background-clip

The background-clip CSS property sets whether an element's background extends underneath its border box, padding box, or content box.

If the element has no background-image or background-color, this property will only have a visual effect when the border has transparent regions or partially opaque regions (due to border-style or border-image); otherwise, the border masks the difference.

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
background-clip: border-box;
background-clip: padding-box;
background-clip: content-box;
background-clip: text;

/* Global values */
background-clip: inherit;
background-clip: initial;
background-clip: revert;
background-clip: unset;

Values

border-box

The background extends to the outside edge of the border (but underneath the border in z-ordering).

padding-box

The background extends to the outside edge of the padding. No background is drawn beneath the border.

content-box

The background is painted within (clipped to) the content box.

text

The background is painted within (clipped to) the foreground text.

Accessibility concerns

When using background-clip: text check that the contrast ratio between the background color and the color of the text placed over it is high enough that people experiencing low vision conditions will be able to read the content of the page.

If the background image does not load, this could also lead to the text becoming unreadable. Add a fallback background-color to prevent this from happening, and test without the image.

Consider using feature queries with @supports to test for support of background-clip: text and provide an accessible alternative where it is not supported.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

<box>#
where 
<box> = border-box | padding-box | content-box

Examples

HTML

<p class="border-box">The background extends behind the border.</p>
<p class="padding-box">The background extends to the inside edge of the border.</p>
<p class="content-box">The background extends only to the edge of the content box.</p>
<p class="text">The background is clipped to the foreground text.</p>

CSS

p {
  border: .8em darkviolet;
  border-style: dotted double;
  margin: 1em 0;
  padding: 1.4em;
  background: linear-gradient(60deg, red, yellow, red, yellow, red);
  font: 900 1.2em sans-serif;
  text-decoration: underline;
}

.border-box { background-clip: border-box; }
.padding-box { background-clip: padding-box; }
.content-box { background-clip: content-box; }

.text {
  background-clip: text;
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  color: rgba(0,0,0,.2);
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• The clip-path property creates a clipping region that defines what part of an entire element should be displayed.
• Background properties: background, background-color, background-image, background-origin
• Introduction to the CSS box model