Internet Explorer only
The Mozilla/Firefox family represents more than 30% of browsers used worldwide. Be careful when using the following properties, as they were recognized only by Internet Explorer!
Obsolete properties (Internet Explorer only)
Section titled “Obsolete properties (Internet Explorer only)”| Property | Status | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
behavior | Obsolete | Allowed attaching a script or ActiveX component to an element. |
filter (new style / old style) | Obsolete | Old IE syntax for applying graphical filters. Now replaced by the standard filter property. |
ime-mode | Obsolete | Managed input for Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean). |
layout-flow | Obsolete | Defined text flow in IE for Asian languages. |
layout-grid, layout-grid-char, layout-grid-line, layout-grid-mode, layout-grid-type | Obsolete | Set of properties for character grid handling in IE (Asian languages). |
overflow-x, overflow-y | Now standardized | First introduced in IE, now part of the CSS standard. |
scrollbar-* (base-color, track-color, arrow-color, etc.) | Obsolete | Modified scrollbar colors in IE. Now replaced by scrollbar-width, scrollbar-color, and the ::-webkit-scrollbar pseudo-elements. |
text-align-last | Obsolete | Alignment of the last line of text. Only supported in IE. |
text-autospace | Obsolete | Automatic character spacing for Asian languages. |
text-justify | Obsolete | Text justification handling in IE. |
text-kashida-space | Obsolete | Adjustment for Arabic text in IE. |
text-underline-position | Partially supported | Defines underline position (useful in Japanese/Chinese). |
unicode-bidi | Now standard | Initially supported in IE, now part of the CSS standard for bidirectional text. |
word-break | Now standard | First introduced in IE, now part of the CSS standard for word breaking. |
word-wrap | Renamed overflow-wrap | Introduced by IE, now replaced by overflow-wrap. |
writing-mode | Now standard | Initially IE-specific, now part of the CSS standard for writing direction. |
zoom | Non-standard property | Allowed zooming into an element in IE. Supported in some browsers (Chrome), but still non-standard. |
Why it matters today
Section titled “Why it matters today”- These properties were specific to Internet Explorer and are no longer recognized by modern browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge Chromium).
- Some have been integrated into the CSS standard (e.g.,
overflow-x/y,writing-mode,word-break,overflow-wrap). - Others are completely obsolete (
scrollbar-*,behavior,ime-mode) and should no longer be used. - Their usage can make your stylesheets incompatible and hard to maintain.
Key takeaways
Section titled “Key takeaways”- Do not use these old IE properties, except for legacy code.
- Prefer modern standardized properties (
filter,overflow-wrap,writing-mode, modernscrollbar-*). - Keep in mind that IE has been officially discontinued since 2022: all current development should target modern browsers.