CSS Positioning Elements

Last Updated : 04 Apr, 2024

The position property in CSS tells about the method of positioning for an element or an HTML entity and the positioning of an element can be done using the top, right, bottom, and left properties. These specify the distance of an HTML element from the edge of the viewport.

There are five different types of position properties available in CSS:

Position Property	Description
Fixed	An element with `position: fixed` property remains in the same position relative to the viewport even when the page is scrolled.
Static	Default positioning method. Elements with `position: static` are positioned according to the normal flow of the document.
Relative	Elements with `position: relative` are positioned relative to their normal position in the document flow. Other elements will not fill the gap left by this element when adjusted.
Absolute	Positioned concerning its nearest non-static ancestor. Elements with `position: absolute` are taken out of the normal document flow.
Sticky	Combines features of `position: relative` and `position: fixed`. The element is treated as `position: relative` until it reaches a specified threshold, then it becomes `position: fixed`.

This table provides a concise overview of the different positioning methods and their characteristics.

Example 1: The below example illustrates the CSS positioning element by using the position: fixed property.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title> CSS Positioning Element</title>
    <style>
    body {
        margin: 0;
        padding: 20px;
        font-family: sans-serif;
        background: #efefef;
    }
    
    .fixed {
        position: fixed;
        background: #cc0000;
        color: #ffffff;
        padding: 30px;
        top: 50;
        left: 10;
    }
    
    span {
        padding: 5px;
        border: 1px #ffffff dotted;
    }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <div class="fixed">This div has 
        <span>position: fixed;</span>
    </div> 
    <pre>
            Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
            to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
            Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
            from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
            in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
            structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
            a computer so that it can be used effectively.
            Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
            to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
            Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
            from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
            in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
            structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
            a computer so that it can be used effectively.
            Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
            to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
            Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
            from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
            in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
            structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
            a computer so that it can be used effectively.
            Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
            to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
            Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
            from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
            in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
            structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
            a computer so that it can be used effectively.
    </pre> 
</body>

</html>

Output:

Example 2: The below example illustrates the CSS positioning element by using the position: static property.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title> CSS Positioning Element</title>
    <style>
    body {
        margin: 0;
        padding: 20px;
        font-family: sans-serif;
        background: #efefef;
    }
    
    .static {
        position: static;
        background: #cc0000;
        color: #ffffff;
        padding: 30px;
    }
    
    span {
        padding: 5px;
        border: 1px #ffffff dotted;
    }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <div class="static">
        This div has 
            <span>position: static;</span>
    </div> 
    <pre>
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
    </pre> 
</body>

</html>

Output:

Example 3: The below example illustrates the CSS positioning element by using the position: relative property. In the below illustration, the top and left coordinates of the div are each 100px.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title> CSS Positioning Element</title>
    <style>
    body {
        margin: 0;
        padding: 20px;
        font-family: sans-serif;
        background: #efefef;
    }
    
    .relative {
        position: relative;
        background: #cc0000;
        color: #ffffff;
        padding: 30px;
        top:100px;
        left:100px;
    }
    
    span {
        padding: 5px;
        border: 1px #ffffff dotted;
    }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <pre>
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        <div class="relative">
            This div has <span>position: relative;</span>
        </div>
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
    </pre> 
</body>

</html>

Output:

Example 4: The below example illustrates the CSS positioning element by using the position: absolute property.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title> CSS Positioning Element</title>
    <style>
    body {
        margin: 0;
        padding: 20px;
        font-family: sans-serif;
        background: #efefef;
    }
    
    .absolute {
        position: absolute;
        background: #cc0000;
        color: #ffffff;
        padding: 30px;
        font-size: 15px;
        bottom: 20px;
        right: 20px;
    }
    
    .relative {
        position: relative;
        background: #aad000;
        height: 300px;
        font-size: 30px;
        border: 1px solid #121212;
        text-align: center;
    }
    
    span {
        padding: 5px;
        border: 1px #ffffff dotted;
    }
    
    pre {
        padding: 20px;
        border: 1px solid #000000;
    }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
     <pre>
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
                <div class="relative">
                    <div >
                        This div has 
                        <span>
                            <strong>position: relative;</strong>
                        </span>
                    </div>
                    <div class="absolute">
                       This div has 
                            <span>
                                <strong>position: absolute;</strong>
                            </span>
                    </div>
                </div>
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
        Learn the most common Data Structures & Algorithms 
        to solve coding problems. Enrol now! Master core 
        Data Structures & Algorithms to ace interviews 
        from IIT & Stanford Alumni. TA Support. Placements 
        in Companies. Get Certified. 350+ Problems.A data 
        structure is a particular way of organizing data in 
        a computer so that it can be used effectively.
    </pre> 
</body>

</html>

Output:

Supported Browser:

Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari

Suggest improvement

CSS max-width Property

CSS z-index Property

Share your thoughts in the comments

CSS Text Formatting

CSS Backgrounds

CSS Lists

CSS Box model