CSS carousels—powerful and versatile tools in web design. Everyone loves a website that feels dynamic, interactive, and engaging. As a web designer striving for the best, you don’t want to miss out on these essential components.

These examples of CSS carousels will open your eyes to this crucial aspect of web development, enhancing user interface and user experience. Whether it’s for displaying images, showcasing testimonials, or adding a stylish interactive element to your site, understanding and implementing CSS carousels can set your projects apart.

By the end of this article, you will not only grasp the various types of carousels, from responsive carousels to fullscreen carousels, but also learn how to implement them using CSS transitions, Flexbox properties, and animation keyframes.

We’ll look into different carousel types, including image slidersmulti-item carousels, and even vertical carousels, featuring detailed examples and CodePen demos.

Prepare to enhance your web design skills and wow your clients with seamless, professional CSS carousels.

CSS carousels examples

Carousel Team Ride

See the Pen
Carousel team
by Marco Barría (@fixcl)
on CodePen.


Ride the wave of concept carousels! Equipped with rad features like auto play. Yup, it’s that smooth.

Seamless Slidey Thing – Responsive Carousel Slider

Unveiling a slick carousel slider to showcase your artsy images or your HTML masterpieces. And the best part? It’s responsive. So, it’s cool on every device.

Youplay Carousel Extravaganza

See the Pen
Youplay Carousel
by nK (@_nK)
on CodePen.

Ready to try something eye-popping? Glide through the Youplay carousel. It’s more than just a ride; it’s an experience!

Playlist Carousel Beats

See the Pen
Playlist Carousel – css only
by Aybüke Ceylan (@aybukeceylan)
on CodePen.

Brought to life by the fabulous Aybüke Ceylan. It’s where your favorite playlists come to play.

Three Dimensional Adventure – Split 3D Carousel

See the Pen
Split 3D Carousel
by Paul Noble (@paulnoble)
on CodePen.

Stepping up the carousel game with a panel transition, giving you a spin in the third dimension. Yes, 3D!

3D Image Carousel Twist

Fancy a twist? Here’s a carousel that gives you a 3D vibe using purely CSS magic, no potions involved. Rotate, Scale, Perspective. Oh yeah!

Rotate with the SVG Carousel

See the Pen
Rotating SVG Carousel
by Ramsay Lanier (@ramsaylanier)
on CodePen.

Courtesy of Ramsay Lanier. Picture this: icons dancing in a circle, SVG style. It’s like a merry-go-round, but cooler.

Straight-up CSS Carousel With Thumbnails

See the Pen
Pure CSS Carousel with Thumbnails
by Ronny Siikaluoma (@siiron)
on CodePen.

Crafted by Ronny Siikaluoma. When you want pure CSS goodness with some snazzy thumbnails, this is your stop.

Sleek Annotated Linear Carousel

See the Pen
Pure CSS, annotated linear carousel
by Paul Noble (@paulnoble)
on CodePen.

Who needs arrows when you’ve got touch power? Just tap on the sides and voila, you’re moving!

React Vertical Carousel Slide

See the Pen
React Vertical Carousel
by Alex Boffey (@alexboffey)
on CodePen.

Shoutout to Alex Boffey! This carousel lets you showcase a fab list of backgrounds. Plus, thanks to CSS transitions, you’ll get a seamless fade between slides.

Card Carousel Magic with CSS-Tricks

See the Pen
CSS-Tricks Card Carousel
by William Goldsworthy (@william-goldsworthy)
on CodePen.

A tip of the hat to William Goldsworthy. Cards that slide and glide.

Mousey Moves with Hover-Carousel

See the Pen
Hover-Carousel
by Yair Even Or (@vsync)
on CodePen.

You hover, it moves! This bad boy reacts to where your mouse is, sliding to the left or right. It’s like it’s reading your mind!

Fading Wonders: Carousel Delight

See the Pen
Simple Carousel Pure CSS
by Dang Van Thanh (@dangvanthanh)
on CodePen.

This isn’t just any carousel. It fades! And, oh, check out those cute little dots and arrows. All of this awesomeness? Pure CSS magic, baby!

3D Magic: CSS Variables Carousel

See the Pen
CSS Variables 3D Carousel (No JS)
by Chris Neale (@onion2k)
on CodePen.

Big shoutout to Chris Neale for this! Dive deep into the 3D world with this carousel. It’s a whole new perspective.

Infinite Wows with Autoplay Carousel

See the Pen
[CSS] Infinite autoplay carousel
by Jack Oliver (@studiojvla)
on CodePen.

