`:hover` CSS pseudo-class

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It's been available across browsers since July 2015.

The :hover CSS pseudo-class matches an element when a user interacts with it using a pointing device. The pseudo-class is generally triggered when the user moves the cursor (mouse pointer) over an element without pressing the mouse button.

Try it

.joinBtn {
  width: 10em;
  height: 5ex;
  background-color: gold;
  border: 2px solid firebrick;
  border-radius: 10px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: black;
  cursor: pointer;
}

.joinBtn:hover {
  background-color: bisque;
}

<p>Would you like to join our quest?</p>
<button class="joinBtn">Confirm</button>

Styles defined by the :hover pseudo-class will be overridden by any subsequent link-related pseudo-class (:link, :visited, or :active) that has at least equal specificity. To style links appropriately, put the :hover rule after the :link and :visited rules but before the :active one, as defined by the LVHA-order: :link — :visited — :hover — :active.

Note: The :hover pseudo-class is problematic on touchscreens. Depending on the browser, the :hover pseudo-class might never match, match only for a moment after touching an element, or continue to match even after the user has stopped touching and until the user touches another element. Web developers should make sure that content is accessible on devices with limited or non-existent hovering capabilities.

Syntax

:hover {
  /* ... */
}

Examples

Basic example

HTML

<a href="#">Try hovering over this link.</a>

CSS

a {
  background-color: powderblue;
  transition: background-color 0.5s;
}

a:hover {
  background-color: gold;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
HTML # selector-hover
Selectors Level 4 # hover-pseudo

Browser compatibility

	Desktop					Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Opera	Safari	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet	WebView Android	WebView on iOS
`hover`	1	12	1	4	2	18	4	10.1	1 As of Safari for iOS 7.1.2, tapping a clickable element causes the element to enter the `:hover` state. The element will remain in the `:hover` state until a different element has entered the `:hover` state.	1.0	4.4	1 As of Safari for iOS 7.1.2, tapping a clickable element causes the element to enter the `:hover` state. The element will remain in the `:hover` state until a different element has entered the `:hover` state.
`a_elements`	1	12	1	4	2	18	4	10.1	1	1.0	37	1
`all_elements`	1	12 In Edge, hovering over an element and then scrolling up or down without moving the pointer will leave the element in the `:hover` state until the pointer is moved.	1	7	2	18	4	10.1	1	1.0	37	1
`top-layer_ancestor_matching_boundary`	149	149	No	133	No	149	No	100	No	No	149	No