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CSS Box Shadow

CSS Box Shadow

The CSS box-shadow property is used to apply one or more shadows to an element.

Specify a Horizontal and a Vertical Shadow

In its simplest use, you only specify a horizontal and a vertical shadow. The default color of the shadow is the current text-color.

div {  
box-shadow: 10px 10px;
}

Example box shadow

Common cases

Specify a Color for the Shadow

The color parameter defines the color of the shadow.

div {  
box-shadow: 10px 10px lightblue;
}

Example box shadow with lightblue shadow

Add a Blur Effect to the Shadow

The blur parameter defines the blur radius. The higher the number, the more blurred the shadow will be.

div {  
box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px lightblue;
}

Example box shadow with blur

Set the Spread Radius of the Shadow

The spread parameter defines the spread radius. A positive value increases the size of the shadow, a negative value decreases the size of the shadow.

div {  
box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px 12px lightblue;
}

Example box shadow with spread radius

Set the inset Parameter

The inset parameter changes the shadow from an outer shadow (outset) to an inner shadow.

div {  
box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px lightblue inset;
}

Example box shadow with inset

Add Multiple Shadows

An element can also have multiple shadows:

div {  
box-shadow: 5px 5px blue, 10px 10px red, 15px 15px green;
}

Example box shadow with multiple shadows

Cards

You can also use the box-shadow property to create paper-like cards.

div.card {
box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19);
}

Example box shadow card