The tab-size
CSS property is used to customize the width of tab characters (U+0009).
tab-size
Try it
Syntax
/* <integer> values */ tab-size: 4; tab-size: 0; /* <length> values */ tab-size: 10px; tab-size: 2em; /* Global values */ tab-size: inherit; tab-size: initial; tab-size: revert; tab-size: revert-layer; tab-size: unset;
Values
Formal definition
Initial value | 8 |
---|---|
Applies to | block containers |
Inherited | yes |
Computed value | the specified integer or an absolute length |
Animation type | a length |
Formal syntax
Examples
Expanding by character count
pre { tab-size: 4; /* Set tab size to 4 characters wide */ }
Collapse tabs
pre { tab-size: 0; /* Remove indentation */ }
Comparing to the default size
This example compares a default tab size with a custom tab size. Note that white-space
is set to pre
to prevent the tabs from collapsing.
HTML
<p>no tab</p> <p>	default tab size of 8 characters wide</p> <p class="custom">	custom tab size of 3 characters wide</p> <p> 3 spaces, equivalent to the custom tab size</p>
CSS
p { white-space: pre; } .custom { tab-size: 3; }
Result
Specifications
Specification |
---|
CSS Text Module Level 3 # tab-size-property |
Browser compatibility
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari | WebView Android | Chrome Android | Firefox for Android | Opera Android | Safari on IOS | Samsung Internet | |
tab-size |
21
This property is not yet animatable.
|
79
This property is not yet animatable.
|
91
4
Before Firefox 53, this property was not animatable.
|
No
|
15
10.5-15
|
7
|
4.4
|
25
This property is not yet animatable.
|
91
4
Before Firefox 53, this property was not animatable.
|
14
11-14
|
7
|
1.5
This property is not yet animatable.
|
length |
42
|
79
|
53
|
No
|
29
|
No
|
56
|
42
|
53
|
29
|
No
|
4.0
|
See also
white-space
- Controlling size of a tab character (U+0009), an email by Anne van Kesteren to the CSSWG.
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https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/tab-size