Using flexbox to vertically and horizontally center content is usually the preferred method. All it takes is three lines of code in the container element to set display: flex
and then center the child element vertically and horizontally using align-items: center
and justify-content: center
respectively. You can view the Flexbox centering snippet for the code and examples.
Using the grid module is very similar to flexbox and also a common technique, especially if you are already using grid in your layout. The only difference from the previous technique is the display
which is set to grid
instead. You can view the Grid centering snippet for the code and examples.
Transform centering uses, as the name implies, CSS transforms to center an element. It depends on the container element having a position: relative
, allowing the child element to utilize position: absolute
to position itself. Then left: 50%
and top: 50%
are used to offset the child element and transform: translate(-50%, -50%)
to negate its position. You can view the Transform centering snippet for the code and examples.
Last but not least, table centering is an older technique which you might favor when working with older browsers. It depends on the use of display: table
in the container element. This allows the child element to use display: table-cell
in combination with text-align: center
and vertical-align: middle
to center itself horizontally and vertically. You can view the Display table centering snippet for the code and examples.
Snippet collection
A collection of techniques for centering HTML elements in any situation using CSS.
CSS, Layout
Horizontally and vertically centers a child element within a parent element using flexbox.
CSS, Layout
Horizontally and vertically centers a child element within a parent element using grid
.
CSS, Layout
Vertically and horizontally centers a child element within its parent element, using display: table
.