Last updated: March 13, 2026
How to Copy CSS from Any Website
Learn the manual DevTools method vs the fast way with Frontend Hero. Extract element styles, hover states, and responsive breakpoints.
Why Copy CSS from Other Websites?
Extracting CSS styles from websites is an essential skill for frontend developers. Whether you're learning how a design was built, recreating a style for client work, or gathering inspiration for your own projects, knowing how to efficiently copy CSS saves hours of development time.
Learning
Study how top designers implement shadows, gradients, and animations.
Client Work
Match existing brand styles or recreate designs from mockups.
Prototyping
Quickly build prototypes using proven design patterns.
Using Chrome DevTools (Manual)
The traditional method requires multiple steps, manual state forcing, and patience. Here's what it looks like:
Open Chrome DevTools
Press F12 or right-click and select "Inspect" to open DevTools.
Inspect the Element You Want
Click the element selector icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+C) and click on the element.
Scroll Through 100+ Properties
Navigate to the "Computed" tab and scroll through an alphabetical list of every CSS property. Finding the relevant ones takes patience.
Problem: Properties are mixed with browser defaults. You see align-content, align-items, align-self, animation, appearance... before getting to background-color.
Manually Identify Important Properties
Figure out which of the 100+ properties actually define the element's look. Most are inherited defaults you don't need.
Problem: You Miss :hover and :focus States
DevTools only shows the current state. To see hover styles, you must right-click the element in the DOM tree, select "Force state", then check ":hover". Repeat for :focus, :active, etc.
Problem: You Miss Media Query Styles
Want to see how the element looks on mobile? You need to resize the browser window, toggle device mode, and manually check each breakpoint. There's no unified view of all responsive styles.
Copy Properties One by One...
Finally, double-click each property value to select it, copy it, and paste it into your code. Repeat for every property you need. Don't forget to format it as valid CSS.
Total time: 2-5 minutes per element
And you still might miss hover states and responsive styles.
Using Frontend Hero's CSS Scanner
Frontend Hero's CSS Scanner shows all styles organized by category, including pseudo-states and responsive breakpoints. Here's how it works:
Click the CSS Scanner Icon
Open Frontend Hero from your browser toolbar and select CSS Scanner. That's it for setup.
Hover Over Any Element
Move your mouse over any element to instantly see its styles. Properties are organized by category (Layout, Box Model, Typography, Effects) - not alphabetically.
Toggle :hover, :focus, :active States
Click the state toggles to instantly see hover styles, focus rings, and active states. No manual forcing required.
See Responsive Breakpoint Styles
View how the element's styles change at different screen sizes. All media query variations are visible in one place.
One-Click Copy All Styles
Click the copy button to get all CSS properties formatted and ready to paste. Or click individual properties to copy just what you need.
Total time: 5 seconds per element
Including hover states and responsive styles.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Aspect | DevTools (Manual) | Frontend Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Steps to copy styles | 5-7 steps minimum | 2 clicks |
| See :hover styles | Manually force state | One-click toggle |
| See :focus styles | Manually force state | One-click toggle |
| See responsive styles | Resize window manually | All breakpoints visible |
| Property organization | 100+ properties alphabetically | Organized by category |
| Copy format | Copy one property at a time | Copy all or individual |
| Time to extract | 2-5 minutes per element | 5 seconds |
Steps to copy styles
DevTools
5-7 steps minimum
Frontend Hero
2 clicks
See :hover styles
DevTools
Manually force state
Frontend Hero
One-click toggle
See :focus styles
DevTools
Manually force state
Frontend Hero
One-click toggle
See responsive styles
DevTools
Resize window manually
Frontend Hero
All breakpoints visible
Property organization
DevTools
100+ properties alphabetically
Frontend Hero
Organized by category
Copy format
DevTools
Copy one property at a time
Frontend Hero
Copy all or individual
Time to extract
DevTools
2-5 minutes per element
Frontend Hero
5 seconds
Key Takeaways
DevTools Limitations
- -Shows 100+ properties in alphabetical order
- -Hover/focus states require manual forcing
- -No unified view of responsive styles
- -Copy properties one at a time
Frontend Hero Advantages
- +Properties organized by category
- +One-click toggle for hover/focus/active states
- +All responsive breakpoints in one view
- +Copy all styles with one click
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can copy CSS styles from any public website. Using browser DevTools, you can inspect any element and view its computed styles. However, DevTools makes it difficult to see hover states, focus states, and responsive breakpoint styles. Frontend Hero's CSS Scanner shows all these states in an organized view.
In DevTools, you need to manually force the :hover state by right-clicking the element in the Elements panel and selecting 'Force state' > ':hover'. This is tedious and only shows one state at a time. Frontend Hero lets you toggle between normal, hover, focus, and active states with a single click.
DevTools shows computed styles in alphabetical order, mixing important properties with irrelevant ones. You'll see 100+ properties including browser defaults, making it hard to identify which styles actually matter. Frontend Hero organizes styles by category and only shows the properties that define the element's appearance.
In DevTools, you need to manually resize the browser window and check media queries in the Styles panel. This is time-consuming and easy to miss important breakpoints. Frontend Hero shows all responsive breakpoint styles in one view, letting you see how an element changes across screen sizes.
Copying CSS for learning purposes or inspiration is generally acceptable. However, directly copying a website's complete design for commercial use may infringe on their intellectual property. Always use extracted styles as a starting point and customize them for your own projects.
With Frontend Hero, hover over any button, click to select it, and copy all styles with one click. This includes the button's normal state, hover effects, focus ring, and any responsive changes. In DevTools, this would require multiple steps and manual state toggling.
Yes! Frontend Hero's Tailwind Converter tool can convert any element's CSS to Tailwind utility classes. After copying the CSS, paste it into the converter to get the equivalent Tailwind classes. Or use the built-in Tailwind Scanner to see Tailwind classes directly.
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