prefers-reduced-motion

The prefers-reduced-motion CSS media feature is used to detect if the user has requested that the system minimize the amount of non-essential motion it uses.

Syntax

no-preference

Indicates that the user has made no preference known to the system.

reduce

Indicates that user has notified the system that they prefer an interface that removes or replaces the types of motion-based animation that trigger discomfort for those with vestibular motion disorders.

User preferences

For Firefox, the reduce request is honoured if:

• In GTK/GNOME: GNOME Tweaks > General tab (or Appearance, depending on version) > Animations is turned off.
  • Alternatively, add gtk-enable-animations = false to the [Settings] block of the GTK 3 configuration file.
• In Plasma/KDE: System Settings > Workspace Behavior -> General Behavior > “Animation speed” is set all the way to right to “Instant”.
• In Windows 10: Settings > Ease of Access > Display > Show animations in Windows.
• In Windows 7: Control Panel > Ease of Access > Make the computer easier to see > Turn off all unnecessary animations (when possible).
• In macOS: System Preferences > Accessibility > Display > Reduce motion.
• In iOS: Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion.
• In Android 9+: Settings > Accessibility > Remove animations.
• In Firefox about:config: Add a number preference called ui.prefersReducedMotion and set its value to either 0 for full animation or to 1 to indicate a preference for reduced motion. Changes to this preference take effect immediately.

Examples

This example has a scaling animation by default. If Reduce Motion is enabled in your accessibility preferences, the animation is toned down to a simple dissolve without vestibular motion triggers.

HTML

<div class="animation">animated box</div>

CSS

.animation {
  animation: pulse 1s linear infinite both;
}

/* Tone down the animation to avoid vestibular motion triggers like scaling or panning large objects. */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion) {
  .animation {
    animation-name: dissolve;
  }
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• An Introduction to the Reduced Motion Media Query (CSS Tricks)
• Responsive Design for Motion (WebKit Blog) includes vestibular motion trigger examples.