background

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

The property is a shorthand that sets the following properties in a single declaration: background-clip, background-color, background-image, background-origin, background-position, background-repeat, background-size, and background-attachment.

As with all shorthand properties, any omitted sub-values will be set to their initial value.

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");

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.

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()> | <cross-fade()> | <gradient>
<length-percentage> = <length> | <percentage>
where 
<image()> = image( [ [ <image> | <string> ]? , <color>? ]! )
<image-set()> = image-set( <image-set-option># )
<element()> = element( <id-selector> )
<cross-fade()> = cross-fade( <cf-mixing-image> , <cf-final-image>? )
<gradient> = <linear-gradient()> | <repeating-linear-gradient()> | <radial-gradient()> | <repeating-radial-gradient()>
where 
<color> = <rgb()> | <rgba()> | <hsl()> | <hsla()> | <hex-color> | <named-color> | currentcolor | <deprecated-system-color>
<image-set-option> = [ <image> | <string> ] <resolution>
<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> )
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>? )
<side-or-corner> = [ left | right ] || [ top | bottom ]
<color-stop-list> = <color-stop>#{2,}
<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> ] ]
where 
<alpha-value> = <number> | <percentage>
<hue> = <number> | <angle>
<color-stop> = <color> <length-percentage>?

Examples

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("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/11983/starsolid.gif") #99f repeat-y fixed; 
}

Result

Accessibility concerns

Assistive technology cannot parse background images. 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

Specifications

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

See also

• box-decoration-break
• Using gradients
• Using multiple backgrounds