Change navbar color in Twitter Bootstrap

Question

How would I go about modifying the CSS to change the color of the navbar in Twitter Bootstrap?

zessx · Accepted Answer · 2022-07-25T09:03:21.907

tl;dr - TWBSColor - Generate your own Bootstrap navbar

Version notes:

Online tool: Bootstrap 3.3.2+ / 4.0.0+

This answer: Bootstrap 3.0.x

For Bootstrap 5.x, please check documentation

Available navbars

You've got two basic navbars:

<!-- A light one -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-default" role="navigation"></nav>
<!-- A dark one -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-inverse" role="navigation"></nav>

Default color usage

Here are the main colors and their usage:

#F8F8F8: navbar background
#E7E7E7: navbar border
#777: default color
#333: hover color (#5E5E5E for .nav-brand)
#555: active color
#D5D5D5: active background

Default style

If you want to put some custom style, here's the CSS you need to change:

/* navbar */
.navbar-default {
    background-color: #F8F8F8;
    border-color: #E7E7E7;
}
/* Title */
.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-brand:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-brand:focus {
    color: #5E5E5E;
}
/* Link */
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a {
    color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:focus {
    color: #333;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a:focus {
    color: #555;
    background-color: #E7E7E7;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:focus {
    color: #555;
    background-color: #D5D5D5;
}
/* Caret */
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a .caret {
    border-top-color: #777;
    border-bottom-color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a:hover .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a:focus .caret {
    border-top-color: #333;
    border-bottom-color: #333;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:hover .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:focus .caret {
    border-top-color: #555;
    border-bottom-color: #555;
}
/* Mobile version */
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #DDD;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #DDD;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar {
    background-color: #CCC;
}
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu > li > a {
        color: #777;
    }
    .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu > li > a:hover,
    .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu > li > a:focus {
          color: #333;
    }
}

Custom colored navbar examples

Here are four examples of a custom colored navbar:

Enter image description here

And the SCSS code:

$bgDefault   : #e74c3c;
$bgHighlight : #c0392b;
$colDefault  : #ecf0f1;
$colHighlight: #ffbbbc;
.navbar-default {
  background-color: $bgDefault;
  border-color: $bgHighlight;
  .navbar-brand {
    color: $colDefault;
    &:hover, &:focus {
      color: $colHighlight; }}
  .navbar-text {
    color: $colDefault; }
  .navbar-nav {
    > li {
      > a {
        color: $colDefault;
        &:hover,  &:focus {
          color: $colHighlight; }}}
    > .active {
      > a, > a:hover, > a:focus {
        color: $colHighlight;
        background-color: $bgHighlight; }}
    > .open {
      > a, > a:hover, > a:focus {
        color: $colHighlight;
        background-color: $bgHighlight; }}}
  .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: $bgHighlight;
    &:hover, &:focus {
      background-color: $bgHighlight; }
    .icon-bar {
      background-color: $colDefault; }}
  .navbar-collapse,
  .navbar-form {
    border-color: $colDefault; }
  .navbar-link {
    color: $colDefault;
    &:hover {
      color: $colHighlight; }}}
@media (max-width: 767px) {
  .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu {
    > li > a {
      color: $colDefault;
      &:hover, &:focus {
        color: $colHighlight; }}
    > .active {
      > a, > a:hover, > a:focus, {
        color: $colHighlight;
        background-color: $bgHighlight; }}}
}

And finally, a little gift

I've just made a script which will allow you to generate your theme: TWBSColor - Generate your own Bootstrap navbar

[Update]: TWBSColor now generates SCSS/SASS/Less/CSS code.
[Update]: From now, you can use Less as the default language provided by TWBSColor
[Update]: TWBSColor now supports drop down menus colorization
[Update]: TWBSColor now allows to choose your version (Bootstrap 4 support added)

