margin-top

The margin-top CSS property sets the margin area on the top of an element. A positive value will place it farther than normal from its neighbors, while a negative value will place it closer.

/* <length> values */
margin-top: 10px;  /* An absolute length */
margin-top: 1em;   /* relative to the text size */
margin-top: 5%;    /* relative to the nearest block container's width */
/* Keyword values */
margin-top: auto;
/* Global values */
margin-top: inherit;
margin-top: initial;
margin-top: unset;

The effect of the CSS margin-top property on the element box

Initial value	`0`
Applies to	all elements, except elements with table `display` types other than `table-caption`, `table` and `inline-table`. It also applies to `::first-letter`.
Inherited	no
Percentages	refer to the width of the containing block
Media	visual
Computed value	the percentage as specified or the absolute length
Animation type	a length
Canonical order	the unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar

Syntax

The margin-top property is specified as the keyword auto, or a <length>, or a <percentage>. Its value can be positive, zero, or negative.

Values

<length>: The size of the margin as a fixed value.
<percentage>: The size of the margin as a percentage, relative to the width of the containing block.
auto: The browser selects a suitable value to use. See margin.

Formal syntax

<length> | <percentage> | auto

Examples

.content { margin-top:   5%; }
.sidebox { margin-top: 10px; }
.logo    { margin-top: -5px; }
#footer  { margin-top:  1em; }

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Basic Box Model The definition of 'margin-top' in that specification.	Working Draft	No significant change
CSS Transitions The definition of 'margin-top' in that specification.	Working Draft	Defines `margin-top` as animatable.
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of 'margin-top' in that specification.	Recommendation	Removes its effect on inline elements.
CSS Level 1 The definition of 'margin-top' in that specification.	Recommendation	Initial definition

Feature	Chrome	Edge	Firefox (Gecko)	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari (WebKit)
Basic support	1.0	(Yes)	1.0 (1.7 or earlier)	3.0	3.5	1.0 (85)
`auto` value	1.0	(Yes)	1.0 (1.7 or earlier)	6.0 (strict mode)	3.5	1.0 (85)