CSS ::placeholder Pseudo Element
The `::placeholder` pseudo-element is used to style the placeholder text of form elements. The `::placeholder` selector applies only to <input> and <textarea> elements that have a placeholder attribute. By default, the appearance of placeholder text is a semi-transparent or light gray color in most browsers.
The placeholder text is set with the placeholder attribute, which specifies a hint that describes the expected value of an input field.
INFO
Vendor prefixes (-webkit-, -moz-, -ms-) are legacy and unnecessary for modern browsers. The standard `::placeholder` selector is supported everywhere.
Version
Syntax
CSS ::placeholder syntax example
::placeholder {
css declarations;
}Example of the ::placeholder selector:
CSS ::placeholder example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
<style>
input::placeholder {
color: #1c87c9;
font-size: 1.2em;
font-style: italic;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>::placeholder selector example</h2>
<input placeholder="Type here..." />
</body>
</html>Example of the ::placeholder selector used in form:
CSS ::placeholder code example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
<style>
* {
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.container {
margin: 20px auto;
max-width: 250px;
background-color: #8ebf42;
padding: 20px;
}
input {
border: 1px solid #666666;
background-color: #eeeeee;
padding: 15px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
display: block;
width: 100%;
}
input::-webkit-input-placeholder {
color: #666666;
}
input::-moz-placeholder {
color: #666666;
}
input:-ms-input-placeholder {
color: #666666;
}
input::placeholder {
color: #666666;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>::placeholder selector example</h2>
<div class="container">
<form>
<input type="text" placeholder="Lorem ipsum is simply..." />
<input type="date" placeholder="DD/MM/YYYY" />
</form>
</div>
</body>
</html>Example of the ::placeholder selector with the HTML <input> autofocus attribute:
HTML example of placeholder
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title of the document</title>
<style>
label {
display: block;
color: #777777;
margin: 0 0 4px;
}
input {
border: 1px solid transparent;
padding: 15px;
font-size: 1.2em;
outline: 0;
}
input::placeholder {
color: #8ebf42;
}
label,
input {
font-family: sans-serif;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>::placeholder selector example</h2>
<form action="#">
<div>
<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input id="name" name="name" type="text" placeholder="Enter your name here" autofocus />
</div>
</form>
</body>
</html>Practice
What does the ::placeholder pseudo-element in CSS entail?