When I attempted to use the outputted color scheme, the colors did not show up. Adding `!important` to the end of each of the outputted CSS statements seems to have resolved the issue. Example: `color: #ffffff;` becomes `color: #ffffff !important;`. — Adrian, May 24 '16 at 18:40
@Adrian : you should include the CSS file with these customizations after you include bootstrap's own css. Other reason can be for not working is if you use bootstrap-theme.css to give your site Boostrap 2.x like gradient look and feel — Csaba Toth, Oct 24 '16 at 00:06
How to add the generated css from TWBSColor ? I am using bootstrap.min.css from netdna cdn in my python flask aaplication how to override default navbar with the one genertaed from TWBSColor? — Ameyj, Dec 03 '16 at 20:02
After having generated and using the css using TWBSColor, I had to remove "bootstrap-theme.min.css" to get it working. I was not using bootstrap themes anyways... — Bill Christo, Jun 17 '17 at 20:15
@bchr02 are you sure you've include bootstrap before to write TWBSColor code? — zessx, Jun 17 '17 at 22:15
Why should it be so long code to override the color of single element??? and also: I managed to change it only by using !important and also: when pressing on other menu item the first menu item is still selected )-: — GyRo, Nov 06 '18 at 14:37
you can use bg-danger, bg-primary and more default colors to add color to your nav bar e.g . — Shaz, Jan 09 '19 at 08:14
@zessx What about if you have more than one navbar design in your application? I tried renaming the generated .navbar-default class but I didn't get the same result, it seems like the generated content doesn't declare everything navbar-default does (such as anchor hover background colours). Currently working round this by using both the navbar-default and navbar-custom class, it would be nice if the generated content permitted inputting a custom class name + was completely isolated like Jim's answer. Note, I'm using bootstrap 3.3.7. — Andrew, Mar 08 '19 at 11:13
Your TWBSColor tool is really a great time saver. Any possibility of adding a height adjustment. The default navbar is a bit too thick for my liking — Mike, Jul 22 '22 at 22:07
Hi @Mike, glad you found TWBSColor useful! Unfortunately, this tool was focused on colors from the very beginning. It is quite old (gosh, 9 years…) and is already obsolete with the last [Bootstrap 5 Theming system](https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.2/customize/overview/), I won't add new features to it. Thanks for your comprehension. — zessx, Jul 25 '22 at 09:02

Carol Skelly · Answer 2 · 2021-07-08T19:37:48.007

Bootstrap 5 (update 2021)

By default, the Navbar is transparent in Bootstrap 5. Not much has changed since Bootstrap 4 for changing the Navbar background color, text color, links, dropdown and hover styles..

/* change the background color */
.navbar-custom {
    background-color: #4433cc;
}

/* change the brand and text color */
.navbar-custom .navbar-brand,
.navbar-custom .navbar-text {
    color: #ffcc00;
}

/* change the link color */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .nav-link {
    color: #ffbb00;
}

/* change the color of active or hovered links */
.navbar-custom .nav-item.active .nav-link,
.navbar-custom .nav-item:focus .nav-link,
.navbar-custom .nav-item:hover .nav-link {
    color: pink;
}

/* for dropdowns only */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-menu {
    background-color: #ddaa11;
}

/* dropdown item text color */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-item {
    color: #000000;
}

/* dropdown item hover or focus */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-item:hover,
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-item:focus {
    color: #eeeeee;
    background-color: red;
}

Bootstrap 5 custom navbar color demo

Bootstrap 4.3 (update 2020)

Changing the Navbar color is different (and a little easier) in Bootstrap 4. You can create a custom navbar class, and then reference it to change the navbar without impacting other Bootstrap navs..

<nav class="navbar navbar-custom">...</nav>

Bootstrap 4.3+

The CSS required to change the Navbar is much less in Bootstrap 4...

.navbar-custom {
    background-color: #ff5500;
}
/* change the brand and text color */
.navbar-custom .navbar-brand,
.navbar-custom .navbar-text {
    color: rgba(255,255,255,.8);
}
/* change the link color */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .nav-link {
    color: rgba(255,255,255,.5);
}
/* change the color of active or hovered links */
.navbar-custom .nav-item.active .nav-link,
.navbar-custom .nav-item:hover .nav-link {
    color: #ffffff;
}

Bootstrap 4 Custom Navbar Demo

Changing the active/hover link background color also works with the same CSS, but you must adjust the padding if you want the bg color to fill the full height of the link...

py-0 to remove vertical padding from the entire navbar...

