`padding-left` CSS property

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It's been available across browsers since July 2015.

The padding-left CSS property sets the width of the padding area to the left of an element.

Try it

padding-left: 1.5em;

padding-left: 10%;

padding-left: 20px;

padding-left: 1ch;

padding-left: 0;

<section id="default-example">
  <div class="transition-all" id="example-element">
    <div class="box">
      Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the
      western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

#example-element {
  border: 10px solid #ffc129;
  overflow: hidden;
  text-align: left;
}

.box {
  border: dashed 1px;
}

An element's padding area is the space between its content and its border.

Note: The padding property can be used to set paddings on all four sides of an element with a single declaration.

Syntax

/* <length> values */
padding-left: 0.5em;
padding-left: 0;
padding-left: 2cm;

/* <percentage> value */
padding-left: 10%;

/* Global values */
padding-left: inherit;
padding-left: initial;
padding-left: revert;
padding-left: revert-layer;
padding-left: unset;

The padding-left property is specified as a single value chosen from the list below. Unlike margins, negative values are not allowed for padding.

Values

<length>: The size of the padding as a fixed value. Must be non-negative.
<percentage>: The size of the padding as a percentage, relative to the inline size (width in a horizontal language, defined by writing-mode) of the containing block. Must be non-negative.

Formal definition

Initial value	0
Applies to	all elements, except <code>table-row-group</code>, <code>table-header-group</code>, <code>table-footer-group</code>, <code>table-row</code>, <code>table-column-group</code> and <code>table-column</code>
Inherited	no
Percentages	refer to the width of the containing block
Computed value	the percentage as specified or the absolute length
Animation type	a <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Reference/Values/length#interpolation" title="Values of the <length> CSS data type are interpolated as real, floating-point numbers.">length</a>

Formal syntax

padding-left = 
  <length-percentage [0,∞]>

<length-percentage> = 
  <length> |
  <percentage>

Examples

Setting left padding using pixels and percentages

.content {
  padding-left: 5%;
}
.side-box {
  padding-left: 10px;
}

Specifications

Specification
CSS Box Model Module Level 3 # padding-physical

Browser compatibility

	Desktop					Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Opera	Safari	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet	WebView Android	WebView on iOS
`padding-left`	1	12	1	3.5	1	18	4	14	1	1.0	4.4	1