justify-content

The justify-content property is a sub-property of the Flexible Box Layout module.

It defines the alignment along the main axis. It helps distribute extra free space leftover when either all the flex items on a line are inflexible, or are flexible but have reached their maximum size. It also exerts some control over the alignment of items when they overflow the line.

The justify-content property accepts 5 different values:

• flex-start (default): items are packed toward the start line
• flex-end: items are packed toward to end line
• center: items are centered along the line
• space-between: items are evenly distributed in the line; first item is on the start line, last item on the end line
• space-around: items are evenly distributed in the line with equal space around them

The following figure helps understand what the justify-content property actually does:

Syntax

justify-content: flex-start | flex-end | center | space-between | space-around;

.flex-item {
  justify-content: center;
}

Demo

The following demo shows how flex items behave depending on `justify-content` value:

• The red list is set to flex-start
• The yellow is set to flex-end
• The blue is set to center
• The green is set to space-between
• The pink is set to space-around

<ul class="flex-container flex-start">
  <li class="flex-item">1</li>
  <li class="flex-item">2</li>
  <li class="flex-item">3</li>
  <li class="flex-item">4</li>
  <li class="flex-item">5</li>
</ul>

<ul class="flex-container flex-end">
  <li class="flex-item">1</li>
  <li class="flex-item">2</li>
  <li class="flex-item">3</li>
  <li class="flex-item">4</li>
  <li class="flex-item">5</li>
</ul>

<ul class="flex-container center">
  <li class="flex-item">1</li>
  <li class="flex-item">2</li>
  <li class="flex-item">3</li>
  <li class="flex-item">4</li>
  <li class="flex-item">5</li>
</ul>

<ul class="flex-container space-between">
  <li class="flex-item">1</li>
  <li class="flex-item">2</li>
  <li class="flex-item">3</li>
  <li class="flex-item">4</li>
  <li class="flex-item">5</li>
</ul>

<ul class="flex-container space-around">
  <li class="flex-item">1</li>
  <li class="flex-item">2</li>
  <li class="flex-item">3</li>
  <li class="flex-item">4</li>
  <li class="flex-item">5</li>
</ul>

.flex-container {
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0;
  list-style: none;
  
  -ms-box-orient: horizontal;
  display: -webkit-box;
  display: -moz-box;
  display: -ms-flexbox;
  display: -moz-flex;
  display: -webkit-flex;
  display: flex;
}

.flex-start { 
  -webkit-justify-content: flex-start; 
  justify-content: flex-start; 
}

.flex-end { 
  -webkit-justify-content: flex-end; 
  justify-content: flex-end; 
}  
.flex-end li {
  background: gold;
}

.center { 
  -webkit-justify-content: center; 
  justify-content: center; 
}  
.center li {
  background: deepskyblue;
}

.space-between { 
  -webkit-justify-content: space-between; 
  justify-content: space-between; 
}  
.space-between li {
  background: lightgreen;
}

.space-around { 
  -webkit-justify-content: space-around; 
  justify-content: space-around; 
}
.space-around li {
  background: hotpink; 
}

.flex-item {
  background: tomato;
  padding: 5px;
  width: 60px;
  height: 50px;
  margin: 5px;
  
  line-height: 50px;
  color: white;
  font-weight: bold;
  font-size: 2em;
  text-align: center;
}

Related Properties

• display (flex)
• flex-direction
• flex-flow
• flex-wrap
• align-items
• align-content

Browser Support

• (modern) means the recent syntax from the specification (e.g. display: flex;)
• (hybrid) means an odd unofficial syntax from 2011 (e.g. display: flexbox;)
• (old) means the old syntax from 2009 (e.g. display: box;)

Blackberry browser 10+ supports the new syntax.