<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-sm navbar-custom py-0">..</nav>

/* change the link color and padding  */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .nav-link {
    color: rgba(255,255,255,.5);
    padding: .75rem 1rem;
}

/* change the color and background color of active links */
.navbar-custom .nav-item.active .nav-link,
.navbar-custom .nav-item:hover .nav-link {
    color: #ffffff;
    background-color: #333;
}

Bootstrap 4 Change Link and Background Color Demo

Also see: How can I change the Bootstrap 4 navbar button icon color?

**Bootstrap 3**

    <nav class="navbar navbar-custom">
      <div class="navbar-header">
        <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-collapse">...
        </button>
        <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Title</a>
      </div>
       ...
    </nav>


    .navbar-custom {
        background-color:#229922;
        color:#ffffff;
        border-radius:0;
    }
      
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > li > a {
        color:#fff;
    }
    
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > .active > a {
        color: #ffffff;
        background-color:transparent;
    }
          
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > li > a:hover,
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > li > a:focus,
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > .active > a:hover,
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > .active > a:focus,
    .navbar-custom .navbar-nav > .open >a {
        text-decoration: none;
        background-color: #33aa33;
    }
         
    .navbar-custom .navbar-brand {
        color:#eeeeee;
    }
    .navbar-custom .navbar-toggle {
        background-color:#eeeeee;
    }
    .navbar-custom .icon-bar {
        background-color:#33aa33;
    }

Custom Navbar Demo on Bootply

If the Navbar has dropdowns, add the following to change dropdown color(s):

/* for dropdowns only */
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-menu  { 
  background-color: #33aa33;
}
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-menu>li>a  { 
  color: #fff;
}
.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-menu>li>a:hover,.navbar-custom .navbar-nav .dropdown-menu>li>a:focus  { 
  color: #33aa33;
}

Demo with Dropdown

If you want to change the theme colors all together (beyond the navbar), see this answer

How can I change navbar li:hover background-color in your example? — akn, Nov 01 '13 at 12:13
The navbar button does not show up on small screens using this method. — henrikstroem, May 26 '14 at 08:00
this is the best solution as it avoid overwriting any css and worrying about using important! — TruthOf42, Jan 07 '16 at 14:26
I completely revamped my answer. It should provided *working solutions* for both for **3.x** and **Bootstrap 4**. — Carol Skelly, Mar 15 '17 at 12:46
Yes, works as expected and all relevant code is in the answer @marcozen — Carol Skelly, May 12 '20 at 14:28
I agree that the button does not show up on small screens, even in the codeply example. — Jim, Aug 20 '20 at 17:54

score 51 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 04 '14 at 23:10

51

It took me a while, but I discovered that including the following was what made it possible to change the navbar color:

.navbar{ 
    background-image: none;
}

answered Dec 04 '14 at 23:10

fstopzero

1,073
2
10
24

1

I have no idea why this fixes the problem but thank you. – Simon Morgan Apr 10 '15 at 18:58
7

its because bootstrap adds this /* background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, #fff 0%, #f8f8f8 100%); */ to add a gradient. Im not sure why they include this and the background-color though – Daniel Kobe Jun 27 '15 at 20:33
@DanielKobe @Sumeet I just checked Bootstrap code, and there's no `background-image` added, which would prevent TWBSColor to work. Could I know your Bootstrap's version, and your environment please? (additional theme, CSS libraries...) – zessx Aug 04 '15 at 12:31
@zessx it seems like it's themes causing this. I was using the simple theme for bootstrap 3.2.0 (CDN). Removing it solved the whole thing. – JackWhiteIII Oct 17 '15 at 15:59
Setting background-image to 'none' seems to be the solution, at least for latest versions, where background-image has a specific gradient which retains the watery blue color, even when you custom specify a background-color. It's possible that the accepted answer for this question may have gone stale over time. I'm using Bootstrap 3.3. – warriorpostman Dec 05 '16 at 06:49
helped me to! i almost broke my brain and eyes trying to find out why background isn't changing – Stan Fad Apr 22 '17 at 10:20

score 50 · Answer 4 · edited Mar 29 '17 at 22:45

Using Less

You could also consider to compile your own version. Try http://getbootstrap.com/customize/ (which has a apart section for the Navbars settings (Default navbar and Inverted Navbar)) or download your own copy from https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap.

