Adding images to your website can make it more engaging and interesting to users. By using the CSS background-image property, you can easily add background images in HTML using CSS to enhance the design of your site. Setting a background image in HTML is also a great way to represent your brand and give your site a unique style, like adding a background image for web page header. In this article, we will discuss how to add a background image in HTML using CSS, how to position background images in HTML, and other useful tips and examples to make your website stand out.
Table of Contents:
What is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is defined as the language that is used to structure the content on the webpage. In simple words, it helps in defining the elements of the website, like headings, videos, and links.
Popular Methods to Add a Background Image in HTML
You can change the look of your website by adding background images in HTML to the webpage. There are two popular methods through which you can add background images to the website. Let us discuss each of them one by one:
1. Using the background Attribute in the <body> Tag
It is not recommended to use the background attribute in the <body> tag for adding a background image in HTML to the website because this background attribute is deprecated and does not work properly when used in HTML5.
Example:
Output:
Explanation: In this example, the background attribute of the <body> tag is used to add the HTML background image. The important point is that this method does not work properly in modern browsers and produces repeated images as output.
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2. How to Add Background Images Using Inline CSS in HTML
It is the best way to add background images in HTML using CSS to a website. You can use the “style” attribute directly in HTML Tags to add CSS and background-image to add the background image in HTML. This is particularly useful when you want to quickly style a section, perhaps even for a background image for web page header.
Syntax:
background-image: url("image.jpg");
Example:
Output:
Explanation: In this example, you are adding the background image using inline CSS. This method provides you with more control over the images and background-repeat: no-repeat; makes sure that the images don’t repeat.
How to Control Background Image Behavior with CSS
After adding a background image, the next step is to control its behavior and appearance. For this, various CSS properties for background are there that help you to control the background image behavior. Let us understand each one of them in detail.
1. background-repeat
When you set the background image in HTML and CSS, the browser automatically repeats the image horizontally (left to right) and vertically (top to bottom) to fill the full space. In order to stop this behavior, you have to use the background-repeat property in CSS background. Here are the values of the background-repeat property in CSS.
- repeat (default) – The image repeats in all directions to fill the space.
- no-repeat – The image displays once and doesn’t repeat itself.
- repeat-x – The image repeats only left to right.
- repeat-y – The image repeats only from top to bottom.
Example:
Output:
2. background-size
The background-size property in CSS controls the size of your background image (how small or big it is). It helps you decide whether the image should stretch to fill the space, shrink to fit, or stay at its original size. This will help the developer in making sure that your HTML background image looks good on different screen sizes. Here are the values of the background-size property in CSS.
- cover: It fills the entire container
- contain: Fits the image entirely inside, may leave gaps
Example:
Output:
3. background-position
The background-position property in CSS decides where the background image will appear; you can place the image in the center, at the top-left, bottom-right, or any other corner. This helps you to control the layout and understand how to position background images in HTML. You can set the background position value as center, top, left, bottom, or right.
Example:
Output:
Best Practices for Using Background Images in HTML/CSS
Adding background images can make your website more engaging, but it can slow down the performance of the website if not used properly. Here are some important points that you need to remember while working with the background image in HTML and CSS. These practices apply whether you’re creating a simple or a complex background image for web page header.
- Always use compressed images in formats like .webp, .jpg, or .png to reduce loading time.
- Setting a fallback background color is good practice because it helps you in times when the background image fails to load or takes time.
- Do not use the background attribute in the <body> tag, because it is outdated and does not work properly in modern browsers.
- Use CSS properties for background like background-size: cover; and background-position: center; to make a responsive background image in HTML and CSS. This also helps to understand how to center background image in HTML effectively.
- Name your image files clearly, because this helps in search engine optimization.
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How to Add Full-Screen Background Images in HTML
Adding a full-screen background image in HTML is done by setting the image as a CSS style on the body element, just like this: background-image: url(‘your-image.jpg’). If you want the image to cover the entire screen, use “background-size: cover” and “background-position: center” to keep the image in the center. You can also add “background-repeat: no-repeat,” and “background-attachment: fixed,” if you want the image to stay fixed with a parallax effect (optional). This is responsible for ensuring the image covers the entire viewport on all screen sizes. This also explains how to center background image in HTML for full-screen elements.
Example:
Output:
Explanation: The HTML page sets a full-screen HTML background image on the body element using CSS, making it cover the entire viewport, anchored in the center, and not repeating. The page also uses “background-attachment: fixed” to achieve a parallax effect. The page has a centered heading that shows how it looks on the backdrop image. This example shows how to make a full-screen responsive background image in HTML and CSS, and specifically demonstrates how to center background image in HTML for a body element.
Differences Between CSS background-image and HTML background Attribute
| Aspect |
CSS background-image |
HTML background Attribute |
| Syntax Location |
Defined in CSS (external, internal, or inline styles) |
Added directly to HTML tags (e.g., <body background=”image.jpg”>) |
| Status |
Standard, modern, fully supported |
Deprecated in HTML5, not recommended |
| Elements Supported |
Any HTML element (e.g., body, div, section, etc.) |
Limited mainly to <body> and old table elements |
| Position Control |
Supports background-position for precise placement |
No positioning options |
| Size Control |
Supports background-size for scaling images |
No size control |
| Repeat Control |
Supports background-repeat to tile or not |
No repeat options |
| Multiple Backgrounds |
Allows multiple layered backgrounds |
Cannot use multiple backgrounds |
| Maintainability |
Keeps content (HTML) and presentation (CSS) separate |
Mixes content with styling, harder to maintain |
| Advanced Features |
Supports gradients, overlays, blend modes, etc. |
Not possible |
| Browser Support |
Fully supported by modern browsers |
Obsolete, inconsistent support |
| Best Practice |
Recommended for modern web design |
Should be avoided |
How to Fix Common Background Image Issues in HTML
- Make sure that your image path or URL is correct so the HTML background image appears to users.
- Use “background-size: cover; or background-size: contain;” to ensure your image doesn’t look distorted. This helps in creating a responsive background image in HTML and CSS.
- Add background-repeat:no-repeat; if you want to stop the background image from repeating across the screen.
- Use “background-position: center; “, so your image is centered and looks good on the screen.
- Make your image file size smaller so it loads faster and looks better on your website.
- If your background image disappears when scrolling, look at your CSS for background-attachment or conflicting rules.
- Check your website on different devices and browsers to make sure your background image looks good everywhere.
Conclusion
Adding background images is a simple and powerful way to enhance the website’s look. It is important to know how to add a background image in HTML using CSS properly because it helps in making the webpage fast and good for SEO. Follow the best practices discussed above to create efficient websites.
HTML Background Images – FAQs
Q1. How do I add a background image in HTML using CSS?
Add a background image by using CSS: background-image: url(‘your-image.jpg’); on the desired element.
Q2. How to get the image URL?
You can get the image URL by doing a right-click on the image, then selecting the “Copy image address” option.
Q3. What is CSS?
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheet. It is the language used to style your HTML elements.
Q4. How to link CSS to HTML?
You can link your CSS file to the HTML by using the <link> tag inside the <head> section of your HTML.
Q5. How to make a table in HTML?
You can use the <table> tag along with <tr>(table row), <th> (table header), and <td> (table data) to create a table in HTML.
Q6. Can I add a full-screen background image in HTML?
Yes, by setting background-size: cover; on the body or desired element, you can add a full-screen background image in HTML.
Q7. Why is my background image not showing in HTML?
The image path may be wrong, or there could be CSS errors preventing it from loading.
Q8. What is the difference between
![]()
and background-image in HTML?
![]()
inserts images as content, while background-image sets images as element backgrounds in CSS.
Q9. How to prevent background image repetition in HTML?
Add background-repeat: no-repeat; to your CSS rule.
Q10. Which image formats are best for background images?
Use optimized JPEG for photos, PNG for transparent images, or WebP for better compression.