Revision 1046740 of min-height

<div>{{CSSRef}}</div>

<h2 id="Summary" name="Summary">Summary</h2>

<p>The<strong> <code>min-height</code></strong> property is used to set the minimum height of a given element. It prevents the used value of the {{ Cssxref("height") }} property from becoming smaller than the value specified for <code>min-height</code>.</p>

<p>The value of {{ Cssxref("min-height") }} overrides both {{ Cssxref("max-height") }} and {{ Cssxref("height") }}.</p>

<p>{{cssinfo}}</p>

<h2 id="Syntax" name="Syntax">Syntax</h2>

<pre class="brush:css">
/* &lt;length&gt; value */
min-height: 3.5em;

/* &lt;percentage&gt; value */
min-height: 10%;

/* Keyword values */
min-height: max-content;
min-height: min-content;
min-height: fit-content;
min-height: fill-available;

/* Global values */
min-height: inherit;
min-height: initial;
min-height: unset;
</pre>

<h3 id="Values" name="Values">Values</h3>

<dl>
 <dt><code>&lt;length&gt;</code></dt>
 <dd>The fixed minimum height. See {{cssxref("&lt;length&gt;")}} for possible units. Negative values make the declaration invalid.</dd>
 <dt><code>&lt;percentage&gt;</code></dt>
 <dd>The fixed minimum height expressed as a {{cssxref("&lt;percentage&gt;")}} of containing block's height. Negative values make the declaration invalid.</dd>
 <dt><code>max-content</code> {{ experimental_inline() }}</dt>
 <dd>The intrinsic preferred height.</dd>
 <dt><code>min-content</code> {{ experimental_inline() }}</dt>
 <dd>The intrinsic minimum height.</dd>
 <dt><code>fill-available</code>{{ experimental_inline() }}</dt>
 <dd>The containing block height minus horizontal margin, border and padding. Some browsers implement an ancient name for this keyword, <code>available</code>.</dd>
 <dt><code>fit-content</code> {{ experimental_inline() }}</dt>
 <dd>According CSS3 Box, this is a synonym of <code>min-content.</code> CSS3 Sizing defines a more complex algorithm, but no browser implements it, even in an experimental way.</dd>
</dl>

<h3 id="Formal_syntax">Formal syntax</h3>

<pre class="syntaxbox">
{{csssyntax}}</pre>

<h2 id="Examples">Examples</h2>

<pre class="brush: css">
table { min-height: 75%; }

form { min-height: 0; }
</pre>

<h2 id="Specifications">Specifications</h2>

<table class="standard-table">
 <tbody>
  <tr>
   <th scope="col">Specification</th>
   <th scope="col">Status</th>
   <th scope="col">Comment</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>{{ SpecName('CSS3 Sizing', '#width-height-keywords', 'min-height') }}</td>
   <td>{{ Spec2('CSS3 Sizing') }}</td>
   <td>Adds the <code>max-content</code>, <code>min-content</code>, <code>fit-content</code>, and <code>fill-available</code> keywords.<br />
    <em>Both CSS3 Box and CSS3 Writing Modes drafts defined at some point these keywords. These drafts are superseded by this spec.</em></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>{{ SpecName('CSS3 Flexbox', '#min-auto', 'min-height') }}</td>
   <td>{{ Spec2('CSS3 Flexbox') }}</td>
   <td>An <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2012/CR-css3-flexbox-20120918/">earlier revision of the spec</a> added the <code>auto</code> keyword and used it as the initial value. The CSSWG subsequently resolved to revert this change, however. As of March 29, 2013, the latest <a href="https://dev.w3.org/csswg/css-flexbox/">Editor's Draft</a> doesn't modify the <code>min-width</code> property anymore (i.e. it no longer introduces the <code>auto</code> value).</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>{{ SpecName('CSS3 Transitions', '#animatable-css', 'min-height') }}</td>
   <td>{{ Spec2('CSS3 Transitions') }}</td>
   <td>Defines <code>min-height</code> as animatable.</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>{{ SpecName('CSS2.1', 'visudet.html#min-max-heights', 'min-height') }}</td>
   <td>{{ Spec2('CSS2.1') }}</td>
   <td>Initial definition</td>
  </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

<h2 id="Browser_compatibility">Browser compatibility</h2>

<p>{{ CompatibilityTable() }}</p>

<div id="compat-desktop">
<table class="compat-table">
 <tbody>
  <tr>
   <th>Feature</th>
   <th>Chrome</th>
   <th>Firefox (Gecko)</th>
   <th>Internet Explorer</th>
   <th>Opera</th>
   <th>Safari (WebKit)</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>Basic support</td>
   <td>1.0</td>
   <td>{{ CompatGeckoDesktop("1.9") }}</td>
   <td>7.0 [3]</td>
   <td>4.0</td>
   <td>1.0<br />
    2.0.2 (416) for positioned elements</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>applies to <code>&lt;table&gt; </code>[1]</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatVersionUnknown() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatVersionUnknown() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td><code>max-content</code>, <code>min-content</code>, <code>fit-content</code>, and <code>fill-</code><code>available</code> {{ experimental_inline() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>9</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td><code>auto</code>{{obsolete_inline(22)}}</td>
   <td>21.0</td>
   <td>{{ CompatGeckoDesktop("16.0") }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>12.10</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td><code>auto</code> as initial value{{obsolete_inline(22)}}</td>
   <td>21.0</td>
   <td>{{ CompatGeckoDesktop("18.0") }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
   <td>12.10</td>
   <td>{{ CompatNo() }}</td>
  </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>
</div>

<div id="compat-mobile">
<table class="compat-table">
 <tbody>
  <tr>
   <th>Feature</th>
   <th>Android</th>
   <th>Firefox Mobile (Gecko)</th>
   <th>IE&nbsp;Phone</th>
   <th>Opera Mobile</th>
   <th>Safari Mobile</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>Basic support</td>
   <td>{{ CompatUnknown() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatUnknown() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatUnknown() }}</td>
   <td>{{ CompatUnknown() }}</td>
   <td>9</td>
  </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>
</div>

<p>[1] CSS 2.1 explicitly leaves the behavior of <code>min-height </code>with {{ HTMLElement("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.</p>

<p>[2] Due to bug ({{bug("307866")}}) Firefox doesn't handle <code>min-height</code> on elements with <code>display: table-*</code>.</p>

<p>[3] In Internet Explorer 10-11 (but not 12+), a <code>min-height</code> declaration on a column-direction flex container doesn't apply to the container's flex items. See <a href="https://github.com/philipwalton/flexbugs#3-min-height-on-a-column-flex-container-wont-apply-to-its-flex-items">Flexbug #3</a> for more info.</p>

<h2 id="See_also" name="See_also">See also</h2>

<ul>
 <li>{{ Cssxref("width") }}, {{ Cssxref("height") }}, {{ Cssxref("max-height") }}</li>
 <li>The <a href="/en-US/docs/CSS/box_model" title="en/CSS/box_model">box model</a>, {{ Cssxref("min-width") }}, {{ Cssxref("box-sizing") }}, {{ Cssxref("height") }}, {{ Cssxref("max-height") }}</li>
</ul>