Can You Style an SVG Background Image with CSS?

As an SVG enthusiast, you're well-versed in manipulating SVGs as background images. However, a persistent question remains: can you also style the SVG using CSS in the same file?

Sadly, the answer is no. An SVG used as a background image is treated as a single entity, isolated from the CSS stylesheet. Styling within the CSS file will not affect the SVG's visual appearance.

The reason lies in the different environments in which CSS and SVGs operate. CSS works within the HTML document, while SVGs are independent documents with their own styling rules. When you specify an SVG as a background image, the browser interprets it as a pre-rendered image and applies the CSS properties (e.g., background-size) accordingly.

To modify the appearance of an SVG background image, you must edit the SVG itself. The suggested approach is to create separate SVG versions for different styling needs and switch between them using conditional HTML attributes or JavaScript.