CSS - columns Property

CSS columns property is a shorthand property for defining values of properties column-width and column-count in a, column-width sets the minimum width of each column and column-count sets the maximum number of columns.

Syntax

columns: auto |column-width column-count| initial | inherit;

Property Values

Value	Description
auto	It sets both the column-width and column-count to auto. Default.
column-width	It defines the minimum width for each column.
column-count	It defines the maximum number of columns.
initial	This sets the property to its default value.
inherit	This inherits the property from the parent element.

Examples of CSS Columns Property

The following examples explain the columns property with different values.

Columns Property with Auto Value

To let the browser decide the width of the columns based on the content and available space such that it fits as many columns possible in the available space depending on the content, we use the auto value. This is shown in the following example.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
   <style>
      .multicol-col-rule {
         columns: auto;
      }
      p{
         background-color: lightgreen;
      }
   </style>
</head>

<body>
   <h2>
      CSS columns property
   </h2>
   <h4>
      columns: auto
   </h4>
   <div class="multicol-col-rule">
      <p>
         TutorialsPoint is a comprehensive online learning 
         platform offering tutorials, guides, and resources
         on a wide range of subjects, including programming,
         web development, data science, and more. It provides
         free and paid courses, covering basics to advanced
         topics, with interactive examples and practical 
         exercises. The platform caters to learners of all 
         levels, from beginners to professionals, helping 
         them build skills through structured content and 
         hands-on practice. TutorialsPoint also features 
         coding playgrounds and forums for community support.
      </p>
   </div>
</body>

</html>

Columns Property with Width and Count Values

To set the width of columns and the number of columns manually, we can specify the column-width and column-count in the columns property in one single declaration. Depending on the specified width, the columns will be fit in the available space upto the maximum number specified by column-count. This is shown in the following example.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
   <style>
      .cols1 {
         columns: 50px 5;
      }
      .cols2 {
         columns: 100px 6;
      }
      p{
         background-color: lightgreen;
      }
   </style>
</head>

<body>
   <h2>
      CSS columns property
   </h2>
   <h4>
      columns: 50px 5
   </h4>
   <div class="cols1">
      <p>
         TutorialsPoint is a comprehensive online learning 
         platform offering tutorials, guides, and resources
         on a wide range of subjects, including programming,
         web development, data science, and more. It provides
         free and paid courses, covering basics to advanced
         topics, with interactive examples and practical 
         exercises. The platform caters to learners of all 
         levels, from beginners to professionals, helping 
         them build skills through structured content and 
         hands-on practice. TutorialsPoint also features 
         coding playgrounds and forums for community support.
      </p>
   </div>
   <h4>
      columns: 100px 6 (see in this case although 6 
      columns are needed only 4 are shown due to the content
      and available space.)
   </h4>
   <div class="cols2">
      <p>
         TutorialsPoint is a comprehensive online learning 
         platform offering tutorials, guides, and resources
         on a wide range of subjects, including programming,
         web development, data science, and more. It provides
         free and paid courses, covering basics to advanced
         topics, with interactive examples and practical 
         exercises. The platform caters to learners of all 
         levels, from beginners to professionals, helping 
         them build skills through structured content and 
         hands-on practice. TutorialsPoint also features 
         coding playgrounds and forums for community support.
      </p>
   </div>
</body>

</html>

Constituent Properties of Columns Property

The columns consists of column-width and column-count properties. These two properties can be used in combination to produce the columns property effect. This is shown in the following example.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
   <style>
      .cols1 {
         column-width: 50px;
         column-count: 5;
      }
      p{
         background-color: lightgreen;
      }
   </style>
</head>

<body>
   <h2>
      CSS columns property
   </h2>
   <h4>
      column-width: 50px; column-count: 5
   </h4>
   <div class="cols1">
      <p>
         TutorialsPoint is a comprehensive online learning 
         platform offering tutorials, guides, and resources
         on a wide range of subjects, including programming,
         web development, data science, and more. It provides
         free and paid courses, covering basics to advanced
         topics, with interactive examples and practical 
         exercises. The platform caters to learners of all 
         levels, from beginners to professionals, helping 
         them build skills through structured content and 
         hands-on practice. TutorialsPoint also features 
         coding playgrounds and forums for community support.
      </p>
   </div>
</body>

</html>

Supported Browsers

Property
columns	50.0	10.0	52.0	9.0	37.0

css_reference.htm