- How to Hide Elements in a Responsive Layout
- Example of hiding an element on extra small devices:
- Example of hiding an element on small devices:
- Solutions with Bootstrap
- Example of hiding an element on extra small devices with Bootstrap:
- Example of hiding an element on medium devices with Bootstrap:
- 10 Ways to Hide Elements in CSS
- Accessibility
- Event Handling
- Performance
- 1. opacity and filter: opacity()
- 2. color Alpha Transparency
- 3. transform
- 4. clip-path
- 5. visibility
- 6. display
- 7. HTML hidden attribute
- 8. Absolute position
- 9. Overlay Another Element
- 10. Reduce Dimensions
- Hidden Choices
- Share This Article
How to Hide Elements in a Responsive Layout
To hide an element in a responsive layout, we need to use the CSS display property set to its «none» value along with the @media rule. The content of the second element having a «hidden-mobile» class will be hidden on devices smaller than 767px.
Please note that in order to get better results from examples, create an ‘index.html’ file in your local machine, and test the codes in your local browser by changing the page size.
Example of hiding an element on extra small devices:
html> html> head> meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1, user-scalable=no" /> style> // show it on devices with max of 767 px and lower @media (max-width: 767px) < .hidden-mobile < display: none; > > style> head> body> h1>Hi h1> p>There is some text for example. p> p class="hidden-mobile">This text will be shown on large devices. p> p>There is some text for example. p> body> html>
In the below code, the media query uses @media (max-width: 576px) to apply the styles inside the block only if the device width is less than or equal to 576 pixels. The .element class has display: none inside this media query, which means that any element with the .element class will be hidden on extra small devices.
Note that the value of 576px is commonly used as the breakpoint for extra small devices, as it corresponds to the width of most smartphones in portrait orientation. However, this value can be adjusted as needed depending on the specific design requirements.
Example of hiding an element on small devices:
html> html> head> meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1, user-scalable=no" /> style> /* Hide element on extra small devices */ @media (max-width: 576px) < .element < display: none; > > style> head> body> h1>Hi h1> p>There is some text for example. p> p class="element">This element will be hidden on extra small devices. p> p>There is some text for example. p> body> html>
Solutions with Bootstrap
In Bootstrap 3.4.1, we can use the «hidden-xs» class to hide an element on phones. So, in the next example, we demonstrate how a element will be hidden on extra small devices.
Example of hiding an element on extra small devices with Bootstrap:
html> html> head> meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1, user-scalable=no"> link rel="stylesheet" href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.4.1/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-HSMxcRTRxnN+Bdg0JdbxYKrThecOKuH5zCYotlSAcp1+c8xmyTe9GYg1l9a69psu" crossorigin="anonymous"> style> body < background: none; > style> head> body> h1>Hi h1> p>There is some text for example. p> strong class="hidden-xs">This text will be hidden on phones. strong> p>There is some text for example. p> body> html>
In Bootstrap 4, the hidden-* (also visible-*) class does not exist any more. To hide an element on some tiers or breakpoints, you need to use the d-* display classes.
An extra small device (xs) is the default breakpoint if it is not overridden by a larger breakpoint. Thus, the -xs infix no more exists in Bootstrap 4.
In Bootstrap 4.3, to hide an element only on medium devices, use the «d-md-none» and «d-lg-block» classes.
Example of hiding an element on medium devices with Bootstrap:
html> html> head> meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1, user-scalable=no"> link rel="stylesheet" href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.5.0/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-9aIt2nRpC12Uk9gS9baDl411NQApFmC26EwAOH8WgZl5MYYxFfc+NcPb1dKGj7Sk" crossorigin="anonymous"> style> body < background: none; > style> head> body> h1>Hi h1> p>There is some text for example. p> p class="d-md-none d-lg-block">This text will be hidden on medium devices, but it will be shown on large devices. p> p>There is some text for example. p> body> html>
10 Ways to Hide Elements in CSS
Some CSS hiding options are all or nothing. The element is either fully visible or fully invisible and there’s no in-between state. Others, such as transparency, can have a range of values, so interpolated CSS animations become possible.
Accessibility
Each method described below will visually hide an element, but it may or may not hide the content from assistive technologies. For example, a screen reader could still announce tiny transparent text. Further CSS properties or ARIA attributes such as aria-hidden=»true» may be necessary to describe the appropriate action.
Be wary that animations can also cause disorientation, migraines, seizures, or other physical discomfort for some people. Consider using a prefers-reduced-motion media query to switch off animations when specified in user preferences.
Event Handling
Hiding will either stop events being triggered on that element or have no effect — that is, the element is not visible but can still be clicked or receive other user interactions.
Performance
After a browser loads and parses the HTML DOM and CSS object model, the page is rendered in three stages:
- Layout: generate the geometry and position of each element
- Paint: draw out the pixels for each element
- Composition: position element layers in the appropriate order
An effect which only causes composition changes is noticeably smoother than those affecting layout. In some cases, the browser can also use hardware acceleration.
