CSS Selectors
In CSS, selectors are patterns used to select the element(s) you want to style.
Use our CSS Selector Tester to demonstrate the different selectors.
| Selector | Example | Example description |
|---|---|---|
| .class | .intro | Selects all elements with class=”intro” |
| .class1.class2 | .name1.name2 | Selects all elements with both name1 and name2 set within its class attribute |
| .class1 .class2 | .name1 .name2 | Selects all elements with name2 that is a descendant of an element with name1 |
| #id | #firstname | Selects the element with id=”firstname” |
| * | * | Selects all elements |
| element | p | Selects all <p> elements |
| element.class | p.intro | Selects all <p> elements with class=”intro” |
| element,element | div, p | Selects all <div> elements and all <p> elements |
| element element | div p | Selects all <p> elements inside <div> elements |
| element>element | div > p | Selects all <p> elements where the parent is a <div> element |
| element+element | div + p | Selects all <p> elements that are placed immediately after <div> elements |
| element1~element2 | p ~ ul | Selects every <ul> element that are preceded by a <p> element |
| [attribute] | [target] | Selects all elements with a target attribute |
| [attribute=value] | [target=_blank] | Selects all elements with target=”_blank” |
| [attribute~=value] | [title~=flower] | Selects all elements with a title attribute containing the word “flower” |
| [attribute|=value] | [lang|=en] | Selects all elements with a lang attribute value starting with “en” |
| [attribute^=value] | a[href^=”https”] | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value begins with “https” |
| [attribute$=value] | a[href$=”.pdf”] | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value ends with “.pdf” |
| [attribute*=value] | a[href*=”w3schools”] | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value contains the substring “w3schools” |
| :active | a:active | Selects the active link |
| ::after | p::after | Insert something after the content of each <p> element |
| ::before | p::before | Insert something before the content of each <p> element |
| :checked | input:checked | Selects every checked <input> element |
| :default | input:default | Selects the default <input> element |
| :disabled | input:disabled | Selects every disabled <input> element |
| :empty | p:empty | Selects every <p> element that has no children (including text nodes) |
| :enabled | input:enabled | Selects every enabled <input> element |
| :first-child | p:first-child | Selects every <p> element that is the first child of its parent |
| ::first-letter | p::first-letter | Selects the first letter of every <p> element |
| ::first-line | p::first-line | Selects the first line of every <p> element |
| :first-of-type | p:first-of-type | Selects every <p> element that is the first <p> element of its parent |
| :focus | input:focus | Selects the input element which has focus |
| :hover | a:hover | Selects links on mouse over |
| :in-range | input:in-range | Selects input elements with a value within a specified range |
| :indeterminate | input:indeterminate | Selects input elements that are in an indeterminate state |
| :invalid | input:invalid | Selects all input elements with an invalid value |
| :lang(language) | p:lang(it) | Selects every <p> element with a lang attribute equal to “it” (Italian) |
| :last-child | p:last-child | Selects every <p> element that is the last child of its parent |
| :last-of-type | p:last-of-type | Selects every <p> element that is the last <p> element of its parent |
| :link | a:link | Selects all unvisited links |
| :not(selector) | :not(p) | Selects every element that is not a <p> element |
| :nth-child(n) | p:nth-child(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second child of its parent |
| :nth-last-child(n) | p:nth-last-child(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second child of its parent, counting from the last child |
| :nth-last-of-type(n) | p:nth-last-of-type(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second <p> element of its parent, counting from the last child |
| :nth-of-type(n) | p:nth-of-type(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second <p> element of its parent |
| :only-of-type | p:only-of-type | Selects every <p> element that is the only <p> element of its parent |
| :only-child | p:only-child | Selects every <p> element that is the only child of its parent |
| :optional | input:optional | Selects input elements with no “required” attribute |
| :out-of-range | input:out-of-range | Selects input elements with a value outside a specified range |
| ::placeholder | input::placeholder | Selects input elements with the “placeholder” attribute specified |
| :read-only | input:read-only | Selects input elements with the “readonly” attribute specified |
| :read-write | input:read-write | Selects input elements with the “readonly” attribute NOT specified |
| :required | input:required | Selects input elements with the “required” attribute specified |
| :root | :root | Selects the document’s root element |
| ::selection | ::selection | Selects the portion of an element that is selected by a user |
| :target | #news:target | Selects the current active #news element (clicked on a URL containing that anchor name) |
| :valid | input:valid | Selects all input elements with a valid value |
| :visited | a:visited | Selects all visited links |