forced-colors

The forced-colors CSS media feature is used to detect if the user agent has enabled a forced colors mode where it enforces a user-chosen limited color palette on the page.

Syntax

The forced-colors media feature indicates whether or not the browser is currently in forced-colors mode.

Values

none

Forced colors mode is not active; the page’s colors are not being forced into a limited palette.

active

Indicates that forced colors mode is active. The browser provides the color palette to authors through the CSS system color keywords and, if appropriate, it triggers the appropriate value of prefers-color-scheme so that authors can adapt the page.

Usage notes

Properties affected by forced-color mode

In forced colors mode, the values of the following properties are treated as if they have no author-level values specified. That is, user-specified values (if any) or browser-specified values are used instead.

• color
• fill
• stroke
• text-decoration-color
• text-emphasis-color
• border-color
• outline-color
• column-rule-color
• scrollbar-color
• -webkit-tap-highlight-color
• box-shadow
• text-shadow

You can use system color keywords with any property other than those listed above, to ensure that the rest of the page integrates with the restricted color palette available in forced colors mode.

User preferences

Currently no user agent implements this feature, although various operating systems do support such preferences and if this media query is ever implemented user agents will likely rely on the settings provided by the operating system in use.

Examples

This example has an annoying color palette by default. This example does not take advantage of the colors provided by the user agent.

HTML

<div class="colors">weird color box</div>

CSS

.colors {
  background-color: red;
  color: grey;
}

@media (forced-colors: active) {
  .colors {
    background-color: white;
    color: black;
  }
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also