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Style margin Property

< Style Object

Example

Set all four margins of a <div> element:

document.getElementById("myDiv").style.margin = "50px 10px 20px 30px";
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Definition and Usage

The margin property sets or returns the margins of an element.

This property can take from one to four values:

  • One value, like: div {margin: 50px} - all four margins will be 50px
  • Two values, like: div {margin: 50px 10px} - the top and bottom margins will be 50px, left and right margins will be 10px
  • Three values, like: div {margin: 50px 10px 20px}- the top margin will be 50px, left and right margin will be 10px, bottom margin will be 20px
  • Four values, like: div {margin: 50px 10px 20px 30px} - the top margin will be 50px, right margin will be 10px, bottom margin will be 20px, left margin will be 30px

Both the margin property and the padding property insert space around an element. However, the difference is that margin inserts the space around the border, while padding inserts the space within the border of an element.


Browser Support

Internet Explorer Firefox Opera Google Chrome Safari

The margin property is supported in all major browsers.


Syntax

Return the margin property:

object.style.margin

Set the margin property:

object.style.margin="%|length|auto|initial|inherit"

Property Values

Value Description
% Defines the margins in % of the width of the parent element
length Defines the margins in length units
auto The browser sets the margins (all four margins will be equal)
initial Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial
inherit Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit

Technical Details

Default Value: 0
Return Value: A String, representing the margins of an element
CSS Version CSS1

More Examples

Example

Change all four margins of a <div> element to "25px":

document.getElementById("myDiv").style.margin = "25px";
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Example

Return the margins of a <div> element:

alert(document.getElementById("myDiv").style.margin);
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Example

Difference between the margin property and the padding property:

function changeMargin() {
    document.getElementById("myDiv").style.margin = "100px";
}

function changePadding() {
    document.getElementById("myDiv2").style.padding = "100px";
}
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Related Pages

CSS tutorial: CSS Margin

CSS reference: margin property


< Style Object