display

The display CSS property specifies the type of rendering box used for an element. In HTML, default display property values are taken from behaviors described in the HTML specifications or from the browser/user default stylesheet. The default value in XML is inline.

In addition to the many different display box types, the value none lets you turn off the display of an element; when you use none, all descendant elements also have their display turned off. The document is rendered as though the element doesn't exist in the document tree.

/* <display-outside> values */
display: block;
display: inline;
display: run-in;
/* <display-inside> values */
display: flow;
display: flow-root;
display: table;
display: flex;
display: grid;
display: ruby;
display: subgrid;
/* <display-outside> plus <display-inside> values */
display: block flow;
display: inline table;
display: flex run-in;
/* <display-listitem> values */
display: list-item;
display: list-item block;
display: list-item inline;
display: list-item flow;
display: list-item flow-root;
display: list-item block flow;
display: list-item block flow-root;
display: flow list-item block;
/* <display-internal> values */
display: table-row-group;
display: table-header-group;
display: table-footer-group;
display: table-row;
display: table-cell;
display: table-column-group;
display: table-column;
display: table-caption;
display: ruby-base;
display: ruby-text;
display: ruby-base-container;
display: ruby-text-container;
/* <display-box> values */
display: contents;
display: none;
/* <display-legacy> values */
display: inline-block;
display: inline-list-item;
display: inline-table;
display: inline-flex;
display: inline-grid;
/* Global values */
display: inherit;
display: initial;
display: unset;

Syntax

The display property is specified using keyword values. Keyword values are grouped into six categories:

• <display-outside>
• <display-inside>
• <display-listitem>
• <display-internal>
• <display-box>
• <display-legacy>

Currently it's best to specify display using a single keyword: although the latest specifications allow you to combine some keywords, this is not yet well supported by browsers.

Values

<display-outside>

These keywords specify the element’s outer display type, which is essentially its role in flow layout. They are defined as follows:

Value	Description
block	The element generates a block element box.
inline	The element generates one or more inline element boxes.
run-in	The element generates a run-in box. Run-in elements act like inlines or blocks, depending on the surrounding elements. That is: If the run-in box contains a block box, same as block. If a block box follows the run-in box, the run-in box becomes the first inline box of the block box. If an inline box follows, the run-in box becomes a block box.

<display-inside>

These keywords specify the element’s inner display type, which defines the type of formatting context that lays out its contents (assuming it is a non-replaced element). They are defined as follows:

Value	Description
flow	The element lays out its contents using flow layout (block-and-inline layout). If its outer display type is inline or run-in, and it is participating in a block or inline formatting context, then it generates an inline box. Otherwise it generates a block container box. Depending on the value of other properties (such as position, float, or overflow) and whether it is itself participating in a block or inline formatting context, it either establishes a new block formatting context for its contents or integrates its contents into its parent formatting context.
flow-root	The element generates a block element box that establishes a new block formatting context.
table	These elements behave like <table> HTML elements. It defines a block-level box.
flex	The element behaves like a block element and lays out its content according to the flexbox model.
-webkit-flex	Alias for flex.
-moz-box / -webkit-box	The element behaves like a flexible box according to an outdated Flexbox specification.
grid	The element behaves like a block element and lays out its content according to the grid model.
subgrid	If the parent element has display:grid, the element itself and its content are laid out according to the grid model.
ruby	The element behaves like an inline element and lays out its content according to the ruby formatting model. It behaves like the corresponding <ruby> HTML elements.

<display-listitem>

The element generates a block box for the content and a separate list-item inline box.

If no <display-inside> value is specified, the principal box’s inner display type defaults to flow. If no <display-outside> value is specified, the principal box’s outer display type defaults to block.

<display-internal>

Some layout models, such as table and ruby, have a complex internal structure, with several different roles that their children and descendants can fill. This section defines those "internal" display values, which only have meaning within that particular layout mode.

Unless otherwise specified, both the inner display type and the outer display type of elements using these display values are set to the given keyword.

