prefers-contrast CSS media feature

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since May 2022.

The prefers-contrast CSS media feature is used to detect whether the user has requested the web content to be presented with a lower or higher contrast.

Syntax

no-preference

Indicates that the user has made no preference known to the system. This keyword value evaluates as false in the Boolean context.

more

Indicates that user has notified the system that they prefer an interface that has a higher level of contrast.

less

Indicates that user has notified the system that they prefer an interface that has a lower level of contrast.

custom

Indicates that user has notified the system for using a specific set of colors, and the contrast implied by these colors matches neither more nor less. This value will match the color palette specified by users of forced-colors: active.

User preferences

Various operating systems do support such preferences and user agents are likely to rely on the settings provided by the operating system.

Examples

This example includes a box with a dashed outline set on it by default. When the prefers-contrast: more media query matches, the applied outline is given a higher contrast solid style instead.

HTML

html
<div class="contrast">low contrast box</div>

CSS

css
.contrast {
  margin: 5px;
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  outline: 2px dashed black;
}

@media (prefers-contrast: more) {
  .contrast {
    outline: 2px solid black;
  }
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
Media Queries Level 5
# prefers-contrast

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
prefers-contrast media feature
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 96 (Release date: 2021-11-15)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 96 (Release date: 2021-11-19)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 101 (Release date: 2022-05-31)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 82 (Release date: 2021-12-02)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 14.1 (Release date: 2021-04-26)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 96 (Release date: 2021-11-15)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 101 (Release date: 2022-05-31)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – No support
Opera Android
footnote No support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 14.5 (Release date: 2021-04-26)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 17 (Release date: 2022-05-04)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 96 (Release date: 2021-11-15)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 14.5 (Release date: 2021-04-26)
footnote Full support

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support
No support
No support

See also