CSS Links

Subject: css

CSS Links

CSS Links allow you to style anchor (<a>) elements on a web page. By default, links are blue and underlined, but CSS offers complete control over their appearance, including color, decoration, hover effects, and more to improve design and usability.

Link States in CSS

Links can exist in four states, and CSS provides pseudo-classes to style each:

  • a:link — default state of an unvisited link
  • a:visited — link the user has already visited
  • a:hover — when the user hovers over the link
  • a:active — while the link is being clicked

Order Matters: Always use this order to avoid style conflicts:

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Example: Styling All Link States

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Removing Underline from Links

To remove the underline from all links:

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To show underline only on hover:

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Opening Links in New Tabs

Use the target="_blank" attribute to open a link in a new tab:

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Styling Buttons as Links

You can make an anchor tag look like a button using CSS:

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Example:

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Key Takeaways

  • Use a:link, a:visited, a:hover, and a:active to style each link state.
  • Use text-decoration: none to remove default underlines.
  • Always maintain good contrast and readability for accessibility.
  • Use hover styles to provide interactive feedback.
  • You can style links to appear as buttons for UI consistency.
Next: CSS Icons