In this recipe you will see how to center one box inside another. Centering both horizontally and vertically was difficult before flexbox, with the Box Alignment properties it is now straightforward.
Requirements
To place an item into the center of another box horizontally and vertically.
Recipe
Choices made
To center one box inside another we make the containing box a flex container. Then set align-items to center to perform centering on the block axis, and justify-content to center to perform centering on the inline axis.
In the future we may be able to center elements without needing to turn the parent into a flex container, as the Box Alignment properties used here are specified to apply to block layout too. However, support is currently limited for box alignment properties on block layout, so currently centering using Flexbox is the most robust way to achieve this.
Browser compatibility
The various layout methods have different browser support. See the charts below for details on basic support for the properties used.
align-items
| Desktop | Mobile |
|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari | Android webview | Chrome for Android | Firefox for Android | Opera for Android | Safari on iOS | Samsung Internet |
|---|
| Supported in Flex Layout | Chrome
Full support
52-
Full support
52
-
Partial support
29
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
21
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Edge
Full support
12-
Full support
12
-
Full support
12
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Firefox
Full support
20-
Full support
20
- Notes Multi-line flexbox has been supported since Firefox 28.
-
Full support
49
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
-
No support
18 — 20
- Disabled From version 18 until version 20 (exclusive): this feature is behind the
layout.css.flexbox.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config. -
Full support
48
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
- Disabled From version 48: this feature is behind the
layout.css.prefixes.webkit preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
| IE
Full support
11-
Full support
11
- Notes In Internet Explorer 10 and 11, if column flex items have
align-items: center; set on them and their content is too large, then they will overflow the bounds of their container. See Flexbug #2.
| Opera
Full support
12.1 | Safari
Full support
9-
Full support
9
-
Full support
7
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| WebView Android
Full support
52-
Full support
52
-
Partial support
4.4
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
≤37
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Chrome Android
Full support
52-
Full support
52
-
Partial support
29
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
25
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Firefox Android
Full support
20-
Full support
20
- Notes Multi-line flexbox has been supported since Firefox 28.
-
Full support
49
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
-
No support
18 — 20
- Disabled From version 18 until version 20 (exclusive): this feature is behind the
layout.css.flexbox.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config. -
Full support
48
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
- Disabled From version 48: this feature is behind the
layout.css.prefixes.webkit preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
| Opera Android
Full support
12.1 | Safari iOS
Full support
9-
Full support
9
-
Full support
7
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Samsung Internet Android
Full support
6.0-
Full support
6.0
-
Partial support
2.0
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Samsung Internet 6.0.
-
Full support
1.5
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
|
|---|
| Supported in Grid Layout | Chrome
Full support
57 | Edge
Full support
16 | Firefox
Full support
52 | IE
No support
No | Opera
Full support
44 | Safari
Full support
10.1 | WebView Android
Full support
57 | Chrome Android
Full support
52 | Firefox Android
Full support
52 | Opera Android
Full support
43 | Safari iOS
Full support
10.3 | Samsung Internet Android
Full support
6.2 |
|---|
Legend
-
Full support
- Full support
-
No support
- No support
- See implementation notes.
- See implementation notes.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
- Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.
- Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.
justify-content
| Desktop | Mobile |
|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari | Android webview | Chrome for Android | Firefox for Android | Opera for Android | Safari on iOS | Samsung Internet |
|---|
| Supported in Flex Layout | Chrome
Full support
52-
Full support
52
-
Partial support
29
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
21
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Edge
Full support
12-
Full support
12
-
Full support
12
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Firefox
Full support
20-
Full support
20
- Notes Before Firefox 27, Firefox supported only single-line flexbox.
-
No support
18 — 20
- Disabled From version 18 until version 20 (exclusive): this feature is behind the
layout.css.flexbox.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config. -
Full support
49
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
-
Full support
48
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
- Disabled From version 48: this feature is behind the
layout.css.prefixes.webkit preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
| IE
Full support
11 | Opera
Full support
12.1 | Safari
Full support
9-
Full support
9
-
Full support
6.1
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| WebView Android
Full support
52-
Full support
52
-
Partial support
4.4
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
≤37
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Chrome Android
Full support
52-
Full support
52
-
Partial support
29
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
25
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Firefox Android
Full support
20-
Full support
20
- Notes Before Firefox 27, Firefox supported only single-line flexbox.
-
No support
18 — 20
- Disabled From version 18 until version 20 (exclusive): this feature is behind the
layout.css.flexbox.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config. -
Full support
49
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
-
Full support
48
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
- Disabled From version 48: this feature is behind the
layout.css.prefixes.webkit preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
| Opera Android
Full support
12.1 | Safari iOS
Full support
9-
Full support
9
-
Full support
6.1
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
| Samsung Internet Android
Full support
6.0-
Full support
6.0
-
Partial support
2.0
- Notes Older versions of the specification treat absolute positioned children as though they are a 0 by 0 flex item. Later specification versions take the children out of the flow and set their positions based on align and justify properties. Chrome implements the new behavior beginning with Chrome 52.
-
Full support
1.5
- Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-
|
|---|
| Supported in Grid Layout | Chrome
Full support
57 | Edge
Full support
16 | Firefox
Full support
52 | IE
No support
No | Opera
Full support
44 | Safari
Full support
10.1 | WebView Android
Full support
57 | Chrome Android
Full support
52 | Firefox Android
Full support
52 | Opera Android
Full support
43 | Safari iOS
Full support
10.3 | Samsung Internet Android
Full support
6.2 |
|---|
Legend
-
Full support
- Full support
-
No support
- No support
- See implementation notes.
- See implementation notes.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
- User must explicitly enable this feature.
- Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.
- Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.
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