Value	Description
table-row-group	These elements behave like <tbody> HTML elements
table-header-group	These elements behave like <thead> HTML elements.
table-footer-group	These elements behave like <tfoot> HTML elements.
table-row	These elements behave like <tr> HTML elements.
table-cell	These elements behave like <td> HTML elements.
table-column-group	These elements behave like <colgroup> HTML elements.
table-column	These elements behave like <col> HTML elements.
table-caption	These elements behave like <caption> HTML elements.
ruby-base	These elements behave like <rb> elements.
ruby-text	These elements behave like <rt> elements.
ruby-base-container	These elements behave like <rbc> elements generated as anonymous boxes.
ruby-text-container	These elements behave like <rtc> elements.

<display-box>

These values define whether an element generates display boxes at all.

Value	Description
contents	These elements don't produce a specific box by themselves. They are replaced by their pseudo-box and their child boxes.
none	Turns off the display of an element so that it has no effect on layout (the document is rendered as though the element did not exist). All descendant elements also have their display turned off. To have an element take up the space that it would normally take, but without actually rendering anything, use the visibility property instead.

<display-legacy>

CSS 2 used a single-keyword syntax for the display property, requiring separate keywords for block-level and inline-level variants of the same layout mode. They are defined as follows:

Value	Description
inline-block	The element generates a block element box that will be flowed with surrounding content as if it were a single inline box (behaving much like a replaced element would) It is equivalent to inline flow-root.
inline-list-item	This value makes the element a list item, with the effects described above. Additionally, the outside value of list-style-position computes to inside on this element. Otherwise, this display value is treated identically to inline.
inline-table	The inline-table value does not have a direct mapping in HTML. It behaves like a <table> HTML element, but as an inline box, rather than a block-level box. Inside the table box is a block-level context. It is equivalent to inline table.
inline-flex	The element behaves like an inline element and lays out its content according to the flexbox model. It is equivalent to inline flex.
-webkit-inline-flex	Alias for inline-flex.
-moz-inline-box / -webkit-inline-box	The element behaves like a inline flexible box according to an outdated Flexbox specification.
inline-grid	The element behaves like an inline element and lays out its content according to the grid model.

Formal syntax

[ <display-outside> || <display-inside> ] | <display-listitem> | <display-internal> | <display-box> | <display-legacy>
where 
<display-outside> = block | inline | run-in
<display-inside> = flow | flow-root | table | flex | grid | subgrid | ruby
<display-listitem> = list-item && <display-outside>? && [ flow | flow-root ]?
<display-internal> = table-row-group | table-header-group | table-footer-group | table-row | table-cell | table-column-group | table-column | table-caption | ruby-base | ruby-text | ruby-base-container | ruby-text-container
<display-box> = contents | none
<display-legacy> = inline-block | inline-list-item | inline-table | inline-flex | inline-grid

Examples

Hide element

HTML content

<p>Visible text</p>
<p class="secret">Invisible text</p>

CSS content

p.secret {
  display: none;
}

Result

View Live Examples

Specifications

Browser compatibility

[1] To activate flexbox support, for Firefox 18 and 19, the user has to change the about:config preference "layout.css.flexbox.enabled" to true. Multi-line flexbox are supported since Firefox 28.

[2] Before Firefox 37, the contents value was disabled by default, and could be enabled by setting the layout.css.display-contents.enabled pref to true. In Firefox 37, it was enabled by default, and in Firefox 53 the pref was removed altogether.

[3] CSS Ruby support is behind pref "layout.css.ruby.enabled". The user has to change this pref to true to activate this.

[4] Natural inline elements only.

[5] Not before inline-elements.

[6] See bug 1105868.

[7] CSS Grid support is unprefixed in Nightly/Alpha builds and behind pref "layout.css.grid.enabled" in Beta/release builds.

[8] In Chrome, the contents value is currently disabled by default, but can be enabled with the "Experimental Web Platform features" flag.

See also

• visibility, float, position
• flex