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css property

`orphans` CSS property

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

In typography, an orphan is the first line of a paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page. (The paragraph continues on a following page.)

Syntax

/* <integer> values */
orphans: 2;
orphans: 3;

/* Global values */
orphans: inherit;
orphans: initial;
orphans: revert;
orphans: revert-layer;
orphans: unset;

Values

  • &lt;integer&gt;
    • : The minimum number of lines that can stay by themselves at the bottom of a fragment before a fragmentation break. The value must be positive.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

Examples

Setting a minimum orphan size of three lines

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 orphans 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;
  height: 150px;
  columns: 3;
  orphans: 3;
}

p {
  background-color: #8ca0ff;
}

p:first-child {
  margin-top: 0;
}

Result

Interactive exampleOpen the canonical MDN source to run this embedded demo.

Specifications

SpecificationsStandards references are available on the canonical MDN page.

Browser compatibility

Browser compatibilityCompatibility data is available on the canonical MDN page.

See also