Top 5 TailwindCSS v4 Features for 2026

TailwindCSS v4 dropped in early 2025 and completely changed how I write CSS. After a year of daily use, here are the features that have made the biggest impact on my workflow.

1. CSS-First Configuration

No more tailwind.config.js. In v4, you configure everything directly in CSS:

@import "tailwindcss";

@theme {
  --color-brand: oklch(56% 0.24 256deg);
  --font-sans: "Inter", sans-serif;
  --radius-card: 16px;
}

This feels much more natural for CSS developers.

2. The New Vite Engine (Oxide)

Build performance is 10x faster than v3. On large projects, full builds that took 3-4 seconds now finish in under 400ms. HMR is near-instant.

3. Built-in @starting-style Support

Native support for enter/exit animations using the new @starting-style CSS feature:

<div class="opacity-0 @starting-style:opacity-100 transition-opacity">
  Fade in on mount!
</div>

4. Container Queries First-Class

Container queries are now first-class, no plugin needed:

<div class="@container">
  <p class="@sm:text-xl @lg:text-3xl">Responsive to container!</p>
</div>

5. oklch Color System

v4 uses oklch colors for the default palette, which gives much more perceptually uniform gradients and better dark mode contrast. No more harsh color jumps.

TailwindCSS v4 is the best version yet. If you haven't migrated from v3, the upgrade guide is very straightforward.