Reset/remove CSS styles for element only

There's a brand new solution found to this problem.

Use all: revert or all: unset.

From MDN:

The revert keyword works exactly the same as unset in many cases. The only difference is for properties that have values set by the browser or by custom stylesheets created by users (set on the browser side).

You need "A css rule available that would remove any styles previously set in the stylesheet for a particular element."

So, if the element have a class name like remove-all-styles:

Eg:

HTML:

<div class="remove-all-styles other-classe another-class"> 
   <!-- content -->
   <p class="text-red other-some-styles"> My text </p>
</div>

With CSS:

  .remove-all-styles {
    all: revert;
  }

Will reset all styles applied by other-class, another-class and all other inherited and applied styles to that div.

Or in your case:

/* mobile first */
.element {
   margin: 0 10;
   transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
   z-index: 50;
   display: block;
   etc..
   etc..
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 980px) {
  .element {
    all: revert;
  }
}

Will do.

Here we used one cool CSS property with another cool CSS value.

  1. revert

Actually revert, as the name says, reverts that property to its user or user-agent style.

  1. all

And when we use revert with the all property, all CSS properties applied to that element will be reverted to user/user-agent styles.

Click here to know difference between author, user, user-agent styles.

For ex: if we want to isolate embedded widgets/components from the styles of the page that contains them, we could write:

.isolated-component {
 all: revert;
}

Which will reverts all author styles (ie developer CSS) to user styles (styles which a user of our website set - less likely scenario) or to user-agent styles itself if no user styles set.

More details here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/revert

And only issue is the support: only Safari 9.1 and iOS Safari 9.3 have support for revert value at the time of writing.

So I'll say use this style and fallback to any other answers.


The CSS3 keyword initial sets the CSS3 property to the initial value as defined in the spec. The initial keyword has broad browser support except for the IE and Opera Mini families.

Since IE's lack of support may cause issue here are some of the ways you can reset some CSS properties to their initial values:

.reset-this {
    animation : none;
    animation-delay : 0;
    animation-direction : normal;
    animation-duration : 0;
    animation-fill-mode : none;
    animation-iteration-count : 1;
    animation-name : none;
    animation-play-state : running;
    animation-timing-function : ease;
    backface-visibility : visible;
    background : 0;
    background-attachment : scroll;
    background-clip : border-box;
    background-color : transparent;
    background-image : none;
    background-origin : padding-box;
    background-position : 0 0;
    background-position-x : 0;
    background-position-y : 0;
    background-repeat : repeat;
    background-size : auto auto;
    border : 0;
    border-style : none;
    border-width : medium;
    border-color : inherit;
    border-bottom : 0;
    border-bottom-color : inherit;
    border-bottom-left-radius : 0;
    border-bottom-right-radius : 0;
    border-bottom-style : none;
    border-bottom-width : medium;
    border-collapse : separate;
    border-image : none;
    border-left : 0;
    border-left-color : inherit;
    border-left-style : none;
    border-left-width : medium;
    border-radius : 0;
    border-right : 0;
    border-right-color : inherit;
    border-right-style : none;
    border-right-width : medium;
    border-spacing : 0;
    border-top : 0;
    border-top-color : inherit;
    border-top-left-radius : 0;
    border-top-right-radius : 0;
    border-top-style : none;
    border-top-width : medium;
    bottom : auto;
    box-shadow : none;
    box-sizing : content-box;
    caption-side : top;
    clear : none;
    clip : auto;
    color : inherit;
    columns : auto;
    column-count : auto;
    column-fill : balance;
    column-gap : normal;
    column-rule : medium none currentColor;
    column-rule-color : currentColor;
    column-rule-style : none;
    column-rule-width : none;
    column-span : 1;
    column-width : auto;
    content : normal;
    counter-increment : none;
    counter-reset : none;
    cursor : auto;
    direction : ltr;
    display : inline;
    empty-cells : show;
    float : none;
    font : normal;
    font-family : inherit;
    font-size : medium;
    font-style : normal;
    font-variant : normal;
    font-weight : normal;
    height : auto;
    hyphens : none;
    left : auto;
    letter-spacing : normal;
    line-height : normal;
    list-style : none;
    list-style-image : none;
    list-style-position : outside;
    list-style-type : disc;
    margin : 0;
    margin-bottom : 0;
    margin-left : 0;
    margin-right : 0;
    margin-top : 0;
    max-height : none;
    max-width : none;
    min-height : 0;
    min-width : 0;
    opacity : 1;
    orphans : 0;
    outline : 0;
    outline-color : invert;
    outline-style : none;
    outline-width : medium;
    overflow : visible;
    overflow-x : visible;
    overflow-y : visible;
    padding : 0;
    padding-bottom : 0;
    padding-left : 0;
    padding-right : 0;
    padding-top : 0;
    page-break-after : auto;
    page-break-before : auto;
    page-break-inside : auto;
    perspective : none;
    perspective-origin : 50% 50%;
    position : static;
    /* May need to alter quotes for different locales (e.g fr) */
    quotes : '\201C' '\201D' '\2018' '\2019';
    right : auto;
    tab-size : 8;
    table-layout : auto;
    text-align : inherit;
    text-align-last : auto;
    text-decoration : none;
    text-decoration-color : inherit;
    text-decoration-line : none;
    text-decoration-style : solid;
    text-indent : 0;
    text-shadow : none;
    text-transform : none;
    top : auto;
    transform : none;
    transform-style : flat;
    transition : none;
    transition-delay : 0s;
    transition-duration : 0s;
    transition-property : none;
    transition-timing-function : ease;
    unicode-bidi : normal;
    vertical-align : baseline;
    visibility : visible;
    white-space : normal;
    widows : 0;
    width : auto;
    word-spacing : normal;
    z-index : auto;
    /* basic modern patch */
    all: initial;
    all: unset;
}

