Enabling CSS Syntax Highlighting

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 41 views

Introduction

Welcome to the world of NeoVim, a powerful and highly customizable text editor. As a beginner, you're likely to come across various tutorials and guides that will help you get started with this amazing tool. However, you may have encountered a common issue - CSS syntax highlighting not working as expected. In this article, we'll explore how to enable CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim, specifically when working with a <style> block inside an HTML file.

Understanding the Issue

When you open an HTML file in NeoVim, you might notice that the CSS code within the <style> block is not being highlighted as expected. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to learn and understand the syntax of CSS. The issue lies in the way NeoVim handles syntax highlighting for HTML files.

Enabling CSS Syntax Highlighting

To enable CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim, you'll need to configure the syntax option. By default, NeoVim uses the html syntax highlighting for HTML files, which doesn't include CSS highlighting. To fix this, you can add the following line to your NeoVim configuration file (~/.config/nvim/init.vim or ~/.vimrc):

autocmd FileType html setlocal syntax=htmlcss

This will enable CSS syntax highlighting for HTML files.

Using LazyVim

If you're using LazyVim, a popular plugin for NeoVim, you can add the following line to your lazyvimrc file:

require('lazyvim').setup({
  {
    'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter',
    config = function()
      require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
        highlight = {
          enable = true,
          use_languagetree = true,
        },
        indent = {
          enable = true,
        },
        incremental_selection = {
          enable = true,
          keymaps = {
            ['<C-s>'] = 'select',
          },
        },
        rainbow = {
          enable = true,
          extended_mode = true,
          max_file_lines = 1000,
          color_mode = 'rainbow',
        },
        context_commentstring = {
          enable = true,
          use_autocmd = false,
        },
      })
    end,
  },
  {
    'nvim-lua/plenary.nvim',
    version = false,
  },
  {
    'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-textobjects',
    config = function()
      require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
        textobjects = {
          select = {
            enable = true,
            lookahead = true,
            keymaps = {
              ['<C-s>'] = '@parameter.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@parameter.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@field.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@field.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@query.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@query.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@function.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@function.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@method.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@method.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@class.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@class.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@conditional.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@conditional.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@loop.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@loop.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@repeat.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@repeat.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@label.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@label.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@constant.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@constant.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@string.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@string.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@comment.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@comment.inner',
            },
          },
        },
      })
    end,
  },
})

This will enable CSS syntax highlighting for HTML files using the htmlcss syntax.

Conclusion

Enabling CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim is a straightforward process that requires configuring the syntax option. By adding the autocmd FileType html setlocal syntax=htmlcss line to your NeoVim configuration file, you can enable CSS syntax highlighting for HTML files. If you're using LazyVim, you can add the require('lazyvim').setup({...}) line to your lazyvimrc file to achieve the same result.

Troubleshooting

If you're experiencing issues with CSS syntax highlighting not working as expected, try the following:

Make sure you've added the autocmd FileType html setlocal syntax=htmlcss line to your NeoVim configuration file.
Check that you're using the correct syntax highlighting plugin (e.g., htmlcss).
Try restarting NeoVim to ensure the changes take effect.

Q: What is CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim?

A: CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim is a feature that allows you to see the CSS code within an HTML file highlighted in different colors, making it easier to read and understand the code.

Q: Why is CSS syntax highlighting not working in NeoVim?

A: CSS syntax highlighting may not be working in NeoVim due to a few reasons:

You haven't configured the syntax option correctly.
You're using the wrong syntax highlighting plugin.
You haven't restarted NeoVim after making changes to your configuration file.

Q: How do I enable CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim?

A: To enable CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim, you can add the following line to your NeoVim configuration file (~/.config/nvim/init.vim or ~/.vimrc):

autocmd FileType html setlocal syntax=htmlcss

This will enable CSS syntax highlighting for HTML files.

Q: What is the difference between `html` and `htmlcss` syntax highlighting?

A: The html syntax highlighting plugin only highlights HTML code, while the htmlcss syntax highlighting plugin highlights both HTML and CSS code.

Q: Can I use LazyVim to enable CSS syntax highlighting?

A: Yes, you can use LazyVim to enable CSS syntax highlighting. To do this, add the following line to your lazyvimrc file:

require('lazyvim').setup({
  {
    'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter',
    config = function()
      require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
        highlight = {
          enable = true,
          use_languagetree = true,
        },
        indent = {
          enable = true,
        },
        incremental_selection = {
          enable = true,
          keymaps = {
            ['<C-s>'] = 'select',
          },
        },
        rainbow = {
          enable = true,
          extended_mode = true,
          max_file_lines = 1000,
          color_mode = 'rainbow',
        },
        context_commentstring = {
          enable = true,
          use_autocmd = false,
        },
      })
    end,
  },
  {
    'nvim-lua/plenary.nvim',
    version = false,
  },
  {
    'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-textobjects',
    config = function()
      require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
        textobjects = {
          select = {
            enable = true,
            lookahead = true,
            keymaps = {
              ['<C-s>'] = '@parameter.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@parameter.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@field.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@field.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@query.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@query.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@function.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@function.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@method.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@method.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@class.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@class.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@conditional.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@conditional.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@loop.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@loop.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@repeat.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@repeat.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@label.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@label.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@constant.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@constant.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@string.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@string.inner',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@comment.outer',
              ['<C-s>'] = '@comment.inner',
            },
          },
        },
      })
    end,
  },
})

This will enable CSS syntax highlighting for HTML files using the htmlcss syntax.

Q: Can I customize the CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim?

A: Yes, you can customize the CSS syntax highlighting in NeoVim by modifying the syntax option or by using a different syntax highlighting plugin.

Q: How do I troubleshoot CSS syntax highlighting issues in NeoVim?

A: To troubleshoot CSS syntax highlighting issues in NeoVim, try the following:

Make sure you've added the autocmd FileType html setlocal syntax=htmlcss line to your NeoVim configuration file.
Check that you're using the correct syntax highlighting plugin (e.g., htmlcss).
Try restarting NeoVim to ensure the changes take effect.

By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and resolve CSS syntax highlighting issues in NeoVim.