white-space
===========

The **`white-space`** CSS property sets how white space inside an element is handled.

Try it
------

The property specifies two things:

* Whether and how white space is collapsed.
* Whether and how lines wrap.

**Note:** To make words break *within themselves*, use `overflow-wrap`, `word-break`, or `hyphens` instead.

Syntax
------


```css
/\* Single keyword values \*/
white-space: normal;
white-space: nowrap;
white-space: pre;
white-space: pre-wrap;
white-space: pre-line;
white-space: break-spaces;

/\* white-space-collapse and text-wrap shorthand values \*/
white-space: collapse balance;
white-space: preserve nowrap;

/\* Global values \*/
white-space: inherit;
white-space: initial;
white-space: revert;
white-space: revert-layer;
white-space: unset;
```

### Values

`white-space` property values can be specified as a single keyword chosen from the list of values below, or two values representing shorthand for the `white-space-collapse` and `text-wrap` properties.

`normal`

Sequences of white space are collapsed. Newline characters in the source are handled the same as other white space. Lines are broken as necessary to fill line boxes.

`nowrap`

Collapses white space as for `normal`, but suppresses line breaks (text wrapping) within the source.

`pre`

Sequences of white space are preserved. Lines are only broken at newline characters in the source and at `<br>` elements.

`pre-wrap`

Sequences of white space are preserved. Lines are broken at newline characters, at `<br>`, and as necessary to fill line boxes.

`pre-line`

Sequences of white space are collapsed. Lines are broken at newline characters, at `<br>`, and as necessary to fill line boxes.

`break-spaces`

The behavior is identical to that of `pre-wrap`, except that:

* Any sequence of preserved white space always takes up space, including at the end of the line.
* A line-breaking opportunity exists after every preserved white space character, including between white space characters.
* Such preserved spaces take up space and do not hang, thus affecting the box's intrinsic sizes (`min-content` size and `max-content` size).

The following table summarizes the behavior of the various `white-space` keyword values:

|  | New lines | Spaces and tabs | Text wrapping | End-of-line spaces | End-of-line other space separators |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `normal` | Collapse | Collapse | Wrap | Remove | Hang |
| `nowrap` | Collapse | Collapse | No wrap | Remove | Hang |
| `pre` | Preserve | Preserve | No wrap | Preserve | No wrap |
| `pre-wrap` | Preserve | Preserve | Wrap | Hang | Hang |
| `pre-line` | Preserve | Collapse | Wrap | Remove | Hang |
| `break-spaces` | Preserve | Preserve | Wrap | Wrap | Wrap |

**Note:** There is a distinction made between **spaces** and **other space separators**. These are defined as follows:

spaces

Spaces (U+0020), tabs (U+0009), and segment breaks (such as newlines).

other space separators

All other space separators defined in Unicode, other than those already defined as spaces.

Where white space is said to *hang*, this can affect the size of the box when measured for intrinsic sizing.

Collapsing of white space
-------------------------

The `white-space-collapse` property page explains the browser algorithm for collapsing white space.

Formal definition
-----------------

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Initial value | `normal` |
| Applies to | all elements |
| Inherited | yes |
| Computed value | as specified |
| Animation type | discrete |

Formal syntax
-------------
```

white-space =   
  normal        |  
  pre           |  
  nowrap        |  
  pre-wrap      |  
  break-spaces  |  
  pre-line        
  
```

Examples
--------

### Basic example


```css
code {
  white-space: pre;
}
```

### Line breaks inside <pre> elements


```css
pre {
  white-space: pre-wrap;
}
```

### In action
```

<div id="css-code" class="box">
  p { white-space:
  <select>
    <option>normal</option>
    <option>nowrap</option>
    <option>pre</option>
    <option>pre-wrap</option>
    <option>pre-line</option>
    <option>break-spaces</option>
    <option>preserve nowrap</option>
  </select>
  }
</div>
<div id="results" class="box">
  <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. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat
    non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
  </p>
</div>
```


```
.box {
  width: 300px;
  padding: 16px;
}

#css-code {
  background-color: rgb(220 220 220);
  font-size: 16px;
  font-family: monospace;
}

#css-code select {
  font-family: inherit;
}

#results {
  background-color: rgb(230 230 230);
  overflow-x: scroll;
  white-space: normal;
  font-size: 14px;
}
```


```
const select = document.querySelector("#css-code select");
const results = document.querySelector("#results p");
select.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
  results.setAttribute("style", `white-space: ${e.target.value}`);
});
```

Specifications
--------------

| Specification |
| --- |
| CSS Text Module Level 3 # white-space-property |

Browser compatibility
---------------------

BCD tables only load in the browser with JavaScript enabled. Enable JavaScript to view data.

See also
--------

* Properties that define how words break *within themselves*: `overflow-wrap`, `word-break`, `hyphens`