Web/CSS/box-orient

Non-standard This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.

This is a property of the original CSS Flexible Box Layout Module draft, and has been replaced by a newer standard. See flexbox for information about the current standard.

The box-orient CSS property sets whether an element lays out its contents horizontally or vertically.

/* Keyword values */
box-orient: horizontal;
box-orient: vertical;
box-orient: inline-axis;
box-orient: block-axis;

/* Global values */
box-orient: inherit;
box-orient: initial;
box-orient: unset;

Syntax

The box-orient property is specified as one of the keyword values listed below.

Values

horizontal: The box lays out its contents horizontally.
vertical: The box lays out its contents vertically.
inline-axis (HTML): The box displays its children along the inline axis.
block-axis (HTML): The box displays its children along the block axis.

The inline and block axes are the writing-mode dependent keywords which, in English, map to horizontal and vertical respectively.

Description

HTML DOM elements lay out their contents along the inline-axis by default. This CSS property will only apply to HTML elements with a CSS display value of box or inline-box.

Formal definition

Initial value	`inline-axis` (`horizontal` in XUL)
Applies to	elements with a CSS `display` value of `box` or `inline-box`
Inherited	no
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

horizontal | vertical | inline-axis | block-axis | inherit

Examples

Setting horizontal box orientation

Here, he box-orient property will cause the two <p> sections in the example to display in the same line.

HTML

<div class="example">
    <p>I will be to the left of my sibling.</p>
    <p>I will be to the right of my sibling.</p>
</div>

CSS

div.example {
  display: -moz-box;                /* Mozilla */
  display: -webkit-box;             /* WebKit */
  display: box;                     /* As specified */

  /* Children should be oriented vertically */
  -moz-box-orient: horizontal;      /* Mozilla */
  -webkit-box-orient: horizontal;   /* WebKit */
  box-orient: horizontal;           /* As specified */
}

Result

Specifications

Not part of any standard.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`box-orient` Deprecated'Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 1 Prefixed' Full support 1 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Edge Full support 12 Prefixed' Full support 12 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Firefox Full support 1 Prefixed' Full support 1 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -moz- Full support 49 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Full support 48 Prefixed' Disabled' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Disabled' From version 48: this feature is behind the `layout.css.prefixes.webkit` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15 Prefixed' Full support 15 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Safari Full support 3 Prefixed' Full support 3 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- No support 1.1 — 3 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -khtml-	WebView Android Full support ≤37 Prefixed' Full support ≤37 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Chrome Android Full support 18 Prefixed' Full support 18 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Firefox Android Full support 4 Prefixed' Full support 4 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -moz- Full support 49 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Full support 48 Prefixed' Disabled' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Disabled' From version 48: this feature is behind the `layout.css.prefixes.webkit` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android Full support 14 Prefixed' Full support 14 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Safari iOS Full support 1 Prefixed' Full support 1 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 Prefixed' Full support 1.0 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.': Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.': Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.
User must explicitly enable this feature.': User must explicitly enable this feature.
Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.': Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.