CSS bottom property
The CSS bottom property specifies the bottom position of an element in combination with the position property.
Note: The bottom property has no effect on elements with position: static (the default).
Depending on how the element is positioned, the effect of the bottom property may be different. Particularly:
- When the positioning of an element is
relative,absolute,fixed, orsticky, thebottomvalue plays a significant role. - When the position is
fixed, the element is positioned relative to the screen's viewport and stays fixed when scrolling. - When it is
absolute, the element is positioned relative to its container. - When the position is
relative, it makes the element's bottom edge move above or below its normal position. - For
sticky, the element behaves likerelativeuntil a scroll threshold is reached, after which it behaves likefixedrelative to the viewport.
| Initial Value | auto |
|---|---|
| Applies to | All elements. It also applies to ::first-letter. |
| Inherited | No. |
| Animatable | Yes. The bottom position can be animatable. |
| Version | CSS2 |
| DOM Syntax | object.style.bottom = "10px"; |
Syntax
Syntax of CSS bottom property
css
bottom: auto | length | percentage | initial | inherit;Example of the bottom property:
Example of CSS bottom property with position absolute value
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div.parent {
position: relative;
height: 300px;
width: 80%;
border: 3px solid #8ebf42;
}
div.absolute {
position: absolute;
width: 50%;
bottom: 10px;
border: 3px solid #8ebf42;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Bottom property example</h2>
<div class="parent">
The position of this div is set to relative.
<div class="absolute">This div's bottom edge is placed 10 pixels above the bottom edge of the containing element, and the position is set to absolute.</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>Result

Example of the bottom property with all the positions:
Example of CSS bottom property with all positions
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div.parent {
position: relative;
height: 180px;
border: 3px solid #8AC007;
}
div.absolute {
position: absolute;
width: 50%;
bottom: 20px;
border: 3px solid #8AC007;
}
div.relative {
position: relative;
width: 50%;
bottom: 2px;
border: 3px solid #8AC007;
}
div.fixed {
position: fixed;
width: 50%;
bottom: 50px;
border: 3px solid #8AC007;
}
div.sticky {
position: sticky;
top: 0;
width: 50%;
bottom: 10px;
border: 3px solid #8AC007;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Bottom property example</h2>
<div class="parent">
This div element has position: relative.
<div class="absolute"><strong>position: absolute and bottom 20px</strong>
<br />This div's bottom edge is placed 20 pixels above the bottom edge of the containing element.</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="parent">
This div element has position: relative.
<div class="relative"><strong>position: relative and bottom 2px</strong>
<br />This div's bottom edge is placed 2 pixels above its normal position.</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="fixed"><strong>position: fixed and bottom 50px</strong>
<br />This div's bottom edge is placed 50 pixels from the bottom of the viewport.</div>
<div class="parent">
This div element has position: relative.
<div class="sticky"><strong>position: sticky and bottom 10px</strong>
<br />This div is sticky.</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>Values
| Value | Description | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| auto | This is the default value. It lets the browser calculate the bottom edge position. | Play it » |
| percentage | Defines the element’s position in percentages of the containing block height. | |
| length | Defines the position of the element in px, cm, etc. Negative values are allowed. | Play it » |
| initial | Sets the property to its default value. | Play it » |
| inherit | Inherits the property from its parent element. |
Practice
What does the 'bottom' property in CSS do?