The background shorthand CSS property sets all background style properties at once, such as color, image, origin and size, or repeat method.

/* Using a <background-color> */ background: green;  /* Using a <bg-image> and <repeat-style> */ background: url("test.jpg") repeat-y;  /* Using a <box> and <background-color> */ background: border-box red;  /* A single image, centered and scaled */ background: no-repeat center/80% url("../img/image.png");  /* Global values */ background: inherit; background: initial; background: revert; background: unset; 

background

The background shorthand CSS property sets all background style properties at once, such as color, image, origin and size, or repeat method.

Constituent properties

This property is a shorthand for the following CSS properties:

background-attachment background-clip background-color background-image background-origin background-position background-repeat background-size

Syntax

/* Using a <background-color> */ background: green;  /* Using a <bg-image> and <repeat-style> */ background: url("test.jpg") repeat-y;  /* Using a <box> and <background-color> */ background: border-box red;  /* A single image, centered and scaled */ background: no-repeat center/80% url("../img/image.png");  /* Global values */ background: inherit; background: initial; background: revert; background: unset; 

The background property is specified as one or more background layers, separated by commas.

The syntax of each layer is as follows:

Each layer may include zero or one occurrences of any of the following values: <attachment> <bg-image> <position> <bg-size> <repeat-style> The <bg-size> value may only be included immediately after <position>, separated with the '/' character, like this: "center/80%". The <box> value may be included zero, one, or two times. If included once, it sets both background-origin and background-clip. If it is included twice, the first occurrence sets background-origin, and the second sets background-clip. The <background-color> value may only be included in the last layer specified.

Values

<attachment>

See background-attachment

<box>

See background-clip and background-origin

<background-color>

See background-color

<bg-image>

See background-image

<position>

See background-position

<repeat-style>

See background-repeat

<bg-size>

See background-size.

Accessibility concerns

Browsers do not provide any special information on background images to assistive technology. This is important primarily for screen readers, as a screen reader will not announce its presence and therefore convey nothing to its users. If the image contains information critical to understanding the page's overall purpose, it is better to describe it semantically in the document.

MDN Understanding WCAG, Guideline 1.1 explanations Understanding Success Criterion 1.1.1 | W3C Understanding WCAG 2.0

Formal definition

Initial value	as each of the properties of the shorthand:background-image: nonebackground-position: 0% 0%background-size: auto autobackground-repeat: repeatbackground-origin: padding-boxbackground-clip: border-boxbackground-attachment: scrollbackground-color: transparent
Applies to	all elements. It also applies to ::first-letter and ::first-line.
Inherited	no
Percentages	as each of the properties of the shorthand:background-position: refer to the size of the background positioning area minus size of background image; size refers to the width for horizontal offsets and to the height for vertical offsetsbackground-size: relative to the background positioning area
Computed value	as each of the properties of the shorthand:background-image: as specified, but with url() values made absolutebackground-position: as each of the properties of the shorthand:background-position-x: A list, each item consisting of: an offset given as a combination of an absolute length and a percentage, plus an origin keywordbackground-position-y: A list, each item consisting of: an offset given as a combination of an absolute length and a percentage, plus an origin keywordbackground-size: as specified, but with relative lengths converted into absolute lengthsbackground-repeat: a list, each item consisting of two keywords, one per dimensionbackground-origin: as specifiedbackground-clip: as specifiedbackground-attachment: as specifiedbackground-color: computed color
Animation type	as each of the properties of the shorthand:background-color: a colorbackground-image: discretebackground-clip: discretebackground-position: repeatable list of simple list of length, percentage, or calcbackground-size: repeatable list of simple list of length, percentage, or calcbackground-repeat: discretebackground-attachment: discrete

