::placeholder

The ::placeholder CSS pseudo-element represents the placeholder text of a form element.

::placeholder {
  color: blue;
  font-size: 1.5em;
}

Only the subset of CSS properties that apply to the ::first-line pseudo-element can be used in a rule using ::placeholder in its selector.

Syntax

::placeholder

Example

HTML

<input placeholder="Type something here!">

CSS

input::placeholder {
  color: red;
  font-size: 1.2em;
  font-style: italic;
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• The :placeholder-shown pseudo-class styles an element that has an active placeholder.
• Related HTML elements: <input>, <textarea>
• The non-standard equivalents to this pseudo-element: ::-webkit-input-placeholder, ::-moz-placeholder, :-ms-input-placeholder
• HTML forms