Have you ever struggled to style an element while it's being dragged? Sunkanmi explains some ways it could become easier in the future.

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A proposed CSS pseudo-class `:drag` would enable styling elements during drag interactions without JavaScript. Currently, developers must use the HTML Drag and Drop API with JavaScript event listeners and class toggling to achieve this effect. The proposal would simplify the process by allowing direct CSS styling when elements are being dragged. The author also suggests a `::drag-image` pseudo-element for customizing the preview image shown during dragging, which currently requires JavaScript's `dataTransfer.setDragImage()` method. Both proposals aim to reduce JavaScript dependencies and improve performance for common drag-and-drop UI patterns.

Future CSS: :drag (and Maybe ::dragged-image?)

<p>is anyone using the DnD API in 2026? It’s still not working properly on iOS right?</p>
<p>I had to build the dnd-manager lib with pointer events because of that <a href="https://github.com/itsjavi/dnd-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">https://github.com/itsjavi/dnd-manager</a></p>