Formal syntax

[ <bg-layer> , ]* <final-bg-layer>
where <bg-layer> = <bg-image> || <bg-position> [ / <bg-size> ]? || <repeat-style> || <attachment> || <box> || <box><final-bg-layer> = <'background-color'> || <bg-image> || <bg-position> [ / <bg-size> ]? || <repeat-style> || <attachment> || <box> || <box>
where <bg-image> = none | <image><bg-position> = [ [ left | center | right | top | bottom | <length-percentage> ] | [ left | center | right | <length-percentage> ] [ top | center | bottom | <length-percentage> ] | [ center | [ left | right ] <length-percentage>? ] && [ center | [ top | bottom ] <length-percentage>? ] ]<bg-size> = [ <length-percentage> | auto ]{1,2} | cover | contain<repeat-style> = repeat-x | repeat-y | [ repeat | space | round | no-repeat ]{1,2}<attachment> = scroll | fixed | local<box> = border-box | padding-box | content-box
where <image> = <url> | <image()> | <image-set()> | <element()> | <paint()> | <cross-fade()> | <gradient><length-percentage> = <length> | <percentage>
where <image()> = image( <image-tags>? [ <image-src>? , <color>? ]! )<image-set()> = image-set( <image-set-option># )<element()> = element( <id-selector> )<paint()> = paint( <ident>, <declaration-value>? )<cross-fade()> = cross-fade( <cf-mixing-image> , <cf-final-image>? )<gradient> = <linear-gradient()> | <repeating-linear-gradient()> | <radial-gradient()> | <repeating-radial-gradient()> | <conic-gradient()>
where <image-tags> = ltr | rtl<image-src> = <url> | <string><color> = <rgb()> | <rgba()> | <hsl()> | <hsla()> | <hwb()> | <hex-color> | <named-color> | currentcolor | <deprecated-system-color><image-set-option> = [ <image> | <string> ] [ <resolution> || type(<string>) ]<id-selector> = <hash-token><cf-mixing-image> = <percentage>? && <image><cf-final-image> = <image> | <color><linear-gradient()> = linear-gradient( [ <angle> | to <side-or-corner> ]? , <color-stop-list> )<repeating-linear-gradient()> = repeating-linear-gradient( [ <angle> | to <side-or-corner> ]? , <color-stop-list> )<radial-gradient()> = radial-gradient( [ <ending-shape> || <size> ]? [ at <position> ]? , <color-stop-list> )<repeating-radial-gradient()> = repeating-radial-gradient( [ <ending-shape> || <size> ]? [ at <position> ]? , <color-stop-list> )<conic-gradient()> = conic-gradient( [ from <angle> ]? [ at <position> ]?, <angular-color-stop-list> )
where <rgb()> = rgb( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgb( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )<rgba()> = rgba( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgba( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )<hsl()> = hsl( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )<hsla()> = hsla( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsla( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )<hwb()> = hwb( [<hue> | none] [<percentage> | none] [<percentage> | none] [ / [<alpha-value> | none] ]? )<side-or-corner> = [ left | right ] || [ top | bottom ]<color-stop-list> = [ <linear-color-stop> [, <linear-color-hint>]? ]# , <linear-color-stop><ending-shape> = circle | ellipse<size> = closest-side | farthest-side | closest-corner | farthest-corner | <length> | <length-percentage>{2}<position> = [ [ left | center | right ] || [ top | center | bottom ] | [ left | center | right | <length-percentage> ] [ top | center | bottom | <length-percentage> ]? | [ [ left | right ] <length-percentage> ] && [ [ top | bottom ] <length-percentage> ] ]<angular-color-stop-list> = [ <angular-color-stop> [, <angular-color-hint>]? ]# , <angular-color-stop>
where <alpha-value> = <number> | <percentage><hue> = <number> | <angle><linear-color-stop> = <color> <color-stop-length>?<linear-color-hint> = <length-percentage><angular-color-stop> = <color> && <color-stop-angle>?<angular-color-hint> = <angle-percentage>
where <color-stop-length> = <length-percentage>{1,2}<color-stop-angle> = <angle-percentage>{1,2}<angle-percentage> = <angle> | <percentage>

Examples

Setting backgrounds with color keywords and images

HTML

<p class="topbanner">   Starry sky<br/>   Twinkle twinkle<br/>   Starry sky </p> <p class="warning">Here is a paragraph<p> 

CSS

.warning {   background: pink; }  .topbanner {   background: url("starsolid.gif") #99f repeat-y fixed; } 

Result

Specifications

Specification
CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 4 # the-background

See also

box-decoration-break Using gradients Using multiple backgrounds Select your preferred language English (US)DeutschEspañolFrançais日本語한국어PolskiPortuguês (do Brasil)Русский中文 (简体) Change language