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The CSS keyword inherit sets a property on an element to the computed value of that same property on its parent in the document tree. It works whether the property normally inherits by default or not. For example, it can explicitly copy a parent’s border to a child, even though borders do not normally inherit.
What does inherit mean in CSS?
Use inherit as a property value when you want an element to use its parent element’s computed value for that property:
.parent {
color: rebeccapurple;
}
.child {
color: inherit;
}The .child element gets the computed color of its parent. The rule applies to that property only; it does not copy all of the parent’s styles.
“Parent” means the element’s parent in the document tree, not whichever element happens to contain it visually. If the element with inherit is the root element, there is no parent to inherit from, so the value resolves to that property’s initial value.
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When should you use inherit?
For a property that already inherits by default
Some properties, including color, normally inherit when no value is specified on the child. In those cases, color: inherit often produces the same result as leaving color unspecified. It can still be useful when you need to override another declaration on the child and explicitly request the parent’s value.
For a property that does not normally inherit
Many properties do not inherit by default. A child normally does not get its parent’s border, for example. You can request that behavior explicitly:
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.parent {
border: 1px solid;
}
.child {
border: inherit;
}Now the child’s border takes the parent’s computed border value. To check a property’s default behavior, consult its reference entry and look for whether it is inherited; do not assume every property follows the same rule.
How inherit differs from other CSS-wide keywords
These keywords are values you can use with CSS properties to control how a value is determined. Their effect is not the same:
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| Keyword | What it does |
|---|---|
inherit |
Uses the parent’s computed value for this property. |
initial |
Uses the property’s initial value. |
unset |
Acts like inherit for a property that normally inherits; otherwise acts like initial. |
revert |
Rolls the value back to one from an earlier cascade origin. |
revert-layer |
Rolls the value back to one from an earlier cascade layer. |
The key distinction is that inherit always requests the parent’s value. unset depends on whether the property normally inherits. For a normally inherited property, the two behave alike; for a normally non-inherited property, unset behaves like initial instead.
Why all: inherit can change layout
The all property lets you apply a CSS-wide keyword broadly. With all: inherit, the element inherits the parent’s value for many properties, not just text styling. That includes display, so an inline child of a paragraph could inherit the paragraph’s block-level display value and affect layout.
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p {
display: block;
}
p span {
all: inherit;
}Use all: inherit only when broad inheritance is intentional. If you want to inherit one value, name that property instead, such as color: inherit or font-weight: inherit.
How shorthand properties interact with inheritance
Leaving a component out of a shorthand does not make that component inherit. Omitted components receive their initial values. To inherit one component, set its longhand property explicitly:
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.child {
border-width: inherit;
}This requests inheritance for border-width without using the border shorthand to set other border components.
Troubleshooting unexpected results
- The child does not match the parent. Check that the element is actually a child of the intended element in the document tree, and that the rule targets the property you mean.
inheritreads that property from the parent; it does not search nearby elements for a value. unsetdid not copy the parent’s value. Check whether the property normally inherits. For a non-inherited property,unsetacts likeinitial; useinheritwhen you specifically want the parent’s computed value.- A shorthand did not preserve one parent value. Shorthand omissions use initial values. Set the relevant longhand to
inherit. - A broad reset changed layout. If you used
all: inherit, inspect properties such asdisplay. Replace the broad rule with inheritance on only the properties you intend to copy. - The root element has no parent value to use. On the root,
inheritresolves to the property’s initial value.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does `inherit` work with custom properties?
Yes. CSS-wide keywords, including `inherit`, can be used with custom properties.
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