:link

The :link CSS pseudo-class represents an element that has not yet been visited. It matches every unvisited <a> or <area> element that has an href attribute.

Try it

Styles defined by the :link and :visited pseudo-classes can be overridden by any subsequent user-action pseudo-classes (:hover or :active) that have at least equal specificity. To style links appropriately, put the :link rule before all other link-related rules, as defined by the LVHA-order: :link — :visited — :hover — :active. The :visited pseudo-class and :link pseudo-class are mutually exclusive.

Note: Use :any-link to select an element independent of whether it has been visited or not.

Syntax

css
:link {
  /* ... */
}

Examples

By default, most browsers apply a special color value to visited links. Thus, the links in this example will probably have special font colors only before you visit them. (After that, you'll need to clear your browser history to see them again.) However, the background-color values are likely to remain, as most browsers do not set that property on visited links by default.

HTML

html
<a href="#ordinary-target">This is an ordinary link.</a><br />
<a href="">You've already visited this link.</a><br />
<a>Placeholder link (won't get styled)</a>

CSS

css
a:link {
  background-color: gold;
  color: green;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
HTML Standard
# selector-link
Selectors Level 4
# link

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also