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How do I change the background color position in CSS?

Published in CSS Styling 3 mins read

You can't directly control the "position" of a background color in CSS. The background color always fills the entire background area. However, if you're asking about the background image position, here's how to change it using the background-position property:

Understanding background-position

The background-position CSS property sets the initial position for the background image. You can specify it using:

  • Keywords: top, bottom, left, right, center
  • Length values: Pixels (px), ems (em), etc.
  • Percentage values: Relative to the size of the element.

Basic Syntax

element {
  background-image: url("image.jpg"); /* Required for image to show */
  background-position: <value>;
}

Examples

Here are a few common examples of how to use background-position:

  • Centering the image:

    div {
  background-image: url("myimage.png");
  background-position: center; /* Centers both horizontally and vertically */
  background-repeat: no-repeat; /* Prevents tiling */
}

  • Positioning at the top right:

    div {
  background-image: url("myimage.png");
  background-position: top right;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

  • Positioning with specific coordinates (pixels):

    div {
  background-image: url("myimage.png");
  background-position: 20px 50px; /* 20px from left, 50px from top */
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

  • Positioning with percentage values:

    div {
  background-image: url("myimage.png");
  background-position: 25% 75%; /* 25% from left, 75% from top */
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

Two-Value Syntax

You can use two values to specify the horizontal and vertical position separately:

  • background-position: horizontal vertical;

    For example:

    • background-position: left top;
    • background-position: 50% 20px;
    • background-position: right 10px;

Using background-position with other background properties:

It's usually necessary to use background-repeat: no-repeat; along with background-position to prevent the image from tiling and to ensure that only one instance of the image is displayed at the specified position.

Important Considerations:

  • Image Size: The size of your background image relative to the element it's applied to will significantly impact how the background-position is perceived.
  • Background Size: Use the background-size property to control the size of the background image itself (e.g., cover, contain, or specific dimensions). This often works in conjunction with background-position.

In summary, while you can't position a background color, the background-position property allows you to precisely control the placement of background images within an element. Remember to use background-repeat: no-repeat and consider background-size for optimal control over the image's appearance.

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