CSS overflow-x Property

Description

The overflow-x CSS property is used to control how content overflows in the horizontal direction within an HTML element with a specified width and height. It determines whether a horizontal scrollbar should appear when the content overflows the element's designated width. The property can take several values, including "visible" (default, where content overflows the element), "hidden" (content is clipped and no scrollbar appears), "scroll" (a scrollbar is always visible), and "auto" (a scrollbar appears only when content exceeds the element's width). overflow-x is particularly useful for managing horizontal overflow situations, such as long text strings or wide images within containers.

Initial value: visible
Applies to: Block containers, flex containers and grid containers
Inherited: No
Computed value: As specified
Animatable: No
JavaScript syntax: object.style.overflowX

Syntax

overflow-x: visible | hidden | scroll | auto

Values

visibleContent is not clipped and scroll bars are not added. Elements are clipped to the size of the containing window or frame.
hiddenContent that exceeds the dimensions of the object is not shown.
scrollContent is clipped and scroll bars are added, even if the content does not exceed the dimensions of the object.
autoContent is clipped and scrolling is added only when necessary.

Example

HTML

<div class="test"> visible

   <img src="images/tech.gif" alt=""> 

</div> 

<div class="test2"> hidden

   <img src="images/tech.gif" alt=""> 

</div> 

<div class="test3"> scroll

   <img src="images/tech.gif" alt=""> 

</div> 

<div class="test4"> auto

   <img src="images/tech.gif" alt=""> 

</div>

CSS

div {
   display: inline-block; 
   margin-right: 30px;
   width: 100px; 
   height: 100px;
   border: 2px solid blue; 
}
img {
   width: 125px;
   height: 125px;
}
.test {
   overflow-x: visible;
   overflow-y: visible;
}
.test2 {
   overflow-x: hidden;
   overflow-y: hidden; 
}
.test3 {
   overflow-x: scroll;
   overflow-y: scroll;
}
.test4 {
   overflow-x: auto;
   overflow-y: auto; 
}

Result