<clipPath>

The <clipPath> SVG element defines a clipping path, to be used by the clip-path property.

A clipping path restricts the region to which paint can be applied. Conceptually, parts of the drawing that lie outside of the region bounded by the clipping path are not drawn.

<svg viewBox="0 0 100 100">
  <clipPath id="myClip">
    <!--
      Everything outside the circle will be
      clipped and therefore invisible.
    -->
    <circle cx="40" cy="35" r="35" />
  </clipPath>
 
  <!-- The original black heart, for reference -->
  <path id="heart" d="M10,30 A20,20,0,0,1,50,30 A20,20,0,0,1,90,30 Q90,60,50,90 Q10,60,10,30 Z" />
 
  <!--
    Only the portion of the red heart
    inside the clip circle is visible.
  -->
  <use clip-path="url(#myClip)" xlink:href="#heart" fill="red" />
</svg>
/* With a touch of CSS for browsers who *
 * implemented the r Geometry Property. */

@keyframes openYourHeart {from {r: 0} to {r: 60px}}

#myClip circle {
  animation: openYourHeart 15s infinite;
}

A clipping path is conceptually equivalent to a custom viewport for the referencing element. Thus, it affects the rendering of an element, but not the element's inherent geometry. The bounding box of a clipped element (meaning, an element which references a <clipPath> element via a clip-path property, or a child of the referencing element) must remain the same as if it were not clipped.

By default, pointer-events are not dispatched on clipped regions. For example, a circle with a radius of 10 which is clipped to a circle with a radius of 5 will not receive "click" events outside the smaller radius.

Attributes

clipPathUnits
Defines the coordinate system for the contents of the <clipPath> element.
Value type: userSpaceOnUse|objectBoundingBox ; Default value: userSpaceOnUse; Animatable: yes

Global attributes

Core Attributes
Most notably: id
Styling Attributes
class, style
Conditional Processing Attributes
Most notably: requiredExtensions, systemLanguage
Presentation Attributes
Most notably: clip-path, clip-rule, color, display, fill, fill-opacity, fill-rule, filter, mask, opacity, shape-rendering, stroke, stroke-dasharray, stroke-dashoffset, stroke-linecap, stroke-linejoin, stroke-miterlimit, stroke-opacity, stroke-width, transform, vector-effect, visibility

Usage notes

CategoriesNone
Permitted contentAny number of the following elements, in any order:
Animation elements
Descriptive elements
Shape elements
<text>, <use>

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
CSS Masking Module Level 1
The definition of '<clipPath>' in that specification.
Candidate Recommendation
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.1 (Second Edition)
The definition of '<clipPath>' in that specification.
Recommendation Initial definition

Browser compatibility

DesktopMobile
ChromeEdgeFirefoxInternet ExplorerOperaSafariAndroid webviewChrome for AndroidFirefox for AndroidOpera for AndroidSafari on iOSSamsung Internet
clipPathChrome Full support 1Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 1.5IE Full support 9Opera Full support 9Safari Full support 3WebView Android Full support 3Chrome Android Full support YesFirefox Android Full support 4Opera Android Full support YesSafari iOS Full support 3Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes
clipPathUnitsChrome Full support YesEdge Full support 12Firefox Full support YesIE Full support 9Opera Full support YesSafari Full support 3WebView Android Full support YesChrome Android Full support YesFirefox Android Full support YesOpera Android Full support YesSafari iOS Full support 3Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support
Full support