Web/CSS/font-smooth

Non-standard This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.

The font-smooth CSS property controls the application of anti-aliasing when fonts are rendered.

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
font-smooth: auto;
font-smooth: never;
font-smooth: always;

/* <length> value */
font-smooth: 2em;

WebKit implements a similar property, but with different values: -webkit-font-smoothing. It only works on Mac OS X/macOS.

auto - Let the browser decide (Uses subpixel anti-aliasing when available; this is the default)
none - Turn font smoothing off; display text with jagged sharp edges.
antialiased - Smooth the font on the level of the pixel, as opposed to the subpixel. Switching from subpixel rendering to antialiasing for light text on dark backgrounds makes it look lighter.
subpixel-antialiased - On most non-retina displays, this will give the sharpest text.

Firefox implements a similar property, but with different values: -moz-osx-font-smoothing. It only works on Mac OS X/macOS.

auto - Allow the browser to select an optimization for font smoothing, typically grayscale.
grayscale - Render text with grayscale antialiasing, as opposed to the subpixel. Switching from subpixel rendering to antialiasing for light text on dark backgrounds makes it look lighter.

Formal definition

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	all elements
Inherited	yes
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

auto | never | always | <absolute-size> | <length>where <absolute-size> = xx-small | x-small | small | medium | large | x-large | xx-large | xxx-large

Examples

Basic usage example

The following example shows the Safari/Chromium and Firefox equivalents that turn on font-smoothing on macOS. In both cases the smoothed font should look slightly lighter in weight.

For those of you not on a macOS system, here is a screenshot (the live version appears later on):

[[File:../../../../../media.prod.mdn.mozit.cloud/attachments/2020/08/04/17370/d5d41ecd713d9d73ab587f9c950466d6/smoothing.png]]

HTML

<p>Without font smoothing</p>

<p class="smoothed">With font smoothing</p>

CSS

html {
  background-color: black;
  color: white;
  font-size: 3rem;
}

p {
  text-align: center;
}

.smoothed {
  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
  -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
}

Result

Specifications

Not part of any standard.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`font-smooth` Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 5 Alternate Name' Full support 5 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Edge Full support 79 Alternate Name' Full support 79 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Firefox Full support 25 Notes' Alternate Name' Full support 25 Notes' Alternate Name' Notes' Only works on macOS. Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-moz-osx-font-smoothing`	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15 Alternate Name' Full support 15 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Safari Full support 4 Alternate Name' Full support 4 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	WebView Android Full support ≤37 Alternate Name' Full support ≤37 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Chrome Android Full support 18 Alternate Name' Full support 18 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Firefox Android No support No	Opera Android Full support 14 Alternate Name' Full support 14 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Safari iOS Full support 3.2 Alternate Name' Full support 3.2 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 Alternate Name' Full support 1.0 Alternate Name' Alternate Name' Uses the non-standard name: `-webkit-font-smoothing`

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.': Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
See implementation notes.': See implementation notes.
Uses a non-standard name.': Uses a non-standard name.