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@media

{{CSSRef}} 

The @media CSS at-rule can be used to apply part of a style sheet based on the result of one or more media queries. With it, you specify a media query and a block of CSS to apply to the document if and only if the media query matches the device on which the content is being used.

[!NOTE] In JavaScript, the rules created using @media can be accessed with the {{domxref("CSSMediaRule")}}  CSS object model interface.

{{EmbedInteractiveExample("pages/tabbed/at-rule-media.html", "tabbed-standard")}} 

Syntax

The @media at-rule may be placed at the top level of your code or nested inside any other conditional group at-rule.

/* At the top level of your code */
@media screen and (min-width: 900px) {
  article {
    padding: 1rem 3rem;
  }
}

/* Nested within another conditional at-rule */
@supports (display: flex) {
  @media screen and (min-width: 900px) {
    article {
      display: flex;
    }
  }
}

For a discussion of media query syntax, please see Using media queries.

Description

A media query’s <media-query-list> includes <media-type>s, <media-feature>s, and logical operators.

Media types

A <media-type> describes the general category of a device. Except when using the only logical operator, the media type is optional and the all type is implied.

[!NOTE] CSS2.1 and Media Queries 3 defined several additional media types (tty, tv, projection, handheld, braille, embossed, and aural), but they were deprecated in Media Queries 4 and shouldn’t be used.

Media features

A <media feature> describes specific characteristics of the {{glossary("user agent")}} , output device, or environment. Media feature expressions test for their presence, value, or range of values, and are entirely optional. Each media feature expression must be surrounded by parentheses.

Logical operators

The logical operators not, and, only, and or can be used to compose a complex media query. You can also combine multiple media queries into a single rule by separating them with commas.

User agent client hints

Some media queries have corresponding user agent client hints. These are HTTP headers that request content that is pre-optimized for the particular media requirement. They include {{HTTPHeader("Sec-CH-Prefers-Color-Scheme")}}  and {{HTTPHeader("Sec-CH-Prefers-Reduced-Motion")}} .

Formal syntax

{{csssyntax}} 

Accessibility

To best accommodate people who adjust a site’s text size, use ems when you need a {{cssxref("&lt;length&gt;")}}  for your media queries.

Both em and px are valid units, but em works better if the user changes the browser text size.

Also consider media queries or HTTP user agent client hints to improve the user’s experience. For example, the media query prefers-reduced-motion or the equivalent HTTP header {{HTTPHeader("Sec-CH-Prefers-Reduced-Motion")}} ) can be used to minimize the amount of animation or motion used based on user preferences.

Security

Because media queries provide insights into the capabilities—and by extension, the features and design—of the device the user is working with, there is the potential that they could be abused to construct a “fingerprint” which identifies the device, or at least categorizes it to some degree of detail that may be undesirable to users.

Because of this potential, a browser may opt to fudge the returned values in some manner in order to prevent them from being used to precisely identify a computer. A browser might also offer additional measures in this area; for example, if Firefox’s “Resist Fingerprinting” setting is enabled, many media queries report default values rather than values representing the actual device state.

Examples

Testing for print and screen media types

@media print {
  body {
    font-size: 10pt;
  }
}

@media screen {
  body {
    font-size: 13px;
  }
}

@media screen, print {
  body {
    line-height: 1.2;
  }
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 320px) and (max-width: 480px) and (resolution: 150dpi) {
  body {
    line-height: 1.4;
  }
}

The range syntax allows for less verbose media queries when testing for any feature accepting a range, as shown in the below examples:

@media (height > 600px) {
  body {
    line-height: 1.4;
  }
}

@media (400px <= width <= 700px) {
  body {
    line-height: 1.4;
  }
}

For more examples, please see Using media queries.

Specifications

{{Specifications}} 

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}} 

See also

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