The initial
CSS keyword applies the initial value of a property to an element. It can be applied to any CSS property, including the CSS shorthand all
.
On inherited properties, the initial value may be surprising. You should consider using the inherit
, unset
, or revert
keywords instead.
Example
HTML
<p> <span>This text is red.</span> <em>This text is in the initial color (e.g., black).</em> <span>This is red again.</span> </p>
CSS
p { color: red; } em { color: initial; }
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
CSS Cascading and Inheritance Level 4 The definition of 'initial' in that specification. |
Working Draft | No changes from Level 3. |
CSS Cascading and Inheritance Level 3 The definition of 'initial' in that specification. |
Candidate Recommendation | Defines what an initial value is. |
CSS Values and Units Module Level 3 The definition of 'initial' in that specification. |
Candidate Recommendation | Defines the keyword. |
Browser compatibility
Feature | Chrome | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari (WebKit) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support | 1.0 | 3.5 (1.9.1)-moz[1] 19.0 (19.0) |
No support | 15.0 | 1.2 |
Feature | Android | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Phone | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support | 1.0 | 1.0 (1.9.1)-moz[1] 19.0 (19.0) |
No support | No support | (Yes) |
[1] From Firefox 1.0 onward, increasing support for -moz-initial
was added in each version, culminating with the support for quotes
in Firefox 3.5 (Gecko 1.9.1). The last addition was support for the non-standard -moz-border-*-colors
in Firefox 3.6 (Gecko 1.9.2). Support for the prefixed -moz-initial
keyword has been removed as of Firefox 24 in favor of the unprefixed initial
keyword.
See also
Document Tags and Contributors
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Last updated by:
mfluehr,