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Pro Tip: Why you should NEVER remove your CSS Outline!

3,639 views · Published 30 January 2015 · 2:39 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: Brad Hussey · 2015 · Education

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Many web designers hate the ugly blue "outline" style on links and buttons — this is especially common with designers using the Bootstrap framework.

How do you remove the outline? Well, it's very easy using CSS. But the real issue is: you should NEVER remove them!

Why? Because the outline provides visual feedback for users who may be using a keyboard for navigation, or a different navigation device. The outline is there for accessibility purposes, and if you remove this simple style, you make it impossible for those with visual impairment or other disabilities to navigate the web.

It's kind of like if you were at your favourite restaurant, and you saw a ramp that made the restaurant wheelchair accessible, but then thought "that ramp is ugly, let's get rid of it."

Embrace accessibility! Just like "mobile first", why not make your sites "accessible first" as well?

Check out the website www.outlinenone.com - it's a great resource on the subject of removing the outline, and what you can do instead of removing it altogether.

Cheers & Happy (Accessible) Coding!
Brad

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This video was a snippet of my latest (and greatest) course on how to code your own custom WordPress websites for clients: http://www.bootstraptowordpress.com

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