You will find the navbar settings in variables.less. navbar.less is used to compile the navbar (depends on variables.less and mixins.less).

Copy the 'navbar-default section' and fill in your own color settings. Changing the variables in variables.less will be the easiest way (changing the default or inverse navbar won't be a problem because you have one navbar per page only).

You won't change all settings in most cases:

// Navbar
// -------------------------

// Basics of a navbar
@navbar-height:                    50px;
@navbar-margin-bottom:             @line-height-computed;
@navbar-default-color:             #777;
@navbar-default-bg:                #f8f8f8;
@navbar-default-border:            darken(@navbar-default-bg, 6.5%);
@navbar-border-radius:             @border-radius-base;
@navbar-padding-horizontal:        floor(@grid-gutter-width / 2);
@navbar-padding-vertical:          ((@navbar-height - @line-height-computed) / 2);

// Navbar links
@navbar-default-link-color:                #777;
@navbar-default-link-hover-color:          #333;
@navbar-default-link-hover-bg:             transparent;
@navbar-default-link-active-color:         #555;
@navbar-default-link-active-bg:            darken(@navbar-default-bg, 6.5%);
@navbar-default-link-disabled-color:       #ccc;
@navbar-default-link-disabled-bg:          transparent;

// Navbar brand label
@navbar-default-brand-color:               @navbar-default-link-color;
@navbar-default-brand-hover-color:         darken(@navbar-default-link-color, 10%);
@navbar-default-brand-hover-bg:            transparent;

// Navbar toggle
@navbar-default-toggle-hover-bg:           #ddd;
@navbar-default-toggle-icon-bar-bg:        #ccc;
@navbar-default-toggle-border-color:       #ddd;

You could also try http://twitterbootstrap3navbars.w3masters.nl/. This tool generates CSS code for your custom navbar. Optionally, you could also add gradient colors and borders to the navbar.

score 11 · Answer 5 · edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:55

Just add an id to the HTML navbar, such as:

<nav id="navbar-yellow" class="navbar navbar-default navbar-fixed-top" role="navigation">

With this id you can style the navbar color, but also the links and dropdowns

Examples applied to different types of navbars

Here is the CSS

/*
 * Black navbar style
 */
#navbar-black.navbar-default { /* #3C3C3C - #222222 */
    font-size: 14px;
    background-color: rgba(34, 34, 34, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(60, 60, 60, 1) 0%, rgba(34, 34, 34, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(60, 60, 60, 1) 0%, rgba(34, 34, 34, 1) 100%);
    border: 0px;
    border-radius: 0;
}
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:hover,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:focus,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:hover,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:focus,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:hover,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:focus {
    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1);
    background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 0%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 0%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 100%);
}
#sidebar-black, #column-black {
      background-color: #222222;
}
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #222222;
}
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #3C3C3C;
}
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #999999;
}
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover .icon-bar,
#navbar-black.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus .icon-bar {
    background-color: #ffffff;
}

/*
 * Red navbar style
 */
#navbar-red.navbar-default { /* #990033 - #cc0033 */
    font-size: 14px;
    background-color: rgba(153, 0, 51, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(204, 0, 51, 1) 0%, rgba(153, 0, 51, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(204, 0, 51, 1) 0%, rgba(153, 0, 51, 1) 100%);
    border: 0px;
    border-radius: 0;
}
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:hover,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:focus,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:hover,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:focus,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:hover,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:focus {
    color: rgba(51, 51, 51, 1);
    background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
}
#sidebar-red, #column-red {
      background-color: #990033;
}
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #990033;
}
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #cc0033;
}
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #999999;
}
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover .icon-bar,
#navbar-red.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus .icon-bar {
    background-color: #ffffff;
}

