bootstrap modal plugin with minimum effort without writing any JavaScript code.
🌐
Bootstrap
getbootstrap.com › docs › 4.5 › components › modal
Modal · Bootstrap v4.5
Once again, due to position: fixed, there are some caveats with using modals on mobile devices. See our browser support docs for details. Due to how HTML5 defines its semantics, the autofocus HTML attribute has no effect in Bootstrap modals.
🌐
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › bootstrap › bootstrap-5-modal-options
Bootstrap 5 Modal Options - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Example 1: The code below demonstrates the disabling of the backdrop and adding keyboard modal options along with adding dynamic height to the modal. ... <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <link href= "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script src= "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"> </script> <script> document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var btn = document.getElementById("showText"); btn.addEventListener("click", function() { document.getElementById("text").style.dis
🌐
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 62827002 › bootstrap-v5-manually-call-a-modal-mymodal-show-not-working-vanilla-javascrip
Bootstrap V5 manually call a modal myModal.show() not ...
Top answer
1 of 9
66

The modal plugin toggles your hidden content on demand, via data attributes or JavaScript. It also adds .modal-open to the to override default scrolling behavior and generates a .modal-backdrop to provide a click area for dismissing shown modals when clicking outside the modal. [source]

How to use via Vanilla JavaScript

Create a modal with a single line of JavaScript:

var myModal = new bootstrap.Modal(document.getElementById('myModal'), options)

source

A quick example:

Copyvar myModal = new bootstrap.Modal(document.getElementById("exampleModal"), {});
document.onreadystatechange = function () {
  myModal.show();
};
Copy<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>

    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta
      name="viewport"
      content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no"
    />


    <link
      rel="stylesheet"
      href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/5.0.0-alpha1/css/bootstrap.min.css"
      integrity="sha384-r4NyP46KrjDleawBgD5tp8Y7UzmLA05oM1iAEQ17CSuDqnUK2+k9luXQOfXJCJ4I"
      crossorigin="anonymous"
    />
    <title>Hello, world!</title>
  </head>
  <body>

    <div
      class="modal fade"
      id="exampleModal"
      tabindex="-1"
      role="dialog"
      aria-labelledby="exampleModalLabel"
      aria-hidden="true"
    >
      <div class="modal-dialog">
        <div class="modal-content">
          <div class="modal-header">
            <h5 class="modal-title" id="exampleModalLabel">Modal title</h5>
            <button
              type="button"
              class="close"
              data-dismiss="modal"
              aria-label="Close"
            >
              <span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
            </button>
          </div>
          <div class="modal-body">
            ...
          </div>
          <div class="modal-footer">
            <button
              type="button"
              class="btn btn-secondary"
              data-dismiss="modal"
            >
              Close
            </button>
            <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Save changes</button>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

    <!-- JavaScript and dependencies -->
    <script
      src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/popper.js@1.16.0/dist/umd/popper.min.js"
      integrity="sha384-Q6E9RHvbIyZFJoft+2mJbHaEWldlvI9IOYy5n3zV9zzTtmI3UksdQRVvoxMfooAo"
      crossorigin="anonymous"
    ></script>
    <script
      src="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/5.0.0-alpha1/js/bootstrap.min.js"
      integrity="sha384-oesi62hOLfzrys4LxRF63OJCXdXDipiYWBnvTl9Y9/TRlw5xlKIEHpNyvvDShgf/"
      crossorigin="anonymous"
    ></script>

    <script src="./app.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>
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As for your code, you didn't follow the right way to show/toggle a modal in Vanilla JavaScript. Why did you expect myModal.show() to happen while myModal is just a DOM element?

2 of 9
38
  1. Create a new instace of modal and then call show method(see usage points)
Copyvar myModal = new bootstrap.Modal(document.getElementById('exampleModal'))
myModal.show()

ref: https://v5.getbootstrap.com/docs/5.0/components/modal/#options

note: Bootstrap v5 no more uses jquery, instead it uses javascript. lots of changes are there in bootstrap v5, if you are working for a company and willing to use Bootstrap v5 then please go through all the changes.

🌐
FreeFrontend
freefrontend.com › bootstrap-modal-windows
46 Bootstrap Modal Windows | FreeFrontend
A lead generation modal leveraging Bootstrap 5 for UI and jQuery for logic.
🌐
AdminKit
adminkit.io › docs › components › modal
Bootstrap 5 Modal | Docs & Examples | AdminKit
September 27, 2024 - <div class="modal" tabindex="-1"> <div class="modal-dialog"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <h5 class="modal-title">Modal title</h5> <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <p>Modal body text goes here.</p> </div> <div class="modal-footer"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-bs-dismiss="modal">Close</button> <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Save changes</button> </div> </div> </div> </div>
🌐
Bootstrap
getbootstrap.com › docs › 5.3 › getting-started › accessibility
Accessibility · Bootstrap v5.3
Watch out, compared to the equivalent .sr-only and .sr-only-focusable classes in past versions, Bootstrap 5’s .visually-hidden-focusable is a standalone class, and must not be used in combination with the .visually-hidden class. <a class="visually-hidden-focusable" href="#content">Skip to main content</a> Bootstrap includes support for the prefers-reduced-motion media feature. In browsers/environments that allow the user to specify their preference for reduced motion, most CSS transition effects in Bootstrap (for instance, when a modal dialog is opened or closed, or the sliding animation in carousels) will be disabled, and meaningful animations (such as spinners) will be slowed down.
🌐
W3Schools
w3schools.com › bootstrap › bootstrap_modal.asp
Bootstrap Modals
To trigger the modal window, you need to use a button or a link.
🌐
Codeply
codeply.com › p › yNgonlFihM
Bootstrap 5 Multiple Modals on Codeply
HTML, CSS, JavaScript editor playground for designers & developers to compare, prototype and test frontend frameworks
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