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Clarify that the universal selector does not match pseudo-elements #41958

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Nov 17, 2025
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Clarify that the universal selector does not match pseudo-elements #41958

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Clarify that the universal selector does not match pseudo-elements di…
codersjj Nov 16, 2025
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Update files/en-us/web/css/reference/selectors/universal_selectors/in…
codersjj Nov 17, 2025
c166bff
Update files/en-us/web/css/reference/selectors/universal_selectors/in…
codersjj Nov 17, 2025
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Merge branch 'main' into css_universal_selector
chrisdavidmills Nov 17, 2025
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6 changes: 6 additions & 0 deletions files/en-us/web/css/reference/selectors/universal_selectors/index.md
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Expand Up @@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ The universal selector is a special [type selector](/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Referenc
- `*|*` - matches all elements
- `|*` - matches all elements without any declared namespace

> [!NOTE]
> The universal selector (`*`) matches **elements only**.
> It does **not** directly match pseudo-elements by itself.
>
> To match all {{cssxref("::before")}} pseudo-elements on a page, for example, you would have to use a selector like `*::before`. This works because the `*` matches all elements, and the `::before` pseudo-element is available on all elements.
## Syntax

```css
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