Got cool logos? Brand partners? This carousel just doesn’t stop. Perfect for those startup vibes!

Slick Slides: CSS3 Image Slider

Transform your images with this CSS3 magic. It’s neat, stylish, and oh-so-smooth.

Keyboard’s Best Friend: Carousel Edition

See the Pen
CSS Carousel with keyboard controls
by David Lewis (@dp_lewis)
on CodePen.

Brought to life by David Lewis. Use your keyboard, and slide away! Want a twist? Try the 3D Cube Carousel. Every press is a colorful adventure.

Snapshot Memories with Polaroid-Like Carousel

See the Pen
Polaroid-like photo carousel
by Temani Afif (@t_afif)
on CodePen.

Props to Temani Afif for this. It’s like flipping through old Polaroid snaps. All the feels!

Go Big with Responsive Slideshow

See the Pen
Responsive Slideshow / Carousel with only HTML5 & CSS3
by Trung Vo (@trungvose)
on CodePen.

Radio button slider? Check. Controlled by CSS? Double-check. Responsive? You bet!

Workout Goals with Apple Watch Carousel

See the Pen
Apple Watch – Workout Carousel
by Derek Palladino (@derekjp)
on CodePen.

Hats off to Derek Palladino! Get moving with this carousel. And watch out for the “active” slide – it’s got style!

Radio Waves with Pure CSS Carousel

See the Pen
Pure CSS carousel
by Olivier PASCAL (@pascaloliv)
on CodePen.

Keeping it simple and classy. Just radios, making a basic but cool carousel.

Fade & Scale: Pure CSS Slideshow

No fluff here. Add your images as a background and let the CSS do the work. Effortless style!

Insta Vibes with Jake’s Magic

See the Pen
Pure CSS | Jake’s Instagram
by Andy (@kotAndy)
on CodePen.

Ever seen a carousel that looks just like an Instagram post? All the love for Jake and his SCSS tricks. It’s animated and oh-so-cool.

Framing Memories the Ruediger Way

See the Pen
Pure CSS Featured Image Slider
by Ruediger Stursberg (@stursberg)
on CodePen.

Ruediger Stursberg’s picture frame is not just a frame. With CSS transitions and keyframes, it slides. Say whaaat?

Thumbelina’s Little Secrets

Match it to your site’s vibe. Oh, and those control buttons? Put ’em wherever your heart desires.

Rotating Cubes & Alluring Images

Here’s a twist: an image rotator in the shape of a 3D cube. Trust me, your website will never be the same.

Sync-Up with Rian’s Carousel

See the Pen
Simple Synchronised Carousel
by Rian Ariona (@ariona)
on CodePen.

Rian Ariona, the genius! Two carousels in sync: one in the back and another inside a laptop screen. Plus, CSS3 magic blurs out the back one.

Pure CSS & Its Wonders

See the Pen
c(ss)arousel – pure CSS carousels 🎪🐎🎪🐎🎪🐎
by Jhey (@jh3y)
on CodePen.

It’s all about how things jive in the DOM. Mix that with CSS, and what you get? Pure awesomeness.

Keep It 3D, Keep It Coverflow

Ditch the JavaScript and embrace the pure CSS. This 3D coverflow slider has got it all.

Colorful Carousel Escapades

See the Pen
CSS 3D transform Colorful Animated Carousel
by Edmundo Santos (@edmundojr)
on CodePen.

Edmundo Santos sprinkled some color magic! With 3D transformations and popping animations, this carousel is pure eye-candy.

Gather ‘Round the Testimonial Fire

See the Pen
Responsive Testimonial Carousel using OwlCarousel with Next and Previous Preview
by Md Nahidul Islam (@thenahidul)
on CodePen.

Yo, check this out! Ever thought testimonials could be slick? Nahidul’s got you covered. This is a testimonial slider, all dressed up and totally chillin’ on your site.

Swipe Left for Kate’s Material Card Carousel

See the Pen
Material Cards – Carousel (mobile)
by Kate Hummer (@katehummer)
on CodePen.

Kate Hummer’s in the house! Her Material Cards-Carousel works like a charm on mobile. Wanna showcase a bunch of vids with thumbnail previews? Look no further.

When CSS Does a Mic Drop

See the Pen
Real Simple Slider
by Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier)
on CodePen.

Who needs a magic wand when you’ve got CSS? You’d be surprised how dope a carousel can be with just HTML and CSS. No kidding.

