CSS align-self

The CSS align-self property aligns a box within its containing block along the block/column/cross axis.

This property can be used to override any alignment that has been set at the container level using the align-items property.

Syntax

Possible Values

auto

Uses the value provided by the align-items property on the parent container. If the element has no parent, then this value computes to normal.

normal

Computes to stretch for flex items, and stretch or start for grid items depending on the box.

flex-start

The cross-start margin edge of the flex item is placed flush with the cross-start edge of the line.

flex-end

The cross-end margin edge of the flex item is placed flush with the cross-end edge of the line.

center

The item's margin box is centered in the cross axis within the line. (If the cross size of the flex line is less than that of the flex item, it will overflow equally in both directions.)

baseline

All items are aligned such that their baselines align. The item with the largest distance between its baseline and its cross-start margin edge is placed flush against the cross-start edge of the line.

If the item's inline axis is the same as the cross axis, this value is identical to flex-start.

stretch

Items are stretched such as the cross-size of the item's margin box is the same as the line while still respecting min-height, min-width, max-height, and max-height constraints.

start

Items are packed toward the start edge of the alignment container.

end

Items are packed toward the end edge of the alignment container.

self-start

Items are packed flush to the edge of the alignment container of the start side of the item.

self-end

Items are packed flush to the edge of the alignment container of the end side of the item.

In addition, all CSS properties also accept the following CSS-wide keyword values as the sole component of their property value:

initial

Represents the value specified as the property's initial value.

inherit

Represents the computed value of the property on the element's parent.

unset

This value acts as either inherit or initial, depending on whether the property is inherited or not. In other words, it sets all properties to their parent value if they are inheritable or to their initial value if not inheritable.

Basic Property Information

Example Code

Basic CSS

Working Example within an HTML Document

About Flexbox

Flexbox refers to the Flexible Box Layout module introduced in CSS3. Flex items are placed within a flex container. A flex container is an element with either display: flex or display: inline-flex.

In the flex layout model, the children of a flex container can be laid out in any direction, and can "flex" their sizes, either growing to fill unused space or shrinking to avoid overflowing the parent.

For more information on flex items, see the flex property.

CSS Specifications

• The align-self property is defined in CSS Box Alignment Module Level 3 (W3C Working Draft).
• It was originally defined in the CSS Flexible Box Layout Module Level 1 (W3C Candidate Recommendation).

Browser Support

Browser support for CSS properties can vary, particularly for newer or experimental features. Check current browser compatibility before using a property in production, especially when supporting older browsers.

The following table provided by Caniuse.com shows the level of browser support for this feature.

Initial Value

CSS properties have an initial value that applies when the property has not been explicitly set. The initial value is different from the value inherited from a parent element and may vary between properties.

Inheritance

Some CSS properties inherit their computed value from their parent element by default, while others do not. The inherit, initial, unset, and revert keywords can also be used to control how a property gets its value.

Vendor Prefixes

Most modern CSS properties use the standard, unprefixed syntax. Vendor-prefixed properties such as -webkit- are mainly relevant to older browser versions or specific features and should only be used when required by your browser support targets.