background-position

The background-position CSS property sets the initial position for each defined background image, relative to the background position layer defined by background-origin.

/* Keyword values */
background-position: top;
background-position: bottom;
background-position: left;
background-position: right;
background-position: center;

/* <percentage> values */
background-position: 25% 75%;

/* <length> values */
background-position: 0 0;
background-position: 1cm 2cm;
background-position: 10ch 8em;

/* Multiple images */
background-position: 0 0, center;

/* Edge offsets values */
background-position: bottom 10px right 20px;
background-position: right 3em bottom 10px;
background-position: bottom 10px right;
background-position: top right 10px;

/* Global values */
background-position: inherit;
background-position: initial;
background-position: unset;

<div class="container">
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: top;">top</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: left;">left</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: 2em;">2em</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: 75%">75%</div>
</div>

<div class="container">
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: bottom left;">bottom left</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: right 25%;">right 25%</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: 4em 2em;">4em 2em</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: 3em 75%">3em 75%</div>
</div>

<div class="container">
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: bottom 10px right 30px;">bottom 10px right 30px</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: right 3em top 10px;">right 3em top 10px</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: bottom 20px right;">bottom 20px right</div>
  <div class="subcontainer" style="background-position: top right 3em;">top right 3em</div>
</div>

.container {
  display: flex;
  height: 150px;
  justify-content: space-around;
  margin: 0.2em;
}

.subcontainer {
  width: 150px;
  margin: 2px;
  padding: 5px;
  font-family: monospace;
  border: solid #112382;
  background-color: #E5E8FC;
  background-image: url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/15193/star.png");
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

Syntax

The background-position property is specified as one or more <position> values, separated by commas.

Values

<position>

A <position>. A position defines an XY coordinate, to place an item relative to the edges of an element's box. It can be defined using one or two values.

1-value syntax: the value may be:

• the keyword value center, which centers the image.
• one of the keyword values top, left, bottom, right. This specifies an edge against which to place the item. The other dimension is then set to 50%, so the item is placed in the middle of the edge specified.
• a <length> or <percentage>. This specifies the X coordinate relative to the left edge, with the Y coordinate set to 50%.

2-value syntax: one value defines X and the other defines Y. Each value may be:

• one of the keyword values top, left, bottom, right. If left or right are given here, then this defines X and the other given value defines Y. If top or bottom are given, then this defines Y and the other value defines X.
• a <length> or <percentage>. If the other value is left or right, then this value defines Y, relative to the top edge. If the other value is top or bottom, then this value defines X, relative to the left edge. If both values are <length> or <percentage> values, then the first defines X and the second Y.

Note that:

• If one value is top or bottom, then the other value may not be top or bottom.
• If one value is left or right, then the other value may not be left or right.

This means that "top top" and "left right" are not valid.

Formal syntax

<position>#
where 
<position> = [[ left | center | right | top | bottom | <length-percentage> ] | [ left | center | right | <length-percentage> ] [ top | center | bottom | <length-percentage> ] | [ center | [ left | right ] <length-percentage>? ] && [ center | [ top | bottom ] <length-percentage>? ]]
where 
<length-percentage> = <length> | <percentage>

Examples

Each of these three examples uses CSS background to create a yellow, rectangular element that contains a star image. In each example, the star image is in a different position. In addition, the third example illustrates how to specify positions for two different background images within one element.

HTML

<div class="exampleone">Example One</div>
<div class="exampletwo">Example Two</div>
<div class="examplethree">Example Three</div>

CSS

/* Shared among all DIVS */
div {
  background-color: #FFEE99;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  width: 300px;
  height: 80px;
  margin-bottom: 12px;
}

/* background-position examples */

/* These examples use the background shorthand CSS property */
.exampleone {
  background: url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/11987/startransparent.gif") #FFEE99 2.5cm bottom no-repeat;
}
.exampletwo {
  background: url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/11987/startransparent.gif") #FFEE99 3em 50% no-repeat;
}

/*
Multiple background images: Each image is matched with the
corresponding position style, from first specified to last.
*/
.examplethree {
  background-image:    url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/11987/startransparent.gif"), 
                       url("https://mdn.mozillademos.org/files/7693/catfront.png");
  background-position: 0px 0px,
                       center;
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

Quantum CSS notes

• Gecko has a bug meaning that background-position can't be transitioned between two values containing different numbers of <position> values, for example background-position: 10px 10px; and background-position: 20px 20px, 30px 30px; (see bug 1390446). Firefox's new parallel CSS engine (also known as Quantum CSS or Stylo, planned for release in Firefox 57) fixes this.

See also

• Multiple backgrounds