/*
 * Darkblue navbar style
 */
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default { /* #003399 - #0033cc */
    font-size: 14px;
    background-color: rgba(51, 51, 153, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(51, 51, 204, 1) 0%, rgba(51, 51, 153, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(51, 51, 204, 1) 0%, rgba(51, 51, 153, 1) 100%);
    border: 0px;
    border-radius: 0;
}
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:hover,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:focus,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:hover,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:focus,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:hover,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:focus {
    color: rgba(51, 51, 51, 1);
    background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
}
#sidebar-darkblue, #column-darkblue {
    background-color: #333399;
}
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #333399;
}
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #3333cc;
}
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #999999;
}
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover .icon-bar,
#navbar-darkblue.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus .icon-bar {
    background-color: #ffffff;
}

/*
 * Darkgreen navbar style
 */
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default { /* #006633 - #009933 */
    font-size: 14px;
    background-color: rgba(0, 102, 51, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(0, 153, 51, 1) 0%, rgba(0, 102, 51, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0, 153, 51, 1) 0%, rgba(0, 102, 51, 1) 100%);
    border: 0px;
    border-radius: 0;
}
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:hover,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:focus,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:hover,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:focus,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:hover,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:focus {
    color: rgba(51, 51, 51, 1);
    background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
}
#sidebar-darkgreen, #column-darkgreen {
    background-color: #006633;
}
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #006633;
}
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #009933;
}
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #999999;
}
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover .icon-bar,
#navbar-darkgreen.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus .icon-bar {
    background-color: #ffffff;
}

/*
 * Yellow navbar style
 */
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default { /* #99ff00 - #ccff00 */
    font-size: 14px;
    background-color: rgba(153, 255, 0, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(204, 255, 0, 1) 0%, rgba(153, 255, 0, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(204, 255, 0, 1) 0%, rgba(153, 255, 0, 1) 100%);
    border: 0px;
    border-radius: 0;
}
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:hover,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a:focus,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:hover,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a:focus,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:hover,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>.active>a:focus {
    color: rgba(51, 51, 51, 1);
    background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1);
    background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
    background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 0%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) 100%);
}
#sidebar-yellow, #column-yellow {
    background-color: #99ff00;
}
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #99ff00;
}
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #ccff00;
}
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>a,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-nav>li>ul>li>a,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #999999;
}
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover .icon-bar,
#navbar-yellow.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus .icon-bar {
    background-color: #ffffff;
}

Is the above for bootstrap 3 or 4 ? – MarcoZen May 12 '20 at 17:50 — MarcoZen, May 12 '20 at 17:50

score 7 · Answer 6 · answered Sep 21 '16 at 15:38

Do you have to change the CSS directly? What about...

<nav class="navbar navbar-inverse" style="background-color: #333399;">
<div class="container-fluid">
<div class="navbar-header">
  <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#myNavbar">
    <span class="icon-bar"></span>
    <span class="icon-bar"></span>
    <span class="icon-bar"></span>                        
  </button>
  <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Logo</a>
</div>
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="myNavbar">
  <ul class="nav navbar-nav">
    <li class="active"><a href="#">Home</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">About</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Projects</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Contact</a></li>
  </ul>
  <ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right">
    <li><a href="#"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-log-in"></span> Login</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>

score 6 · Answer 7 · edited Nov 06 '14 at 08:01

6

Try this too. This worked for me.

.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:focus {
  background-color: #00a950;
  color: #000000;
}

edited Nov 06 '14 at 08:01

zessx

68,042
28
135
158

answered Oct 31 '14 at 21:21

Saurabh Kumar

2,329
6
32
52

score 4 · Answer 8 · edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:53

4

If it's only about changing the color of the Navbar my suggestion would be to use: Bootstrap Magic. You can change the values for different properties of the Navbar and see a preview.

