CSS touch-action Property
Sets how an element's region can be manipulated by a touchscreen user
Syntax
touch-action: auto | none | pan-x | pan-y | pan-left | pan-right | pan-up | pan-down | pinch-zoom | manipulation;Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| auto | Browser handles all touch gestures (default) |
| none | Disables all touch gestures |
| manipulation | Allows panning and pinching only (no double-tap zoom) |
| pan-x | Only horizontal panning |
| pan-y | Only vertical panning |
| pinch-zoom | Only pinch-to-zoom |
Example
.carousel {
touch-action: pan-y;
}
.no-zoom {
touch-action: manipulation;
}Understanding CSS touch-action
The CSS touch-action property sets how an element's region can be manipulated by a touchscreen user. As part of the Misc module in CSS, it is one of the most commonly used properties for controlling the visual presentation of web pages.
You can set touch-action to values such as auto, none, manipulation, pan-x, among others. Each value changes how the browser renders the affected element, giving you fine-grained control over your page layout and design. Choosing the right value depends on the specific design requirements of your project.
Common use cases for the touch-action property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like pointer-events, cursor, user-select to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.
Browser support for touch-action is excellent across all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For older browsers, consider using fallback values or progressive enhancement strategies. The property can also be set dynamically via JavaScript using element.style.touchAction or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.
Related Properties
pointer-eventsDefines under what circumstances an element can become the target of pointer events
cursorSets the type of mouse cursor to show when hovering over an element
user-selectControls whether the user can select text within an element
overscroll-behaviorControls what the browser does when reaching the boundary of a scrolling area
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