CSS opacity Property

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Example

Set the opacity level for a <div> element:

div {
opacity: 0.5;
}

More "Try it Yourself" examples below.

Definition and Usage

The opacity property sets the opacity level for an element.

The opacity-level describes the transparency-level, where 1 is not transparent at all, 0.5 is 50% see-through, and 0 is completely transparent.

opacity 0.2

opacity 0.5

opacity 1
(default)

Note: When using the opacity property to add transparency to the background of an element, all of its child elements become transparent as well. This can make the text inside a fully transparent element hard to read. If you do not want to apply opacity to child elements, use RGBA color values instead (See "More Examples" below).

Show demo ❯

Default value:	1
Inherited:	no
Animatable:	yes, see individual properties. Read about animatable Try it
Version:	CSS3
JavaScript syntax:	object.style.opacity="0.5" Try it

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.

Property
opacity	4.0	9.0	2.0	3.1	9.0

CSS Syntax

opacity: number|initial|inherit;

Property Values

Value	Description	Demo
number	Specifies the opacity. From 0.0 (fully transparent) to 1.0 (fully opaque)	Demo ❯
initial	Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial
inherit	Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit

More Examples

Example

The opacity property adds transparency to the background of an element, and to all of its child elements as well. This makes the text inside a transparent element hard to read:

div.first {
opacity: 0.1;
}

div.second {
opacity: 0.3;
}

div.third {
opacity: 0.6;
}

Try it Yourself »

Example

To not apply opacity to child elements (like in the example above) use RGBA color values instead. The following example sets the opacity for the background color, but not for the text:

div.first {
background: rgba(76, 175, 80, 0.1);
}

div.second {
background: rgba(76, 175, 80, 0.3);
}

div.third {
background: rgba(76, 175, 80, 0.6);
}

Try it Yourself »

Tip: Learn more about RGBA Colors in CSS RGBA Colors.