`page-break-before` CSS property

[!WARNING] This property has been replaced by the break-before property.

The page-break-before CSS property adjusts page breaks before the current element.

This property applies to block elements that generate a box. It won’t apply on an empty <div> that won’t generate a box.

page-break-before: auto;

page-break-before: always;

<div>
  <p>
    The effect of this property can be noticed when the document is being
    printed or a preview of a print is displayed.
  </p>
  <button id="print-btn">Show Print Preview</button>
  <div class="box-container">
    <div class="box">Content before the property</div>
    <div class="box" id="example-element">Content with 'page-break-before'</div>
    <div class="box">Content after the property</div>
  </div>
</div>

.box {
  border: solid #5b6dcd 5px;
  background-color: #5b6dcd;
  margin: 10px 0;
  padding: 5px;
}

#example-element {
  border: solid 5px #ffc129;
  background-color: #ffc129;
  color: black;
}

const btn = document.getElementById("print-btn");

btn.addEventListener("click", () => {
  window.print();
});

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
page-break-before: auto;
page-break-before: always;
page-break-before: avoid;
page-break-before: left;
page-break-before: right;
page-break-before: recto;
page-break-before: verso;

/* Global values */
page-break-before: inherit;
page-break-before: initial;
page-break-before: revert;
page-break-before: revert-layer;
page-break-before: unset;

Values

This property is specified as one of the following keyword values:

• auto
  • : Initial value. Automatic page breaks (neither forced nor forbidden).
• always
  • : Always force page breaks before the element.
• avoid
  • : Avoid page breaks before the element.
• left
  • : Force page breaks before the element so that the next page is formatted as a left page. It’s the page placed on the left side of the spine of the book or the back side of the page in duplex printing.
• right
  • : Force page breaks before the element so that the next page is formatted as a right page. It’s the page placed on the right side of the spine of the book or the front side of the page in duplex printing.
• recto
  • : If pages progress left-to-right, then this acts like right. If pages progress right-to-left, then this acts like left.
• verso
  • : If pages progress left-to-right, then this acts like left. If pages progress right-to-left, then this acts like right.

Page break aliases

The page-break-before property is now a legacy property, replaced by break-before.

For compatibility reasons, page-break-before should be treated by browsers as an alias of break-before. This ensures that sites using page-break-before continue to work as designed. A subset of values should be aliased as follows:

page-break-before	break-before
auto	auto
left	left
right	right
avoid	avoid
always	page

Formal definition

Formal syntax

Examples

Avoid a page break before an element

/* Avoid page break before div elements of class note */
div.note {
  page-break-before: avoid;
}

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• break-before, break-after, break-inside
• page-break-after, page-break-inside
• orphans, widows