background-image

Summary

The CSS background-image property sets one or several background images for an element. The images are drawn on stacking context layers on top of each other. The first layer specified is drawn as if it is closest to the user.

The borders of the element are then drawn on top of them, and the background-color is drawn beneath them. How the images are drawn relative to the box and its borders is defined by the background-clip and background-origin CSS properties.

If a specified image cannot be drawn (for example, when the file denoted by the specified URI cannot be loaded), browsers handle it as they would a none value.

Syntax

background-image: none;
background-image: url(http://www.example.com/bck.png);

background-image: inherit;

Values

none

Is a keyword denoting the absence of images.

<image>

Is an <image> denoting the image to display. There can be several of them, separated by commas, as multiple backgrounds are supported.

Formal syntax

<bg-image>#
where 
<bg-image> = none | <image>
where 
<image> = <url> | <image()> | <image-set()> | <element()> | <cross-fade()> | <gradient>
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>
<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( <rgb-component>#{3} )
<rgba()> = rgba( <rgb-component>#{3} , <alpha-value> )
<hsl()> = hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage> )
<hsla()> = hsla( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value> )
<named-color> = <ident>
<deprecated-system-color> = ActiveBorder | ActiveCaption | AppWorkspace | Background | ButtonFace | ButtonHighlight | ButtonShadow | ButtonText | CaptionText | GrayText | Highlight | HighlightText | InactiveBorder | InactiveCaption | InactiveCaptionText | InfoBackground | InfoText | Menu | MenuText | Scrollbar | ThreeDDarkShadow | ThreeDFace | ThreeDHighlight | ThreeDLightShadow | ThreeDShadow | Window | WindowFrame | WindowText
<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}
where 
<rgb-component> = <integer> | <percentage>
<alpha-value> = <number>
<hue> = <number>
<color-stop> = <color> [ <percentage> | <length> ]?

Examples

Note that the star image is partially transparent and is layered over the cat image.

HTML

<div>
    <p class="catsandstars">
        This paragraph is full of cats<br />and stars.
    </p>
    <p>This paragraph is not.</p>
    <p class="catsandstars">
        Here are more cats for you.<br />Look at them!
    </p>
    <p>And no more.</p>
</div>

CSS

pre, p {
    font-size: 1.5em;
    color: #FE7F88;
    background-color: transparent;
}

div {
  background-image: url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/6457/mdn_logo_only_color.png");
}

p {
  background-image: none;
}

.catsandstars {
  background-image:  url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/11991/startransparent.gif"), 
                     url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/7693/catfront.png");
  background-color: transparent;
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

[1] If the browser.display.use_document_colors user preference in about:config is set to false, background images will not de displayed.

[2] Support of SVG in CSS background is incomplete in the current version of iOS Safari (5.0). The same for Safari prior 5.0.

[3] Old webkit syntax for iOS 4.2 and older

[4] Old webkit syntax

See also

• CSS Image Sprites
• <img>
• Image-related articles: <image>, linear-gradient(), radial-gradient(), repeating-linear-gradient(), repeating-radial-gradient(), element().