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/CSS

background-clip

The background-clip CSS property specifies if an element's background, whether a <color> or an <image>, extends underneath its border.

/* 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: unset;

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.

Initial value	`border-box`
Applies to	all elements. It also applies to `::first-letter` and `::first-line`.
Inherited	no
Media	visual
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete
Canonical order	the unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar

Syntax

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.

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;
  color: rgba(0,0,0,.2);
}

Result

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 3 The definition of 'background-clip' in that specification.	Candidate Recommendation	Initial definition.
CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 4 The definition of 'background-clip' in that specification.	Editor's Draft	Add `text` value.

Browser compatibility

Feature Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari

Basic support 1¹ 12 4² 9³ 10.5 3¹

content-box 1 12 4² 9⁴ 10.5 3

Feature	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari
Basic support	1¹	12	4²	9³	10.5	3¹
`content-box`	1	12	4²	9⁴	10.5	3
`text`	Yes -webkit- ⁵	12 -webkit- ⁵ 15	49⁶	No	Yes -webkit- ⁵	Yes -webkit- ⁵

text

Yes -webkit- ⁵

12 -webkit- ⁵

49⁶

Yes -webkit- ⁵

Feature	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Edge mobile	Firefox for Android	IE mobile	Opera Android	iOS Safari
Basic support	4.1	Yes	Yes	14	7.1	12.1	Yes
`content-box`	4.1	Yes	Yes	14	7.1	12.1	Yes
`text`	?	?	Yes	49⁶	No	Yes -webkit- ⁵	Yes -webkit- ⁵

1. Webkit also supports the prefixed version of this property, and in that case, in addition to the current keywords, the alternative synonyms are: padding, border, and content.

2. Firefox supported, from version 1 to 3.6 included, a different and prefixed syntax: -moz-background-clip: padding | border.

3. In IE 7 and IE 8 of Internet Explorer, this property always behaved like background-clip: padding when overflow was hidden, auto, or scroll.

4. In IE 7 and IE 9 of Internet Explorer, it always behaved like background-clip: padding if overflow: hidden | auto | scroll

5. Support the prefixed version of the property only; according to the official blog, WebKit does not include text decorations or shadows in the clipping.

6. In Firefox 48, it was not activated by default and its support could be activated by setting layout.css.background-clip-text.enabled pref to true.