max-height

Summary

The max-height CSS property is used to set the maximum height of a given element. It prevents the used value of the height property from becoming larger than the value specified for max-height.

max-height overrides height, but min-height overrides max-height.

• Initial value none
• Applies to all elements but non-replaced inline elements, table columns, and column groups
• Inherited no
• Percentages The percentage is calculated with respect to the height of the generated box's containing block. If the height of the containing block is not specified explicitly (i.e., it depends on content height), and this element is not absolutely positioned, the percentage value is treated as none.
• Media visual
• Computed value the percentage as specified or the absolute length or none
• Animatable yes, as a length, percentage or calc(); when both values are lengths, they are interpolated as lengths; when both values are percentages, they are interpolated as percentages; otherwise, both values are converted into a calc() function that is the sum of a length and a percentage (each possibly zero), and these calc() functions have each half interpolated as real numbers.
• Canonical order the unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar

Syntax

Formal syntax: <length> | <percentage> | none | max-content | min-content | fit-content | fill-available

max-height: 3.5em
max-height: 75%
max-height: none
max-height: max-content
max-height: min-content
max-height: fit-content
max-height: fill-available

max-height: inherit

Values

<length>

A fixed maximum height. See <length> for possible units.

<percentage>

The <percentage> is calculated with respect to the height of the containing block. If the height of the containing block is not specified explicitly, the percentage value is treated as none.

none

No limit on the height of the box.

max-content

The intrinsic preferred height.

min-content

The intrinsic minimum height.

fill-available

The containing block height minus vertical margin, border and padding. Some browsers implement an ancient name for this keyword, available.

fit-content

The same as max-content.

Examples

table { max-height: 75%; }

form { max-height: none; }

Specifications

Browser compatibility

[1] CSS 2.1 explicitely leaves the behavior of max-height with <table> undefined. Therefore any behavior is CSS2.1-compliant; newer CSS specifications may define this behavior, so Web developers shouldn't rely on a specific one now.

[2] Gecko experimentally implements the definitions given in CSS3 Basic Box. This one defines available and not fill-available. Also the definition of fit-content is simpler than in CSS3 Sizing.

[3] WebKit implements an earlier proposal for setting the height to an intrinsic height: the keywords intrinsic, instead of max-content, and min-intrinsic, instead of min-content. There is no equivalent for fill-available or fit-content.

See also

• The box model
• max-width, box-sizing, height, min-height