The Window
interface's matchMedia()
method returns a new MediaQueryList
object that can then be used to determine if the document
matches the media query string, as well as to monitor the document to detect when it matches (or stops matching) that media query.
Syntax
mqList = window.matchMedia(mediaQueryString)
Parameters
mediaQueryString
- A string specifying the media query to parse into a
MediaQueryList
.
Return value
A new MediaQueryList
object for the media query. Use this object's properties and events to detect matches and to monitor for changes to those matches over time.
Usage notes
You can use the returned media query to perform both instantanteous and event-driven checks to see if the document matches the media query.
To perform a one-time, instantaneous check to see if the document matches the media query, look at the value of the matches
property, which will be true
if the document meets the media query's requirements.
If you need to be kept aware of whether or not the document matches the media query at all times, you can instead watch for the change
event to be delivered to the object. There's a good example of this in the article on Window.devicePixelRatio
.
Examples
This example runs the media query (max-width: 600px)
and displays the value of the resulting MediaQueryList
's matches
property in a <span>
; as a result, the output will say "true" if the viewport is less than or equal to 600 pixels wide, and will say "false" if the window is wider than that.
JavaScript
let mql = window.matchMedia('(max-width: 600px)'); document.querySelector(".mq-value").innerText = mql.matches;
The JavaScript code simply passes the media query to match into matchMedia()
to compile it, then sets the <span>
's innerText
to the value of the results' matches
property, so that it indicates whether or not the document matches the media query at the moment the page was loaded.
HTML
<span class="mq-value"></span>
A simple <span>
to receive the output.
CSS
.mq-value { font: 18px arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: #88f; padding: 0.4em; border: 1px solid #dde; }
Result
See Testing media queries programmatically for additional code examples.
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
CSS Object Model (CSSOM) View Module The definition of 'Window.matchMedia()' in that specification. |
Working Draft | Initial definition |
Browser compatibility
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
matchMedia | Chrome Full support 9 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 6 | IE Full support 10 | Opera Full support 12.1 | Safari Full support 5.1 | WebView Android Full support ≤37 | Chrome Android Full support 18 | Firefox Android Full support 6 | Opera Android Full support 12.1 | Safari iOS Full support 5 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support