Difference between focus within and focus visible. The three focus pseudo-classes we’ll consider give straightforward solutions, from overcoming keyboard navigation issues to fine-tuning interactions within nested items. What is :focus-visible? :focus-visible works just like :focus, but it only applies focus indicator styles to an element when it receives keyboard focus. Aug 8, 2023 · In general, :focus-within() is faster than :has(:focus), though the difference may not be critical. We’ll review practical examples Aug 1, 2023 · We can explain that since the input field always needs a visible focus indicator for the user to focus (clicking the element to start typing), our input satisfies both conditions for focus-visible (and indeed, for focus), hence the applied styles. May 2, 2021 · :focus-visible Triggered by User-Agent on elements having :focus selector based on some heuristics that determine which one of the active elements should receive focus. See full list on pawelgrzybek. Apr 23, 2023 · On this page The CSS pseudo-classes :focus, :focus-visible, and :focus-within all target elements that are currently in focus, but the difference between them can be confusing. com Mar 13, 2025 · In this blog we learn about css focus pseudo classes, the differences between :focus :focus-visible and :focus-within are subtle but important for a user friendly experience in your website. (Many browsers show a "focus ring" by default in this case. Users who aren’t using a keyboard won’t even know it’s there! Jun 20, 2025 · The difference between :focus and :focus-visible may seem subtle, but it plays a huge role in creating user-friendly, accessible, and polished web experiences. ) Nov 8, 2024 · But the well-known :focus pseudo-class is not always the best fit for this job. What is the :focus Pseudo-Class? Dec 14, 2023 · This is where CSS pseudo-classes such as :focus, :focus-within, and :focus-visible come into play. Use :focus-visible like a polite tour guide — it shows users where they are only when they need to know. That's where :focus-visible comes in. Let's look at the differences between these two pseudo-classes and explore the best practices for using them effectively. In this post, we'll examine the difference between focus and focus-within. This selector is mostly useful to provide a different focus indicator based on the user’s input modality (mouse vs. This can be used with :focus to create different focus styles for keyboard focus and mouse/touch focus. Let's take a closer look at these focus pseudo-classes and explore the differences between them, and find out how you can style elements the way you want in all scenarios. . keyboard). Understand the difference between the three seemingly similar pseudo-classes in CSS: :focus, :focus-visible, and :focus-within. Jan 14, 2015 · Choose the right pseudo-class for your needs. Below are the screenshots of performance tests for both pseudo-classes when adding to the same element li within a list: With :focus-within pseudo-class With :has(:focus) pseudo-class Definition and Usage The CSS :focus-visible pseudo-class is used to apply focus styles only when the keyboard is used to focus something, not the mouse. This tutorial aims to shed light on the importance of the focus state in web development. Jul 14, 2025 · The :focus-visible pseudo-class applies while an element matches the :focus pseudo-class and the UA (User Agent) determines via heuristics that the focus should be made evident on the element. Now, the focus indicator will only be visible to users navigating with a keyboard or keyboard-like assistive technology. mq7 rtk cenmff2 thg0n ywtb4 scndh r2 7bhd2 eo6 wvz