background-origin

The background-origin CSS property sets the background's origin: from the border start, inside the border, or inside the padding.

Note that background-origin is ignored when background-attachment is fixed.

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
background-origin: border-box;
background-origin: padding-box;
background-origin: content-box;

/* Global values */
background-origin: inherit;
background-origin: initial;
background-origin: revert;
background-origin: unset;

The background-origin property is specified as one of the keyword values listed below.

Values

border-box: The background is positioned relative to the border box.
padding-box: The background is positioned relative to the padding box.
content-box: The background is positioned relative to the content box.

Formal definition

Initial value	`padding-box`
Applies to	all elements. It also applies to `::first-letter` and `::first-line`.
Inherited	no
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

<box>#where 
<box> = border-box | padding-box | content-box

Examples

Setting background origins

.example {
  border: 10px double;
  padding: 10px;
  background: url('image.jpg');
  background-position: center left;
  background-origin: content-box;
}

#example2 {
  border: 4px solid black;
  padding: 10px;
  background: url('image.gif');
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-origin: border-box;
}

div {
  background-image: url('logo.jpg'), url('mainback.png'); /* Applies two images to the background */
  background-position: top right, 0px 0px;
  background-origin: content-box, padding-box;
}

Using two gradients

In this example the box has a thick dotted border. The first gradient uses the padding-box as the background-origin and therefore the background sits inside the border. The second uses the content-box and so only displays behind the content.

.box {
  margin: 10px 0;
  color: #fff;
  background: linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(131,58,180,1) 0%, rgba(253,29,29,0.6) 60%, rgba(252,176,69,1) 100%),
  radial-gradient(circle, rgba(255,255,255,1) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,1) 28%);
  border: 20px dashed black;
  padding: 20px;
  width: 400px;
  background-origin: padding-box, content-box;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

<div class="box">Hello!</div>

Specifications

Specification
CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 4 (CSS Backgrounds and Borders 4) # the-background-origin

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`background-origin`	1 1-64 Chrome accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	12	4 49 1-4 Used the `-moz-background-clip: padding \| border` syntax.	9 In IE 7 and before, Internet explorer was behaving as if `background-origin: border-box` was set. In Internet Explorer 8, as if `background-origin: padding-box`, the regular default value, was set.	10.5 15-51 Opera accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	3 3 Webkit accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	4 4-64 WebView accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	18 18-64 Chrome accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	14 49	11 14-47 Opera accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	1 1 Webkit accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.	1.0 1.0-9.0 Chrome accepts alternate synonyms to its values: `padding`, `border`, and `content`.
`content-box`	1	12	4	9 In IE 7 and IE 9 of Internet Explorer, it always behaved like `background-clip: padding` if `overflow: hidden \| auto \| scroll`.	10.5	3	4	18	14	11	1	1.0