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CSS left
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="keywords" content="CSS left, position elements, relative, absolute, stylesheets"> <meta name="Description" content="CSS left - CSS property for specifying an element's position based on an offset."> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.quackit.com/css/properties/css_left.cfm"> <title>CSS left</title> <script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/pix/favicon96.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/pix/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin> <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Lato:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;1,400&display=swap" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="/common/css/master.45.min.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script async src="https://cdn.fuseplatform.net/publift/tags/2/3499/fuse.js"></script> <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics --> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-Q3H025ZKLN"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-Q3H025ZKLN'); </script> </head> <body> <header class="site-header"> <div class="site-header-base"> <div class="site-logo"> <a title="Quackit Homepage" target="_top" href="/"><img src="/pix/quackit_logo_watermark.png" width="87" height="33" alt="Quackit Logo"></a> </div> <button id="site-nav-toggler" class="site-nav-toggler" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="site-nav"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span> ☰ </button> </div> <nav id="site-nav" class="site-nav"> <div class="site-links"> <ul> <li><a href="/"><i class="fa fa-home"></i> <span class="sr-only">Home</span></a></li> <li><a href="/html/">HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/css/">CSS</a></li> <li><a href="/scripting/">Scripting</a></li> <li><a href="/database/">Database</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="site-search-top"> <form action="/search/" id="cse-search-box-bottom" class="site-search"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-6331358926293806:98x0fk-bbgi"> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:10"> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1"> <input type="text" name="q" size="20" class="site-search-input"> <button type="submit" name="sa" class="site-search-button"><i class="fa fa-search"></i></button> </div> </form> </div> </nav> </header> <div class="main"> <article class="content"> <h1 class="page-title">CSS left</h1> <div class="ad ad-top"> <!-- GAM 71161633/QCKIT_quackit/article_header --> <div data-fuse="23059883623"></div> </div> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/lib/codemirror.js"></script> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/css/css.js"></script> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example1" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false"><!doctype html>
<title>Example</title>
<style>
div.inner {
 width: 200px;
 height: 100px;
 padding: 20px;
 border: 1px solid orange;
 position: relative;
 left: 20%;
 }
</style>
<div class="inner">This 'div' is positioned using the CSS 'left' property. Try changing the values to see the effect it has on the position of the div.</div></textarea> <p> <a class="btn btn-default" href="/html/html_editors/scratchpad/?example=/css/properties/css_left" target="_blank" title="Full-page editor. Opens this example in the full-page editor."><i class="fa fa-pencil-square-o"></i> View Output</i></a> </p> </div> <script> var exampleCode1 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example1"), { mode: "text/css", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <p class="lead">The CSS <code>left</code> property specifies how far a box's left margin edge is offset from the left edge of the box's containing block.</p> <p>The property allows you to specify how far the element is offset from the left edge of its containing block (for absolute positioning), or from where the positioned element's left edge would normally have been (for relative positioning). If it's a stickily positioned box, the <code>left</code> property's value is used to compute the sticky-constraint rectangle.</p> <p>The <code>left</code> property is used in conjunction with the <a href="/css/properties/css_position.cfm"><code>position</code></a> property when its value is anything other than <code>static</code>. </p> <p>Also see the <a href="/css/properties/css_top.cfm"><code>top</code></a>, <a href="/css/properties/css_bottom.cfm"><code>bottom</code></a>, and <a href="/css/properties/css_right.cfm"><code>right</code></a> properties.</p> <div class="ad"> <!-- GAM 71161633/QCKIT_quackit/article_incontent_1 --> <div data-fuse="23059883629"></div> </div> <h2>Syntax</h2> <script src="/common/js/codemirror/mode/text/css/text/css.js"></script> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example2" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false">left: auto | <length> | <percentage></textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode2 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example2"), { mode: "text/css", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <p>These values are explained below.</p> <h2>Possible Values</h2> <dl> <dt><dfn><code>auto</code></dfn></dt> <dd> <p>Specifies the following:</p> <ul> <li>for absolutely positioned elements, the position of the element is based on the <a href="/css/properties/css_right.cfm"><code>right</code></a> property, and <code>width: auto</code> will be treated as a width based on the content.</li> <li>for relatively positioned elements, the offset the element from its original position is based on the <a href="/css/properties/css_right.cfm"><code>right</code></a> property, or if the value of <a href="/css/properties/css_right.cfm"><code>right</code></a> is also <code>auto</code>, no offset occurs at all.</li> </ul> </dd> <dt><dfn><a class="css-data-type" href="/css/data_types/css_percentage_data_type.cfm">percentage</a></dfn></dt> <dd> <p>Specifies the offset as a <a class="css-data-type" href="/css/data_types/css_percentage_data_type.cfm">percentage</a>. The offset is a percentage of the containing block's width. For stickily positioned elements, the offset is a percentage of the flow root's width. Negative values are allowed.</p> </dd> <dt><dfn><a class="css-data-type" href="/css/data_types/css_length_data_type.cfm">length</a></dfn></dt> <dd> <p>Specifies the offset as a <a class="css-data-type" href="/css/data_types/css_length_data_type.cfm">length</a>. The offset is a fixed distance from the reference edge. Negative values are allowed.