background-clip

The background-clip CSS property specifies whether 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.

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 1.3em 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

Browser compatibility

The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

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. Gecko supported, from version 1.1 to version 1.9.2, corresponding to Firefox 1.0 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. Gecko supported, from version 1.1 to version 1.9.2, which corresponds to Firefox 1.0 to 3.6 included, a different and prefixed syntax: -moz-background-clip: padding | border.

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

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

7. 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.

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
• Introduction to the CSS box model