[google-chrome-devtools] How to use color picker (eye dropper)?

There is a very useful tool built in chrome dev tool, that I have just discovered. I even don't know its name, and I am not able to find it on google. I would say it is a pixel inspector tool.

I find the following method how to use it:

1a. Inspect an html element with background color.

1b. Define background color of an element.

  1. Click on the color picker.
  2. Move your mouse over any element on the page (not on the dev tool)

See: http://skalar.darkware.hu/skalkaz/Chrome-Colorpicker.gif

My questions: What is this tool name? How to use it easily? Most of the time I don't care the color, but I want to inspect the pixels of an icon. Is there a hotkey of this tool?

This question is related to google-chrome-devtools

The answer is


To open the Eye Dropper simply:

  1. Open DevTools F12
  2. Go to Elements tab
  3. Under Styles side bar click on any color preview box

enter image description here

Its main functionality is to inspect pixel color values by clicking them though with its new features you can also see your page's existing colors palette or material design palette by clicking on the two arrows icon at the bottom. It can get quite handy when designing your page.


Currently, the eyedropper tool is not working in my version of Chrome (as described above), though it worked for me in the past. I hear it is being updated in the latest version of Chrome.

However, I'm able to grab colors easily in Firefox.

  1. Open page in Firefox
  2. Hamburger Menu -> Web Developer -> Eyedropper
  3. Drag eyedropper tool over the image... Click.
    Color is copied to your clipboard, and eyedropper tool goes away.
  4. Paste color code

In case you cannot get the eyedropper tool to work in Chrome, this is a good work around.
I also find it easier to access :-)


It is just called the eyedropper tool. There is no shortcut key for it that I'm aware of. The only way you can use it now is by clicking on the color picker box in styles sidebar and then clicking on the page as you have already been doing.