The left
CSS property participates in specifying the horizontal position of a positioned element. It has no effect on non-positioned elements.
/* <length> values */ left: 3px; left: 2.4em; /* <percentage>s of the width of the containing block */ left: 10%; /* Keyword value */ left: auto; /* Global values */ left: inherit; left: initial; left: unset;
The effect of left
depends on how the element is positioned (i.e., the value of the position
property):
- When
position
is set toabsolute
orfixed
, theleft
property specifies the distance between the element's left edge and the left edge of its containing block. - When
position
is set torelative
, theleft
property specifies the distance the element's left edge is moved to the right from its normal position. - When
position
is set tosticky
, theleft
property behaves like its position isrelative
when the element is inside the viewport, and like its position isfixed
when it is outside. - When
position
is set tostatic
, theleft
property has no effect.
When both left
and right
are defined, the position of the element is overspecified. When this is the case, the left
value has precedence when the container is left-to-right (thus, the computed value of right
is set to -left
); the right
value has precedence when the container is right-to-left (thus, the computed value of left
is set to -right
).
Initial value | auto |
---|---|
Applies to | positioned elements |
Inherited | no |
Percentages | refer to the width of the containing block |
Media | visual |
Computed value | if specified as a length, the corresponding absolute length; if specified as a percentage, the specified value; otherwise, auto |
Animation type | a length, percentage or calc(); |
Canonical order | the unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar |
Syntax
Values
<length>
- A negative, null, or positive
<length>
that represents:- for absolutely positioned elements, the distance to the left edge of the containing block.
- for relatively positioned elements, the distance that the element is moved to the right of its normal position.
<percentage>
- A
<percentage>
of the containing block's width, used as described in the summary. auto
- Specifies that:
- for absolutely positioned elements, the position of the element is based on the
right
property, whilewidth: auto
is treated as a width based on the content. - for relatively positioned elements, the distance of the element from its normal position is based on the
right
property, or ifright
is alsoauto
, the element is not moved horizontally at all.
- for absolutely positioned elements, the position of the element is based on the
inherit
- Specifies that the value is the same as the computed value from its parent element (which might not be its containing block). This computed value is then handled as if it were a
<length>
,<percentage>
, or theauto
keyword.
Formal syntax
<length> | <percentage> | auto
Examples
CSS
#wrap { width: 700px; margin: 0 auto; background: #5C5C5C; } pre { white-space: pre; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-line; word-wrap: break-word; } #example_1 { width: 200px; height: 200px; position: absolute; left: 20px; top: 20px; background-color: #D8F5FF; } #example_2 { width: 200px; height: 200px; position: relative; top: 0; right: 0; background-color: #C1FFDB; } #example_3 { width: 600px; height: 400px; position: relative; top: 20px; left: 20px; background-color: #FFD7C2; } #example_4 { width:200px; height:200px; position:absolute; bottom:10px; right:20px; background-color:#FFC7E4; }
HTML
<div id="wrap"> <div id="example_1"> <pre> position: absolute; left: 20px; top: 20px; </pre> <p>The only containing element for this div is the main window, so it positions itself in relation to it.</p> </div> <div id="example_2"> <pre> position: relative; top: 0; right: 0; </pre> <p>Relative position in relation to its siblings.</p> </div> <div id="example_3"> <pre> float: right; position: relative; top: 20px; left: 20px; </pre> <p>Relative to its sibling div above, but removed from flow of content.</p> <div id="example_4"> <pre> position: absolute; bottom: 10px; right: 20px; </pre> <p>Absolute position inside of a parent with relative position</p> </div> </div> </div>
Live sample
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
CSS Transitions The definition of 'left' in that specification. |
Working Draft | Defines left as animatable. |
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of 'left' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
Feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support | 1.0 | (Yes) | 1.0 (1.7 or earlier) | 5.5 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
Feature | Android | Edge | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Phone | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support | 1.0 | (Yes) | 1.0 (1) | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 |
See also
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