About the CSS Validator playground

The CSS Validator checks your stylesheets for syntax errors, unknown properties, invalid values, and malformed rules. Paste your CSS and the tool parses it in your browser, pointing out problems such as missing semicolons, unbalanced braces, misspelled property names, and values that don't match a property's expected type. Catching these issues early prevents styles from silently failing, where a single bad declaration causes a browser to skip the rest of a rule and leaves your layout looking broken.

CSS validation verifies that style rules follow the grammar defined by the W3C CSS specifications. Each rule consists of selectors and a declaration block of property/value pairs, and validators confirm that property names exist, values are well-formed, and the overall structure is correct. Because browsers ignore declarations they cannot parse without raising visible errors, invalid CSS can fail quietly. Validation surfaces those silent failures so you can fix typos and incorrect values rather than hunting for why a style isn't applying.

HostedCSS Validator runtime
mainentry file
single fileworkspace
stdinprogram input

How it works

1

Write

The main file is the entry point for each run.

2

Give it input

Use the Input panel to pipe standard input to your program when it needs data.

3

Run

Run sends your code to a fresh hosted runtime and streams the result into the output panel.

4

Keep or share

Your draft stays in this browser, and Share creates a separate snapshot link.

Valid CSS rule

.card {
  display: flex;
  padding: 16px;
  color: #333;
}

Result: No errors. All properties and values are valid.

Invalid: missing semicolon

.btn {
  color: red
  background: blue;
}

Result: Error — the declaration "color: red" is missing a semicolon, causing the parser to merge it with the next line.

Invalid: unknown property

.box {
  colour: green;
}

Result: Error — "colour" is not a recognized property (the correct spelling is "color").

Invalid: bad value

.item {
  width: 100pixels;
}

Result: Error — "100pixels" is not a valid length; use a valid unit such as "100px" or "100%".

Invalid: unbalanced braces

.nav {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;

Result: Error — the rule block is never closed; a matching "}" is missing.

Valid: media query and variables

:root {
  --gap: 8px;
}
@media (max-width: 600px) {
  .row { gap: var(--gap); }
}

Result: No errors. Custom properties and the @media at-rule are valid CSS.

Invalid: missing unit on length

.hero {
  margin-top: 20;
}

Result: Error — a nonzero length needs a unit; use "20px" (only 0 may be unitless).

Valid: grid, transition, calc

.layout {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
  gap: calc(1rem + 4px);
  transition: opacity 0.3s ease-in-out;
}

Result: No errors. The grid, calc(), and transition shorthand values are all valid.

Invalid: bad hex color

.tag {
  color: #12345;
}

Result: Error — a hex color needs 3, 4, 6, or 8 digits; "#12345" has 5 and is invalid.

How it works

The editor uses Monaco, the engine behind VS Code, with language-aware editing tools and familiar keyboard controls.

How it works

Paste a stylesheet into the validator

It parses the CSS in your browser against W3C grammar

It points out the rule and declaration that fail

Issues it flags

Missing semicolons and unbalanced braces

Misspelled or unknown property names

Values that don't match a property's expected type

Privacy

Validation runs entirely in your browser

Your CSS is never uploaded or stored on a server

Why it matters

Browsers skip declarations they can't parse without visible errors

Surfaces silent failures so you can find why a style isn't applying

Every shortcut, searchable:

Editing

Undo
Ctrl+Z
Redo
Ctrl+⇧+Z
Select next occurrence
Ctrl+D
Delete line
Ctrl+⇧+K
Move line up / down
Alt+↑ / ↓
Copy line up / down
Alt+⇧+↑ / ↓
Toggle comment
Ctrl+/
Indent line
Ctrl+]
Outdent line
Ctrl+[

Navigation

Find
Ctrl+F
Find & replace
Ctrl+H
Go to line
Ctrl+G
Go to symbol
Ctrl+⇧+O

Selection

Select all
Ctrl+A
Select line
Ctrl+L
Select all occurrences
Ctrl+⇧+L
Shortcuts follow your OS — ⌘ becomes Ctrl on Windows and Linux.
It parses your CSS and reports syntax errors, unbalanced braces, missing semicolons, unknown properties, and invalid values so you can fix stylesheets that fail silently in the browser.
No. Validation happens entirely in your browser. Your stylesheet is never transmitted to a server, so private styles stay local.
Yes. The CSS Validator is free to use with no account or limits.
Paste your CSS into the input area. The tool checks it as you go and lists any errors or warnings with the relevant location.
Browsers silently drop declarations they cannot parse. A single invalid value or typo can cause the whole declaration to be ignored, which is exactly what validation reveals.
Input
Issues

No input to validate

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