Slide with Feels: React Carousel

See the Pen
Carousel (React)
by Andy Pagès (@andyNroses)
on CodePen.

Andy’s React Carousel is the life of the party! Customizable animations, reactions—the works! Your site won’t just show, it’ll express.

Spice Up Ya Life with Random Backgrounds

Variety’s the spice of life, right? Imagine every time your page reloads, bam! A new background image. Sometimes it’s a slideshow, sometimes it’s one and done. Choices, choices.

FAQ On CSS Carousels

CSS carousel is a web component used to showcase a rotating sequence of elements, often images or content, within a confined space. This can enhance the user experience by making the page visually dynamic. Using pure CSS, these carousels eliminate the need for JavaScript, ensuring better performance and simpler code.

Creating a basic CSS carousel involves structuring the HTML with a container and slide items. Then, use CSS properties like positiondisplay, and overflow to arrange elements. Animation and transitions such as CSS keyframes can add sliding effects, making the carousel interactive and engaging.

What are the benefits of using CSS-only carousels?

CSS-only carousels are beneficial because they’re lightweight, improve performance, and reduce reliance on external libraries. They ensure faster load times and enhance overall webpage layout. Additionally, they are responsive and easily customizable, making them ideal for mobile-first design and cross-browser support.

To make a carousel responsive, use flexbox properties or CSS Grid and media queries. Ensure that your images or content adapt to different screen sizes. Adding max-width: 100%; can help images scale properly, providing a seamless experience regardless of the device.

Absolutely. A CSS-only carousel can be created using animations and transitions. For automatic sliding, leverage CSS keyframes with properties like animation and transform. This approach not only simplifies the code but also ensures better performance and browser compatibility.

What are common uses of CSS carousels?

Common uses of CSS carousels include image sliderstestimonials, and product showcases. They are perfect for displaying multiple UI components interactively, enhancing user engagement. They are also frequently used in portfolio websites to create a visual narrative that keeps visitors entertained.

Add navigation controls using HTML buttons and anchor elements. Style them with CSS for better appearance. Incorporate CSS transitions for smooth interactions. CSS pseudo-classes like :hover and :active can enhance the usability, making the controls more intuitive.

Popular frameworks include BootstrapOwl Carousel, and Slick Slider. These libraries offer pre-built carousels with extensive customization options. They simplify the process of implementing interactive sliders and provide additional functionalities like autoplay, infinite loops, and touch support.

Are CSS carousels accessible?

Making CSS carousels accessible involves adding ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, and considering screen readers. Ensure content is readable and operates effectively on all devices. Adding role="listbox" and controls with aria-controls can enhance accessibility, making your carousel usable for everyone.

Enhance performance by optimizing images, using will-change property for smoother animations, and minimizing the use of external libraries. Inline critical CSS and prioritize loading optimization. Ensuring clean, minimal CSS will provide a quicker and more efficient user experience.

Conclusion

Examples of CSS carousels effectively showcase the flexibility and creativity possible with modern web design. From image sliders to responsive carousels, anyone can transform their website into a visually engaging platform.

By utilizing CSS transitionskeyframes, and flexbox properties, you can build dynamic components without relying on JavaScript.

Implementing these techniques brings numerous advantages. CSS-only carousels enhance performance, simplify code management, and ensure seamless cross-browser support. Whether you’re using Bootstrap or custom HTML and CSS, the possibilities are endless.

Consider these points:

  • Simplified Maintenance: CSS allows straightforward updates without breaking functionality.
  • Performance Gains: Faster load times improve overall user experience.
  • Accessibility Enhancements: Properly structured CSS carousels offer superior accessibility.

By understanding and leveraging the various features and customizations available, you’ll create standout carousels that keep users engaged. Dive into the examples and start experimenting—your skills and site quality will advance noticeably.

If you liked this article about CSS carousels, you should check out this article about CSS tooltips.

There are also similar articles discussing CSS animationsCSS headersCSS perspective, and CSS slideshows.

And let’s not forget about articles on CSS animated backgroundsCSS cardsCSS progress bars, and CSS parallax effects.

Author

Bogdan Sandu is the principal designer and editor of this website. He specializes in web and graphic design, focusing on creating user-friendly websites, innovative UI kits, and unique fonts.Many of his resources are available on various design marketplaces. Over the years, he's worked with a range of clients and contributed to design publications like Designmodo, WebDesignerDepot, and Speckyboy among others.