How TO - Parallax Scrolling

Learn how to create a "parallax" scrolling effect with CSS.

Parallax

Parallax scrolling is a web site trend where the background content (i.e. an image) is moved at a different speed than the foreground content while scrolling. Click on the links below to see the difference between a website with and without parallax scrolling.

Demo with parallax scrolling

Demo without parallax scrolling

Note: Parallax scrolling does not always work on mobile devices/smart phones. However, you can use media queries to turn off the effect on mobile devices (see last example on this page).

How To Create a Parallax Scrolling Effect

Use a container element and add a background image to the container with a specific height. Then use the background-attachment: fixed to create the actual parallax effect. The other background properties are used to center and scale the image perfectly:

Example with pixels

Try it Yourself »

The example above used pixels to set the height of the image. If you want to use percent, for example 100%, to make the image fit the whole screen, set the height of the parallax container to 100%. Note: You must also apply height: 100% to both <html> and <body>:

Example with percent

body, html {
height: 100%;
}

.parallax {
/* The image used */
background-image: url("img_parallax.jpg");

/* Full height */
height: 100%;

/* Create the parallax scrolling effect */
background-attachment: fixed;
background-position: center;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-size: cover;
}

Try it Yourself »

Some mobile devices have a problem with background-attachment: fixed. However, you can use media queries to turn off the parallax effect for mobile devices:

Example

/* Turn off parallax scrolling for all tablets and phones. Increase/decrease the pixels if needed */
@media only screen and (max-device-width: 1366px) {
.parallax {
background-attachment: scroll;
}
}

Try it Yourself »

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