The widows CSS property sets the minimum number of lines in a block container that must be shown at the top of a page, region, or column.

/* <integer> values */ widows: 2; widows: 3;  /* Global values */ widows: inherit; widows: initial; widows: revert; widows: unset; 

widows

The widows CSS property sets the minimum number of lines in a block container that must be shown at the top of a page, region, or column.

/* <integer> values */ widows: 2; widows: 3;  /* Global values */ widows: inherit; widows: initial; widows: revert; widows: unset; 

In typography, a widow is the last line of a paragraph that appears alone at the top of a page. (The paragraph is continued from a prior page.)

Syntax

Values

<integer>

The minimum number of lines that can stay by themselves at the top of a new fragment after a fragmentation break. The value must be positive.

Formal definition

Initial value	2
Applies to	block container elements
Inherited	yes
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

<integer>

Examples

Controlling column widows

HTML

<div>   <p>This is the first paragraph containing some text.</p>   <p>This is the second paragraph containing some more text than the first one. It is used to demonstrate how widows work.</p>   <p>This is the third paragraph. It has a little bit more text than the first one.</p> </div> 

CSS

div {   background-color: #8cffa0;   columns: 3;   widows: 2; }  p {   background-color: #8ca0ff; }  p:first-child {   margin-top: 0; } 

Result

Specifications

Specification
CSS Fragmentation Module Level 3 # widows-orphans
CSS Multi-column Layout Module Level 2 # filling-columns

See also

orphans Paged media

Last modified: Oct 3, 2021, by MDN contributors

Select your preferred language English (US)DeutschEspañolFrançais日本語Русский中文 (简体) Change language