CSS text-shadow Property

Last Updated : 22 May, 2026

The text-shadow property in CSS is used to add shadow effects to text, creating depth and visual emphasis. It allows developers to enhance the appearance of text elements with stylish shadow effects.

  • Accepts values for horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, and shadow color.
  • Multiple shadow effects can be applied by separating values with commas.
  • The default value is none, meaning no shadow effect is applied to the text.

Syntax

text-shadow: h-shadow v-shadow blur-radius color | none | initial | inherit;

Property values

Here are the property values for the text-shadow CSS property:

Property Description
h-shadow Defines the horizontal position of the shadow. Negative values move the shadow to the left.
v-shadow Controls the vertical position of the shadow. Negative values move the shadow upwards.
blur-radius Determines the blurriness of the shadow. The default is 0, meaning no blur. Optional.
none No shadow will be applied to the text. This is the default value.
color Specifies the color of the shadow. This value is optional.
initial Resets the text-shadow property to its default value.
inherit Inherits the value of the text-shadow property from its parent element.

CSS text-shadow Property Examples

Example 1: Adding a Simple Shadow

Here, we applies a green text shadow to the <h1> element with a horizontal offset of 5px, vertical offset of 5px, blur radius of 8px, and color #00FF00.

HTML
<!--Driver Code Starts-->
<html>
<head>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

    <style>
        h1 {
            text-shadow: 5px 5px 8px #00FF00;
        }
    </style>

<!--Driver Code Starts-->
</head>
<body>
    <h1> GeeksforGeeks </h1>
</body>
</html>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

Example 2: Creating a Glowing Text Effect

Here, we creates a glowing text effect for <h2> with multiple shadows using text-shadow, styled with contrasting background and padding for visibility.

HTML
<!--Driver Code Starts-->
<html>
<head>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

    <style>
        h2 {
            font-size: 24px;
            text-shadow: 0 0 10px #FFD700, 
                         0 0 20px #FFA500, 
                         0 0 30px #FF6347;
            color: #fff;
            background-color: #333;
            padding: 20px;
        }
    </style>

<!--Driver Code Starts-->
</head>
<body>
    <h2>Glowing Text Effect</h2>
</body>
</html>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

Example 3: Adding Multiple Shadows for Depth

Here, we apply multiple shadows to an <h3> element to create a layered effect, simulating depth. The shadows are offset in different directions and colors.

HTML
<!--Driver Code Starts-->
<html>
<head>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

    <style>
        h3 {
            font-size: 24px;
            text-shadow: 3px 3px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5), 
                         -3px -3px 2px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);
            color: #FF4500;
            background-color: #f0f0f0;
            padding: 10px;
        }
    </style>

<!--Driver Code Starts-->
</head>
<body>
    <h3>Text Shadow with Depth</h3>
</body>
</html>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->
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