Web/CSS/outline-color

The outline-color CSS property sets the color of an element's outline.

The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.

Syntax

/* <color> values */
outline-color: #f92525;
outline-color: rgb(30,222,121);
outline-color: blue;

/* Keyword value */
outline-color: invert;

/* Global values */
outline-color: inherit;
outline-color: initial;
outline-color: unset;

The outline-color property is specified as any one of the values listed below.

Values

<color>: The color of the outline, specified as a <color>.
invert: To ensure the outline is visible, performs a color inversion of the background. Note that browsers are not required to support this value; if they don't, this keyword is considered invalid.

Description

An outline is a line that is drawn around an element, outside the border. Unlike the element's border, the outline is drawn outside the element's frame, and may overlap other content. The border, on the other hand, will actually alter the page's layout to ensure that it fits without overlapping anything else (unless you explicitly set it to overlap).

It is often more convenient to use the shorthand property outline when defining the appearance of an outline.

Accessibility concerns

Custom focus styles commonly involve making adjustments to the outline property. If the color of the outline is adjusted, it is important to ensure that the contrast ratio between it and the background the outline is placed over is high enough that people experiencing low vision conditions will be able to perceive it.

Color contrast ratio is determined by comparing the luminosity of the text and background color values. In order to meet current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a ratio of 4.5:1 is required for text content and 3:1 for larger text such as headings. Large text is defined as 18.66px and bold or larger, or 24px or larger.

Formal definition

Initial value	`invert`, for browsers supporting it, `currentColor` for the other
Applies to	all elements
Inherited	no
Computed value	For the keyword `invert`, the computed value is `invert`. For the color value, if the value is translucent, the computed value will be the `rgba()` corresponding one. If it isn't, it will be the `rgb()` corresponding one. The `transparent` keyword maps to `rgba(0,0,0,0)`.
Animation type	a color

Formal syntax

<color> | invertwhere <color> = <rgb()> | <rgba()> | <hsl()> | <hsla()> | <hex-color> | <named-color> | currentcolor | <deprecated-system-color>where <rgb()> = rgb( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgb( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )<rgba()> = rgba( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgba( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )<hsl()> = hsl( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )<hsla()> = hsla( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsla( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )where <alpha-value> = <number> | <percentage><hue> = <number> | <angle>

Examples

Setting a solid blue outline

HTML

<p>My outline is blue, as you can see.</p>

CSS

p {
  outline: 2px solid;      /* Set the outline width and style */
  outline-color: #0000FF;  /* Make the outline blue */
  margin: 5px;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Basic User Interface Module Level 3The definition of 'outline-color' in that specification.	Recommendation	No change.
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1)The definition of 'outline-color' in that specification.	Recommendation	Initial definition.

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
`outline-color`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1.5 Full support 1.5 No support 1 — 3.6 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -moz-	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 7	Safari Full support 1.2	WebView Android Full support 37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`invert`	Chrome No support No	Edge No support 12 — 79	Firefox No support 1 — 3	IE Full support 8	Opera No support 7 — 15	Safari No support No	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android No support No	Firefox Android No support No	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS No support No	Samsung Internet Android No support No

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.': Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.