:hover

The :hover CSS pseudo-class matches when the user interacts with an element with a pointing device, but does not necessarily activate it. It is generally triggered when the user hovers over an element with the cursor (mouse pointer).

/* Selects any <a> element when "hovered" */
a:hover {
  color: orange;
}

Styles defined by the :active pseudo-class will be overridden by any subsequent link-related pseudo-class (:link, :visited, or :active) that has at least equal specificity. To style links appropriately, put the :hover rule after the :link and :visited rules but before the :active one, as defined by the LVHA-order: :link — :visited — :hover — :active.

Syntax

:hover

Examples

Basic example

HTML

<a href="#">Try hovering over this link.</a>

CSS

a {
  background-color: powderblue;
  transition: background-color .5s;
}

a:hover {
  background-color: gold;
}

Result

Image gallery

You can use the :hover pseudo-class to build an image gallery with full-size images that show only when the mouse moves over a thumbnail. See this demo for a possible cue.

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• Chromium bug #370155: Don't make :hover sticky on tap on sites that set a mobile viewport
• Chromium bug #306581: Immediately show hover and active states on touch when page isn't scrollable.