Download the result as a custom CSS style sheet or as a Less variables file. You can change values with input fields and color pickers.

edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:53

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Oct 13 '13 at 16:59

Theo

49
2

score 3 · Answer 9 · edited Mar 29 '17 at 22:42

In this navbar CSS, set to own color:

/* Navbar */
.navbar-default {
    background-color: #F8F8F8;
    border-color: #E7E7E7;
}
/* Title */
.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-brand:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-brand:focus {
    color: #5E5E5E;
}
/* Link */
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a {
    color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:focus {
    color: #333;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a, 
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a:hover, 
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a:focus {
    color: #555;
    background-color: #E7E7E7;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a, 
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:hover, 
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:focus {
    color: #555;
    background-color: #D5D5D5;
}
/* Caret */
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a .caret {
    border-top-color: #777;
    border-bottom-color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a:hover .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a:focus .caret {
    border-top-color: #333;
    border-bottom-color: #333;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a .caret, 
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:hover .caret, 
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:focus .caret {
    border-top-color: #555;
    border-bottom-color: #555;
}

What do you mean by "set to own color"? – Peter Mortensen Mar 29 '17 at 22:43 — Peter Mortensen, Mar 29 '17 at 22:43

score 1 · Answer 10 · edited Jul 03 '19 at 16:01

Example

Just try it like this:

<!-- A light one -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-default" role="navigation"></nav>
<!-- A dark one -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-inverse" role="navigation"></nav>

File `navabr.css`

/* Navbar */
.navbar-default {
    background-color: #F8F8F8;
    border-color: #E7E7E7;
}
/* Title */
.navbar-default .navbar-brand {
    color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-brand:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-brand:focus {
    color: #5E5E5E;
}
/* Link */
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a {
    color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > li > a:focus {
    color: #333;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .active > a:focus {
    color: #555;
    background-color: #E7E7E7;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:focus {
    color: #555;
    background-color: #D5D5D5;
}
/* Caret */
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a .caret {
    border-top-color: #777;
    border-bottom-color: #777;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a:hover .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .dropdown > a:focus .caret {
    border-top-color: #333;
    border-bottom-color: #333;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:hover .caret,
.navbar-default .navbar-nav > .open > a:focus .caret {
    border-top-color: #555;
    border-bottom-color: #555;
}
/* Mobile version */
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle {
    border-color: #DDD;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:hover,
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle:focus {
    background-color: #DDD;
}
.navbar-default .navbar-toggle .icon-bar {
    background-color: #CCC;
}
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu > li > a {
        color: #777;
    }
    .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu > li > a:hover,
    .navbar-default .navbar-nav .open .dropdown-menu > li > a:focus {
        color: #333;
    }
}

The default major color uses are as below:

Navbar Background: #F8F8F8
Navbar Border: #E7E7E7
Default Color: #777
Nav-brand Hover Color: #5E5E5E
Hover Color: #333
Active Background: #D5D5D5
Active Color: #555

You can learn more in To change navbar color in Twitter Bootstrap 3.

score 0 · Answer 11 · edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:57

0

Inverse and default class name mention in Twitter Bootstrap cause them to be black and white color.

Better, you should not override that and add a class near that and write you particular style for that:

my_style{
    background-color: green;
}

edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:57

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered May 16 '17 at 08:11

Nambi N Rajan

491
5
15

score 0 · Answer 12 · edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:59

0

Use:

<nav class="navbar navbar-inverse" role="navigation"></nav>

navbar-inverse {
    background-color: #F8F8F8;
    border-color: #E7E7E7;
}

25+ Bootstrap Nav Menus Code

edited Jul 03 '19 at 15:59

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Nov 25 '17 at 09:03

Half Moon

589
5
5

Change navbar color in Twitter Bootstrap

12 Answers12

Available navbars

Default color usage

Default style

Custom colored navbar examples

And finally, a little gift

Using Less

Just add an id to the HTML navbar, such as:

Examples applied to different types of navbars

Here is the CSS

Example

File `navabr.css`

Linked

Related

Change navbar color in Twitter Bootstrap

12 Answers12

Available navbars

Default color usage

Default style

Custom colored navbar examples

And finally, a little gift

Using Less

Just add an id to the HTML navbar, such as:

Examples applied to different types of navbars

Here is the CSS

Example

File navabr.css

Linked

Related

File `navabr.css`