CSS outline Property

Example

Set the outline around an element:

p
{
outline:#00FF00 dotted thick;
}

Try it yourself »

An outline is a line that is drawn around elements (outside the borders) to make the element "stand out".

The outline shorthand property sets all the outline properties in one declaration.

The properties that can be set, are (in order): outline-color, outline-style, outline-width.

If one of the values above are missing, e.g. "outline:solid #ff0000;", the default value for the missing property will be inserted, if any.

Default value:	invert none medium
Inherited:	no
Version:	CSS2
JavaScript syntax:	object.style.outline="#0000FF dotted thin"

The outline property is supported in all major browsers.

Note: Internet Explorer 8 (and higher) supports the outline property if a !DOCTYPE is specified.

Value	Description
outline-color	Specifies the color of the outline. See outline-color for possible values
outline-style	Specifies the style of the outline. See outline-style for possible values
outline-width	Specifies the width of outline. See outline-width for possible values
inherit	Specifies that the value of the outline property should be inherited from the parent element

CSS tutorial: CSS Outline

HTML DOM reference: outline property