/* basic modern patch */

#reset-this-root {
    all: initial;
    * {
        all: unset;
    }
}
  • Relevent github repo with a december 2017 more exaustive list
  • Related
  • Related from MDN
  • Related W3C specs

As mentioned in a comment by @user566245 :

this is correct in principle, but individual mileage may vary. For example certain elements like textarea by default have a border, applying this reset will render those textarea's border less.


JAVASCRIPT ?

Nobody thought about other than css to reset css? Yes?

There is that snip fully relevant : https://stackoverflow.com/a/14791113/845310

getElementsByTagName("*") will return all elements from DOM. Then you may set styles for each element in the collection:

answered Feb 9 '13 at 20:15 by VisioN

var allElements = document.getElementsByTagName("*");
for (var i = 0, len = allElements.length; i < len; i++) {
    var element = allElements[i];
    // element.style.border = ...
}

With all this said; i don't think a css reset is something feasable unless we end up with only one web browser .. if the 'default' is set by browser in the end.

For comparison, here is Firefox 40.0 values list for a <blockquote style="all: unset;font-style: oblique"> where font-style: oblique triggers DOM operation.

align-content: unset;
align-items: unset;
align-self: unset;
animation: unset;
appearance: unset;
backface-visibility: unset;
background-blend-mode: unset;
background: unset;
binding: unset;
block-size: unset;
border-block-end: unset;
border-block-start: unset;
border-collapse: unset;
border-inline-end: unset;
border-inline-start: unset;
border-radius: unset;
border-spacing: unset;
border: unset;
bottom: unset;
box-align: unset;
box-decoration-break: unset;
box-direction: unset;
box-flex: unset;
box-ordinal-group: unset;
box-orient: unset;
box-pack: unset;
box-shadow: unset;
box-sizing: unset;
caption-side: unset;
clear: unset;
clip-path: unset;
clip-rule: unset;
clip: unset;
color-adjust: unset;
color-interpolation-filters: unset;
color-interpolation: unset;
color: unset;
column-fill: unset;
column-gap: unset;
column-rule: unset;
columns: unset;
content: unset;
control-character-visibility: unset;
counter-increment: unset;
counter-reset: unset;
cursor: unset;
display: unset;
dominant-baseline: unset;
empty-cells: unset;
fill-opacity: unset;
fill-rule: unset;
fill: unset;
filter: unset;
flex-flow: unset;
flex: unset;
float-edge: unset;
float: unset;
flood-color: unset;
flood-opacity: unset;
font-family: unset;
font-feature-settings: unset;
font-kerning: unset;
font-language-override: unset;
font-size-adjust: unset;
font-size: unset;
font-stretch: unset;
font-style: oblique;
font-synthesis: unset;
font-variant: unset;
font-weight: unset;
font: ;
force-broken-image-icon: unset;
height: unset;
hyphens: unset;
image-orientation: unset;
image-region: unset;
image-rendering: unset;
ime-mode: unset;
inline-size: unset;
isolation: unset;
