CSS - align-content

The CSS align-content property aligns a flex container's lines within the flex container when there is extra space on the cross-axis.

Example

 

HTML:

HTML
<div id="container">
  <p>align-content: flex-start</p>
  <div id="flex-start">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
  </div>
  <p>align-content: center</p>
  <div id="center">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
  </div>
  <p>align-content: flex-end</p>
  <div id="flex-end">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
  </div>
  <p>align-content: space-between</p>
  <div id="space-between">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
  </div>
  <p>align-content: space-around</p>
  <div id="space-around">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
  </div>
  <p>align-content: stretch</p>
  <div id="stretch">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
  </div>
</div>

CSS:

CSS
#container > div {
  display: -webkit-flex;
  display: -ms-flex;
  display: flex;
  -webkit-flex-flow: row wrap;
  flex-flow: row wrap;
  width: 140px;
  height: 140px;
  background: linear-gradient(-45deg, #78ff8c, #b4ffc8);
}

#container > div > div {
  margin: 2px;
  width: 30px;
  min-height: 30px;
  background: linear-gradient(-45deg, #788cff, #b4c8ff);
}

#flex-start {
  -webkit-align-content: flex-start;
  align-content: flex-start;
}

#center {
  -webkit-align-content: center;
  align-content: center;
}

#flex-end {
  -webkit-align-content: flex-end;
  align-content: flex-end;
}

#space-between {
  -webkit-align-content: space-between;
  align-content: space-between;
}

#space-around {
  -webkit-align-content: space-around;
  align-content: space-around;
}

#stretch {
  -webkit-align-content: stretch;
  align-content: stretch;
}

Results in:

Syntax  

CSS
/* Pack lines from the cross-axis start */
align-content: flex-start;

/* Pack lines to the cross-axis end */
align-content: flex-end;

/* Pack lines around the cross-axis center */
align-content: center;

/* Distribute lines along the cross-axis, start to end */
align-content: space-between;

/* Distribute lines along the cross-axis, equally spaced */
align-content: space-around;

/* Stretch lines to occupy the whole cross-axis */
align-content: stretch;

/* Global values */
align-content: inherit;
align-content: initial;
align-content: unset;

Values

flex-start
Lines are packed starting from the cross-start. Cross-start edge of the first line and cross-start edge of the flex container are flushed together. Each following line is flush with the preceding.
flex-end
Lines are packed starting from the cross-end. Cross-end of the last line and cross-end of the flex container are flushed together. Each preceding line is flushed with the following line.
center
Lines are packed toward the center of the flex container. The lines are flushed with each other and aligned in the center of the flex container. Space between the cross-start edge of the flex container and first line and between cross-end of the flex container and the last line is the same.
space-between
Lines are evenly distributed in the flex container. The spacing is done such as the space between two adjacent items is the same. Cross-start edge and cross-end edge of the flex container are flushed with respectively first and last line edges.
space-around
Lines are evenly distributed so that the space between two adjacent lines is the same. The empty space before the first and after the last lines equals half of the space between two adjacent lines.
stretch
Lines stretch to use the remaining space. The free-space is split equally between all the lines.

Formal syntax

CSS
flex-start <a href="css/value_definition_syntax#single_bar" title="Single bar">|</a> flex-end <a href="css/value_definition_syntax#single_bar" title="Single bar">|</a> center <a href="css/value_definition_syntax#single_bar" title="Single bar">|</a> space-between <a href="css/value_definition_syntax#single_bar" title="Single bar">|</a> space-around <a href="css/value_definition_syntax#single_bar" title="Single bar">|</a> stretch

Description  

The CSS align-content property aligns a flex container's lines within the flex container when there is extra space on the cross-axis.

This property has no effect on single line flexible boxes.

Initial valuestretch
Applies tomulti-line flex containers
Inheritedno
Mediavisual
Computed valueas specified
Animatableno
Canonical orderthe unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar

See Using CSS flexible boxes for more properties and information.

Browser Compatibility  

Feature Chrome Firefox (Gecko) Internet Explorer Opera Safari
Basic support 21.0-webkit 28.0[1] No support 12.10 No support
Feature Android Chrome for Android Firefox Mobile (Gecko) IE Mobile Opera Mobile Safari Mobile
Basic support ? ? 28.0[1] No support 12.10 No support

[1] In addition to the unprefixed support, Gecko 48.0 (Firefox 48.0 / Thunderbird 48.0 / SeaMonkey 2.45) added support for a -webkit prefixed version of the property for web compatibility reasons behind the preference layout.css.prefixes.webkit, defaulting to false. Since Gecko 49.0 (Firefox 49.0 / Thunderbird 49.0 / SeaMonkey 2.46) the preference defaults to true.

See Also  

Specifications  

Specification Status Comment
CSS Flexible Box Layout Module
The definition of 'align-content' in that specification.
Candidate Recommendation Initial definition

License

© 2016 Mozilla Contributors
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-us/docs/web/css/align-content

CSS CSS Flexible Boxes CSS Property NeedsMobileBrowserCompatibility Reference