CSS Box Shadow

CSS box-shadow Property

The CSS box-shadow property is used to apply one or more shadows to an element.

Specify a Horizontal and a Vertical Shadow

In its simplest use, you only specify a horizontal and a vertical shadow. The default color of the shadow is the current text-color.

Example

Specify a horizontal and a vertical shadow:

div {
  box-shadow: 10px 10px;
}

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Specify a Color for the Shadow

The color parameter defines the color of the shadow.

Example

Specify a color for the shadow:

div {
  box-shadow: 10px 10px lightblue;
}

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Add a Blur Effect to the Shadow

The blur parameter defines the blur radius. The higher the number, the more blurred the shadow will be.

Example

Add a blur effect to the shadow:

div {
  box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px lightblue;
}

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Set the Spread Radius of the Shadow

The spread parameter defines the spread radius. A positive value increases the size of the shadow, a negative value decreases the size of the shadow.

Example

Set the spread radius of the shadow:

div {
  box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px 12px lightblue;
}

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Set the inset Parameter

The inset parameter changes the shadow from an outer shadow (outset) to an inner shadow.

Example

Add the inset parameter:

div {
  box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px lightblue inset;
}

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Add Multiple Shadows

An element can also have multiple shadows:

Example

div {
  box-shadow: 5px 5px blue, 10px 10px red, 15px 15px green;
}

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Cards

You can also use the box-shadow property to create paper-like cards:

Example

div.card {
  width: 250px;
  box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19);
  text-align: center;
}

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CSS Shadow Properties

The following table lists the CSS shadow properties: