totn CSS

CSS :last-child selector

This CSS tutorial explains how to use the CSS selector called :last-child with syntax and examples.

Description

The CSS :last-child selector allows you to target an element that is the last child element within its parent.

Syntax

The syntax for the :active CSS selector is:

element:last-child { style_properties }

Parameters or Arguments

element
The last of that type of element within its parent.
style_properties
The CSS styles to apply to the last child element.

Note

Browser Compatibility

The CSS :last-child selector has basic support with the following browsers:

  • Chrome
  • Android
  • Firefox (Gecko)
  • Firefox Mobile (Gecko)
  • Internet Explorer 7+ (IE 7+)
  • IE Phone 7+
  • Opera 9.5+
  • Opera Mobile 10+
  • Safari (WebKit)
  • Safari Mobile

Example

We will discuss the :last-child selector below, exploring examples of how to use this selector in CSS to apply styling to the last element.

With <span> tag

Let's look at a CSS :last-child example where we apply the :last-child selector to a <span> tag.

The CSS would look like this:

span:last-child { color: red; font-weight: bold; }

The HTML would look like this:

<div>
  <p>Here are 2 sites: <span>techonthenet.com</span> and <span>checkyourmath.com</span>.</p>
</div>

The result would look like this (The :last-child selector would style the <span> tags as follows):

CSS

In this CSS :last-child example, the text "checkyourmath.com" that is within the last <span> tag will display as red, bolded text. The text within the first <span> tag will not be styled by the :last-child selector.

With <p> tag

Let's look at a CSS :last-child example where we apply the :last-child selector to a <p> tag.

The CSS would look like this:

p:last-child { color: blue; }

The HTML would look like this:

<div>
  <p>This is the first paragraph written by techonthenet.com.</p>
  <p>This is the last paragraph written by techonthenet.com.</p>
</div>

The result would look like this (The :last-child selector would style the <p> tags as follows):

CSS

In this CSS :last-child example, the color of the text within the last <p> tag will display as blue. The first <p> tag will not be styled by the :last-child selector.

With <tr> tag

Let's look at a CSS :last-child example where we apply the :last-child selector to a <tr> tag.

The CSS would look like this:

tr:last-child { background: yellow; }

The HTML would look like this:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Column 1 Heading</th>
    <th>Column 2 Heading</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>techonthenet.com</td>
    <td>Technical reference site</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>checkyourmath.com</td>
    <td>Math calculation site</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>bigactivities.com</td>
    <td>Kids activity site</td>
  </tr>
</table>

The result would look like this (The :last-child selector would style the <tr> tags as follows):

CSS

In this CSS :last-child example, the last row (ie: the last <tr> tag) will have a yellow background color. All other rows in the table will not be styled by the :last-child selector.