</p> </dd> </dl> <p>In addition, all CSS properties also accept the following CSS-wide keyword values as the sole component of their property value: </p> <dl> <dt><code>initial</code></dt> <dd>Represents the value specified as the property's initial value.</dd> <dt><code>inherit</code></dt> <dd>Represents the computed value of the property on the element's parent.</dd> <dt><code>unset</code></dt> <dd>This value acts as either <code>inherit</code> or <code>initial</code>, depending on whether the property is inherited or not. In other words, it sets all properties to their parent value if they are inheritable or to their initial value if not inheritable.</dd> </dl> <h2>General Information</h2> <div class="specifications"> <dl> <dt>Initial Value</dt> <dd><code>auto</code></dd> <dt>Applies To</dt> <dd>Positioned elements.</dd> <dt>Inherited?</dt> <dd>No</dd> <dt>Media</dt> <dd>Visual</dd> <dt>Animatable</dt> <dd>Yes (<a href="/html/html_editors/scratchpad/?example=/css/css3/animations/animatable_properties/css_left" target="_blank">see example</a>)</dd> </dl> </div> <h2>Example Code</h2> <div class="code-only"> <textarea id="example3" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false">div {
 position: absolute;
 left: 20px;
 }</textarea> </div> <script> var exampleCode3 = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById("example3"), { mode: "text/css", tabMode: "indent", styleActiveLine: false, lineNumbers: false, lineWrapping: true, theme: "q-dark" }); </script> <h2>Official Specifications</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-position-3/#box-offsets-trbl">CSS Positioned Layout Module Level 3</a> (W3C Working Draft)</li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/visuren.html#position-props">CSS Level 2.1</a> (W3C Recommendation 07 June 2011)</li> </ul> </article> <div class="sidebar"> <div class="relatedLinks"> <h4>Related</h4> <ul> <li><a href="/css/tutorial/css_positioning.cfm" title="Use CSS to position the HTML elements on your web page.">CSS Positioning</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_position.cfm" title="About the 'position' property">CSS 'position'</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_top.cfm" title="About the 'top' property">CSS 'top'</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_bottom.cfm" title="About the 'bottom' property">CSS 'bottom'</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_right.cfm" title="About the 'right' property">CSS 'right'</a></li> </ul> </div> <nav> <ul> <li> <h3><a href="/css/properties/">CSS Properties</a></h3> <ul> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_animation.cfm">animation</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_background.cfm">background</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_bleed.cfm">bleed</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_border-radius.cfm">border-radius</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_border.cfm">border</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_box-shadow.cfm">box-shadow</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_box-sizing.cfm">box-sizing</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_clear.cfm">clear</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_clip.cfm">clip</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_color.cfm">color</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_columns.cfm">columns</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_content.cfm">content</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_counter-increment.cfm">counter-increment</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_cue.cfm">cue</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_cursor.cfm">cursor</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_display.cfm">display</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_filter.cfm">filter</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_flex.cfm">flex</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_float.cfm">float</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_font-family.cfm">font-family</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_font-size.cfm">font-size</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_font.cfm">font</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_height.cfm">height</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_left.cfm">left</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_list-style.cfm">list-style</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_margin.cfm">margin</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_mix-blend-mode.cfm">mix-blend-mode</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_opacity.cfm">opacity</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_outline.cfm">outline</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_overflow.cfm">overflow</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_padding.cfm">padding</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_page.cfm">page</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_pause.cfm">pause</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_perspective.cfm">perspective</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_position.cfm">position</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_rest.cfm">rest</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_right.cfm">right</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_text-align.cfm">text-align</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_text-decoration.cfm">text-decoration</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_text-shadow.cfm">text-shadow</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_top.cfm">top</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_transform.cfm">transform</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_transition.cfm">transition</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_vertical-align.cfm">vertical-align</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_visibility.cfm">visibility</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_width.cfm">width</a></li> <li><a href="/css/css3/properties/css_word-wrap.cfm">word-wrap</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/css_z-index.cfm">z-index</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/">All Properties <i class="fa fa-long-arrow-right" aria-hidden="true"></i></a></li> </ul> </li> <li> <h3><a href="/css/reference/">CSS Reference</a></h3> <ul> <li><a href="/css/examples/" title="Copy & paste code examples.">CSS Examples</a></li> <li><a href="/css/properties/" title="All CSS properties listed alphabetically.">CSS Properties</a></li> <li><a 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