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::first-line

The ::first-line CSS pseudo-element applies styles to the first line of a block-level element.

Try it

The effects of ::first-line are limited by the length and content of the first line of text in the element. The length of the first line depends on many factors, including the width of the element, the width of the document, and the font size of the text. ::first-line has no effect when the first child of the element, which would be the first part of the first line, is an inline block-level element, such as an inline table.

Note: Selectors Level 3 introduced the double-colon notation (::) to distinguish pseudo-classes from pseudo-elements, which are single-colon :. Browsers accept both ::first-line and :first-line, which was introduced in CSS2.

For the purposes of CSS background, the ::first-line pseudo-element is like an inline-level element meaning that in a left-justified first line, the background may not extend all the way to the right margin.

Allowable properties

Only a small subset of CSS properties can be used with the ::first-line pseudo-element:

All font-related properties: font, font-kerning, font-style, font-variant, font-variant-numeric, font-variant-position, font-variant-east-asian, font-variant-caps, font-variant-alternates, font-variant-ligatures, font-synthesis, font-feature-settings, font-language-override, font-weight, font-size, font-size-adjust, font-stretch, and font-family
All background-related properties: background-color, background-clip, background-image, background-origin, background-position, background-repeat, background-size, background-attachment, and background-blend-mode
The color property
word-spacing, letter-spacing, text-decoration, text-transform, and line-height
text-shadow, text-decoration, text-decoration-color, text-decoration-line, text-decoration-style, and vertical-align.

Syntax

::first-line {
  /* ... */
}

Examples

HTML

<p>
  Styles will only be applied to the first line of this paragraph. After that,
  all text will be styled like normal. See what I mean?
</p>

<span>
  The first line of this text will not receive special styling because it is not
  a block-level element.
</span>

CSS

::first-line {
  color: blue;
  text-transform: uppercase;

  /* WARNING: DO NOT USE THESE */
  /* Many properties are invalid in ::first-line pseudo-elements */
  margin-left: 20px;
  text-indent: 20px;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
CSS Pseudo-Elements Module Level 4 # first-line-pseudo

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`::first-line`	1 Before Chrome 62, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669. 1 Before Chrome 62, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669.	1212	11	95.5	7 From Opera 15 to Opera 49 (exclusive), the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669. 3.5 From Opera 15 to Opera 49 (exclusive), the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669.	1 The `text-transform` property does not work for `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See WebKit bug 3409. 1 The `text-transform` property does not work for `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See WebKit bug 3409.	≤37 Before WebView 62, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669. ≤37 Before WebView 62, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669.	18 Before Chrome 62, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669. 18 Before Chrome 62, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669.	44	10.1 From Opera 15 to Opera 49 (exclusive), the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669. 10.1 From Opera 15 to Opera 49 (exclusive), the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669.	1 The `text-transform` property does not work for `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See WebKit bug 3409. 1 The `text-transform` property does not work for `::first-line` or `:first-line` pseudo-elements. See WebKit bug 3409.	1.0 Before Samsung Internet 8.0, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669. 1.0 Before Samsung Internet 8.0, the `text-transform` property does not work on `::first-line` pseudo-elements. See Chromium bug 129669.