The padding-left CSS property sets the width of the padding area on the left side of an element. Unlike margins, negative values are not allowed for padding. The padding shorthand property can be used to set paddings on all four sides of an element with a single declaration.
/* <length> values */ padding-left: 0.5em; padding-left: 0; padding-left: 2cm; /* <percentage> value */ padding-left: 10%; /* Global values */ padding-left: inherit; padding-left: initial; padding-left: unset;
An element's padding area is the space between its content and its border.
| Initial value | 0 |
|---|---|
| Applies to | all elements, except table-row-group, table-header-group, table-footer-group, table-row, table-column-group and table-column. 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
Values
<length>- The size of the padding as a fixed value. Must be nonnegative.
<percentage>- The size of the padding as a percentage, relative to the width of the containing block. Must be nonnegative.
Formal syntax
<length> | <percentage>
Examples
.content { padding-left: 5%; }
.sidebox { padding-left: 10px; }
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| CSS Basic Box Model The definition of 'padding-left' in that specification. |
Working Draft | No change. |
| CSS Transitions The definition of 'padding-left' in that specification. |
Working Draft | Defines padding-left as animatable. |
| CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of 'padding-left' in that specification. |
Recommendation | No change. |
| CSS Level 1 The definition of 'padding-left' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
The compatibility table on this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.
| Feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Support | 1 | (Yes) | 1 | 4 | 3.5 | 1 |
| Feature | Android | Chrome for Android | Edge mobile | Firefox for Android | IE mobile | Opera Android | iOS Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Support | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | 4 | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
See also
- CSS Box Model
- The
paddingshorthand property can be used to set paddings on all four sides of an element with a single declaration:padding-top,padding-right,padding-bottom, andpadding-left.
Document Tags and Contributors
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fscholz,
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chrisdavidmills,
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Sheppy,
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Last updated by:
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