min-height CSS property

The min-height CSS property sets the minimum height of an element. It prevents the used value of the height property from becoming smaller than the value specified for min-height.

Try it

min-height: 150px;
min-height: 7em;
min-height: 75%;
min-height: 10px;
<section class="default-example" id="default-example">
  <div class="transition-all" id="example-element">
    This is a box where you can change the minimum height. <br />If there is
    more content than the minimum the box will grow to the height needed by the
    content.
  </div>
</section>
#example-element {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  background-color: #5b6dcd;
  justify-content: center;
  color: white;
}

The element's height is set to the value of min-height whenever min-height is larger than max-height or height.

Syntax

css
/* <length> value */
min-height: 3.5em;
min-height: anchor-size(height);
min-height: anchor-size(--my-anchor block, 200px);

/* <percentage> value */
min-height: 10%;

/* Keyword values */
min-height: max-content;
min-height: min-content;
min-height: fit-content;
min-height: fit-content(20em);
min-height: stretch;

/* Global values */
min-height: inherit;
min-height: initial;
min-height: revert;
min-height: revert-layer;
min-height: unset;

Values

<length>

Defines the min-height as an absolute value.

<percentage>

Defines the min-height as a percentage of the containing block's height.

auto

The browser will calculate and select a min-height for the specified element.

max-content

The intrinsic preferred min-height.

min-content

The intrinsic minimum min-height.

fit-content

Use the available space, but not more than max-content, i.e., min(max-content, max(min-content, stretch)).

fit-content(<length-percentage>)

Uses the fit-content formula with the available space replaced by the specified argument, i.e., min(max-content, max(min-content, argument)).

stretch

Limits the minimum height of the element's margin box to the height of its containing block. It attempts to make the margin box fill the available space in the containing block, so in a way behaving similar to 100% but applying the resulting size to the margin box rather than the box determined by box-sizing.

Note: To check aliases used by browsers for the stretch value and its implementation status, see the Browser compatibility section.

Formal definition

Initial valueauto
Applies toall elements but non-replaced inline elements, table columns, and column groups
Inheritedno
PercentagesThe percentage is calculated with respect to the height of the generated box's containing block. If the height of the containing block is not specified explicitly (i.e., it depends on content height), and this element is not absolutely positioned, the percentage value is treated as 0.
Computed valuethe percentage as specified or the absolute length
Animation typea length, percentage or calc();

Formal syntax

min-height = 
  auto                                      |
  <length-percentage [0,∞]>                 |
  min-content                               |
  max-content                               |
  fit-content( <length-percentage [0,∞]> )  |
  <calc-size()>                             |
  <anchor-size()>                           |
  stretch                                   |
  fit-content                               |
  contain                                   

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

<calc-size()> = 
  calc-size( <calc-size-basis> , <calc-sum> )  

<anchor-size()> = 
  anchor-size( [ <anchor-name> || <anchor-size> ]? , <length-percentage>? )  

<calc-size-basis> = 
  <size-keyword>  |
  <calc-sum>      |
  <calc-size()>   |
  any             

<calc-sum> = 
  <calc-product> [ [ '+' | '-' ] <calc-product> ]*  

<anchor-name> = 
  <dashed-ident>  

<anchor-size> = 
  width        |
  height       |
  block        |
  inline       |
  self-block   |
  self-inline  

<calc-product> = 
  <calc-value> [ [ '*' | / ] <calc-value> ]*  

<calc-value> = 
  <number>        |
  <dimension>     |
  <percentage>    |
  <calc-keyword>  |
  ( <calc-sum> )  

<calc-keyword> = 
  e          |
  pi         |
  infinity   |
  -infinity  |
  NaN

Examples

undefined

Setting min-height

css
table {
  min-height: 75%;
}

form {
  min-height: 0;
}

Specifications

See also