The white-space
CSS property sets how white space inside an element is handled.
The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.
The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.
Note: To make words break within themselves, use overflow-wrap
, word-break
, or hyphens
instead.
Syntax
/* Keyword values */
white-space: normal;
white-space: nowrap;
white-space: pre;
white-space: pre-wrap;
white-space: pre-line;
white-space: break-spaces;
/* Global values */
white-space: inherit;
white-space: initial;
white-space: unset;
The white-space
property is specified as a single keyword chosen from the list of values below.
Values
normal
- Sequences of white space are collapsed. Newline characters in the source are handled the same as other white space. Lines are broken as necessary to fill line boxes.
nowrap
- Collapses white space as for
normal
, but suppresses line breaks (text wrapping) within the source. pre
- Sequences of white space are preserved. Lines are only broken at newline characters in the source and at
<br>
elements. pre-wrap
- Sequences of white space are preserved. Lines are broken at newline characters, at
<br>
, and as necessary to fill line boxes. pre-line
- Sequences of white space are collapsed. Lines are broken at newline characters, at
<br>
, and as necessary to fill line boxes. break-spaces
- The behavior is identical to that of
pre-wrap
, except that:- Any sequence of preserved white space always takes up space, including at the end of the line.
- A line breaking opportunity exists after every preserved white space character, including between white space characters.
- Such preserved spaces take up space and do not hang, and thus affect the box’s intrinsic sizes (min-content size and max-content size).
The following table summarizes the behavior of the various white-space
values:
New lines | Spaces and tabs | Text wrapping | End-of-line spaces | |
---|---|---|---|---|
normal |
Collapse | Collapse | Wrap | Remove |
nowrap |
Collapse | Collapse | No wrap | Remove |
pre |
Preserve | Preserve | No wrap | Preserve |
pre-wrap |
Preserve | Preserve | Wrap | Hang |
pre-line |
Preserve | Collapse | Wrap | Remove |
break-spaces |
Preserve | Preserve | Wrap | Wrap |
Formal definition
Initial value | normal |
---|---|
Applies to | all elements |
Inherited | yes |
Computed value | as specified |
Animation type | discrete |
Formal syntax
normal | pre | nowrap | pre-wrap | pre-line | break-spaces
Examples
Basic example
code {
white-space: pre;
}
Line breaks inside <pre> elements
pre {
word-wrap: break-word; /* IE 5.5-7 */
white-space: pre-wrap; /* Modern browsers */
}
In action
HTML
<div id="css-code" class="box">
p { white-space:
<select>
<option>normal</option>
<option>nowrap</option>
<option>pre</option>
<option>pre-wrap</option>
<option>pre-line</option>
<option>break-spaces</option>
</select> }
</div>
<div id="results" class="box">
<p> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.</p>
</div>
.box {
width: 300px;
padding: 16px;
border-radius: 10px;
}
#css-code {
background-color: rgb(220, 220, 220);
font-size: 16px;
font-family: monospace;
}
#css-code select {
font-family: inherit;
}
#results {
background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);
overflow-x: scroll;
height: 400px;
white-space: normal;
font-size: 14px;
}
var select = document.querySelector("#css-code select");
var results = document.querySelector("#results p");
select.addEventListener("change", function(e) {
results.setAttribute("style", "white-space: "+e.target.value);
})
<p> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.</p>
Result
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
CSS Text Module Level 3 The definition of 'white-space' in that specification. |
Candidate Recommendation | Precisely defines the breaking algorithms. |
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of 'white-space' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser
See also
- Properties that define how words break within themselves:
overflow-wrap
,word-break
,hyphens