Web/CSS/text-justify

The text-justify CSS property sets what type of justification should be applied to text when text-align: justify; is set on an element.

text-justify: none;
text-justify: auto;
text-justify: inter-word;
text-justify: inter-character;
text-justify: distribute; /* Deprecated value */

Syntax

The text-justify property is specified as a single keyword chosen from the list of values below.

Values

none: The text justification is turned off. This has the same effect as not setting text-align at all, although it is useful if you need to turn justification on and off for some reason.
auto: The browser chooses the best type of justification for the current situation based on a balance between performance and quality, but also on what is most appropriate for the language of the text (e.g., English, CJK languages, etc.). This is the default justification used if text-justify is not set at all.
inter-word: The text is justified by adding space between words (effectively varying word-spacing), which is most appropriate for languages that separate words using spaces, like English or Korean.
inter-character: The text is justified by adding space between characters (effectively varying letter-spacing), which is most appropriate for languages like Japanese.
distribute ': Exhibits the same behaviour as inter-character; this value is kept for backwards compatibility.

Formal definition

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	inline-level and table-cell elements
Inherited	yes
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

auto | inter-character | inter-word | none

Examples

Demonstration of the different values of text-justify

<p class="none"><code>text-justify: none</code> —<br>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.</p>
<p class="auto"><code>text-justify: auto</code> —<br>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.</p>
<p class="dist"><code>text-justify: distribute</code> —<br>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.</p>
<p class="word"><code>text-justify: inter-word</code> —<br>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.</p>
<p class="char"><code>text-justify: inter-character</code> —<br>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ornare maximus vehicula. Duis nisi velit, dictum id mauris vitae, lobortis pretium quam. Quisque sed nisi pulvinar, consequat justo id, feugiat leo. Cras eu elementum dui.</p>

p {
  font-size: 1.5em;
  border: 1px solid black;
  padding: 10px;
  width: 95%;
  margin: 10px auto;
  text-align: justify;
}

.none {
  text-justify: none;
}

.auto {
  text-justify: auto;
}

.dist {
  text-justify: distribute;
}

.word {
  text-justify: inter-word;
}

.char {
  text-justify: inter-character;
}

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Text Module Level 3The definition of 'text-justify' in that specification.	Working Draft

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
`text-justify`	Chrome Full support 32 Notes' Disabled' Full support 32 Notes' Disabled' Notes' `inter-word` and `distribute` (deprecated) values are supported, but `distribute` behavior is buggy. Disabled' From version 32: this feature is behind the `Enable Experimental Web Platform Features` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Chrome, visit chrome://flags.	Edge Full support 12 Notes' Full support 12 Notes' Notes' Standard values `inter-character` and `none` are supported. The deprecated `distribute` value is also supported.	Firefox Full support 55 Full support 55 Full support 54 Disabled' Disabled' From version 54: this feature is behind the `layout.css.text-justify.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	IE Full support 11 Notes' Full support 11 Notes' Notes' Standard values `inter-character` and `none` are supported. The deprecated `distribute` value is also supported.	Opera Full support 19 Notes' Disabled' Full support 19 Notes' Disabled' Notes' `inter-word` and `distribute` (deprecated) values are supported, but `distribute` behavior is buggy. Disabled' From version 19: this feature is behind the `Enable Experimental Web Platform Features` preference (needs to be set to `true`).	Safari No support No Notes' No support No Notes' Notes' See bug 9945.	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 32 Notes' Disabled' Full support 32 Notes' Disabled' Notes' `inter-word` and `distribute` (deprecated) values are supported, but `distribute` behavior is buggy. Disabled' From version 32: this feature is behind the `Enable Experimental Web Platform Features` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Chrome, visit chrome://flags.	Firefox Android Full support 55 Full support 55 Full support 54 Disabled' Disabled' From version 54: this feature is behind the `layout.css.text-justify.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android Full support 19 Notes' Disabled' Full support 19 Notes' Disabled' Notes' `inter-word` and `distribute` (deprecated) values are supported, but `distribute` behavior is buggy. Disabled' From version 19: this feature is behind the `Enable Experimental Web Platform Features` preference (needs to be set to `true`).	Safari iOS No support No Notes' No support No Notes' Notes' See bug 9945.	Samsung Internet Android No support No

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
See implementation notes.': See implementation notes.
User must explicitly enable this feature.': User must explicitly enable this feature.