CSS max-height Property

Posted in CSS Tutorial

Updated on Oct 07, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 20 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The max-height property in CSS is used to specify the maximum height of an element.

This property is particularly useful when you want to restrict the height of an element but still allow it to grow if necessary, depending on its content. It's often used in conjunction with other properties such as overflow to handle content that exceeds the maximum height.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the max-height property is as follows:

Syntax

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element {
  max-height: value;
}

Here, value can be a length (such as px, em, rem, vh, etc.), a percentage, or the keyword none.

🎛️ Default Value

The default value of the max-height property is none, which means there is no maximum height restriction on the element.

🏠 Property Values

Value	Description
length	Specifies a fixed height, such as 200px, 10em, 50vh.
percentage	Specifies a height relative to the height of the containing element, such as 50%.
none	No maximum height is applied, meaning the element can grow indefinitely.

📄 Example

In this example, we’ll restrict the maximum height of a div element to 200 pixels. If the content exceeds this height, it will be clipped or scrollable depending on the overflow property.

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>CSS max-height Example</title>
  <style>
    .container {
      max-height: 200px;
      overflow: auto; /* Adds a scrollbar if content exceeds max-height */
      border: 1px solid #ccc;
      padding: 10px;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Container with Max Height</h1>
  <div class="container">
    <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.</p>
    <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.</p>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

🖥️ Browser Compatibility

The max-height property is well-supported across all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. As with any CSS feature, it’s always a good practice to test across different browsers and devices to ensure consistent behavior.

🎉 Conclusion

The max-height property is a versatile tool for controlling the height of elements on your web page. By setting a maximum height, you can manage the layout of your content more effectively, especially in dynamic or responsive designs.

Use this property to ensure your web elements behave as expected and contribute to a better user experience.