justify-content: unset;
justify-items: unset;
justify-self: unset;
left: unset;
letter-spacing: unset;
lighting-color: unset;
line-height: unset;
list-style: unset;
margin-block-end: unset;
margin-block-start: unset;
margin-inline-end: unset;
margin-inline-start: unset;
margin: unset;
marker-offset: unset;
marker: unset;
mask-type: unset;
mask: unset;
max-block-size: unset;
max-height: unset;
max-inline-size: unset;
max-width: unset;
min-block-size: unset;
min-height: unset;
min-inline-size: unset;
min-width: unset;
mix-blend-mode: unset;
object-fit: unset;
object-position: unset;
offset-block-end: unset;
offset-block-start: unset;
offset-inline-end: unset;
offset-inline-start: unset;
opacity: unset;
order: unset;
orient: unset;
outline-offset: unset;
outline-radius: unset;
outline: unset;
overflow: unset;
padding-block-end: unset;
padding-block-start: unset;
padding-inline-end: unset;
padding-inline-start: unset;
padding: unset;
page-break-after: unset;
page-break-before: unset;
page-break-inside: unset;
paint-order: unset;
perspective-origin: unset;
perspective: unset;
pointer-events: unset;
position: unset;
quotes: unset;
resize: unset;
right: unset;
ruby-align: unset;
ruby-position: unset;
scroll-behavior: unset;
scroll-snap-coordinate: unset;
scroll-snap-destination: unset;
scroll-snap-points-x: unset;
scroll-snap-points-y: unset;
scroll-snap-type: unset;
shape-rendering: unset;
stack-sizing: unset;
stop-color: unset;
stop-opacity: unset;
stroke-dasharray: unset;
stroke-dashoffset: unset;
stroke-linecap: unset;
stroke-linejoin: unset;
stroke-miterlimit: unset;
stroke-opacity: unset;
stroke-width: unset;
stroke: unset;
tab-size: unset;
table-layout: unset;
text-align-last: unset;
text-align: unset;
text-anchor: unset;
text-combine-upright: unset;
text-decoration: unset;
text-emphasis-position: unset;
text-emphasis: unset;
text-indent: unset;
text-orientation: unset;
text-overflow: unset;
text-rendering: unset;
text-shadow: unset;
text-size-adjust: unset;
text-transform: unset;
top: unset;
transform-origin: unset;
transform-style: unset;
transform: unset;
transition: unset;
user-focus: unset;
user-input: unset;
user-modify: unset;
user-select: unset;
vector-effect: unset;
vertical-align: unset;
visibility: unset;
white-space: unset;
width: unset;
will-change: unset;
window-dragging: unset;
word-break: unset;
word-spacing: unset;
word-wrap: unset;
writing-mode: unset;
z-index: unset;

For future readers. I think this is what was meant but currently isn't really wide supported (see below):

CSS:

#someselector {
  all: initial;
}

#someselector * {
  all: unset
}

SCSS:

#someselector {
  all: initial;
  * {
    all: unset;
  }
}
  • Supported in (source): Chrome 37, Edge 79, Firefox 27, IE 11, Opera 24, Safari 9.1, WebView Android 37, Chrome Android 37, Firefox for Android 27, Opera Android 24, Safari on iOS 9.3, Samsung Internet 3.0
  • Not supported: Internet Explorer

Tags:

Css