1. opacity and filter: opacity()
The opacity: N and filter: opacity(N) properties can be passed a number between 0 and 1, or a percentage between 0% and 100% denoting fully transparent and fully opaque accordingly.
There’s little practical difference between the two in modern browsers, although filter should be used if multiple effects are applied at the same time (blur, contrast, grayscale etc.)
Opacity can be animated and offers great performance, but be wary that a fully transparent element remains on the page and can trigger events.
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | good, but IE only supports opacity 0 to 1 |
accessibility | content not read if 0 or 0% is set |
layout affected? | no |
rendering required | composition |
performance | best, can use hardware acceleration |
animation frames possible? | yes |
events triggered when hidden? | yes |
2. color Alpha Transparency
opacity affects the whole element, but it’s also possible to set the color , background-color , and border-color properties separately. Applying a zero alpha channel using rgba(0,0,0,0) or similar renders an item fully transparent:
Each property can be animated separately to create interesting effects. Note that transparency can’t be applied to elements with image backgrounds unless they’re generated using linear-gradient or similar.
The alpha channel can be set with:
- transparent : fully transparent (in-between animations are not possible)
- rgba(r, g, b, a) : red, green, blue, and alpha
- hsla(h, s, l, a) : hue, saturation, lightness, and alpha
- #RRGGBBAA and #RGBA
3. transform
The transform property can be used to translate (move), scale, rotate, or skew an element. A scale(0) or translate(-999px, 0px) off-screen will hide the element:
transform offers excellent performance and hardware acceleration because the element is effectively moved into a separate layer and can be animated in 2D or 3D. The original layout space remains as is, but no events will be triggered by a fully hidden element.
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | good |
accessibility | content still read |
layout affected? | no — the original dimensions remain |
rendering required | composition |
performance | best, can use hardware acceleration |
animation frames possible? | yes |
events triggered when hidden? | no |
4. clip-path
The clip-path property creates a clipping region that determines which parts of an element are visible. Using a value such as clip-path: circle(0); will completely hide the element.
clip-path offers scope for interesting animations, although it should only be relied on in modern browsers.
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | modern browsers only |
accessibility | content still read by some applications |
layout affected? | no — the original dimensions remain |
rendering required | paint |
performance | reasonable |
animation frames possible? | yes, in modern browsers |
events triggered when hidden? | no |
5. visibility
The visibility property can be set to visible or hidden to show and hide an element:
The space used by the element remains in place unless a collapse value is used.
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | excellent |
accessibility | content not read |
layout affected? | no, unless collapse is used |
rendering required | composition, unless collapse is used |
performance | good |
animation frames possible? | no |
events triggered when hidden? | no |
6. display
display is probably the most-used element-hiding method. A value of none effectively removes the element as if it never existed in the DOM.
However, it’s possibly the worst CSS property to use in the majority of cases. It can’t be animated and will trigger a page layout unless the element is moved out of the document flow using position: absolute or the new contain property is adopted.
display is also overloaded, with options such as block , inline , table , flexbox , grid and more. Resetting back to the correct value after display: none; can be problematic (although unset may help).
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | excellent |
accessibility | content not read |
layout affected? | yes |
rendering required | layout |
performance | poor |
animation frames possible? | no |
events triggered when hidden? | no |
7. HTML hidden attribute
The HTML hidden attribute can be added to any element:
p hidden> Hidden content p>
to apply the browser’s default style:
This has the same benefits and flaws as display: none , although it could be useful when using a content management system that doesn’t permit style changes.
8. Absolute position
The position property allows an element to be moved from its default static position within the page layout using top , bottom , left , and right . An absolute -positioned element can therefore be moved off-screen with left: -999px or similar:
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | excellent, unless using position: sticky |
accessibility | content still read |
layout affected? | yes, if positioning is changed |
rendering required | depends |
performance | reasonable if careful |
animation frames possible? | yes, on top , bottom , left , and right |
events triggered when hidden? | yes, but it may be impossible to interact with an off-screen element |
9. Overlay Another Element
An element can be visually hidden by positioning another over the top which has the same color as the background. In this example, an ::after pseudo-element is overlaid, although any child element could be used:
While technically possible, this option required more code than other options.
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | excellent |
accessibility | content still read |
layout affected? | no, if absolutely positioned |
rendering required | paint |
performance | reasonable if careful |
animation frames possible? | yes |
events triggered when hidden? | yes, when a pseudo or child element is overlaid |
10. Reduce Dimensions
An element can be hidden by minimizing its dimensions using width , height , padding , border-width and/or font-size . It may also be necessary to apply overflow: hidden; to ensure content doesn’t spill out.
Interesting animated effects are possible, but performance is noticeably better with transform .
metric | effect |
---|---|
browser support | excellent |
accessibility | content still read |
layout affected? | yes |
rendering required | layout |
performance | poor |
animation frames possible? | yes |
events triggered when hidden? | no |
Hidden Choices
display: none has been the favorite solution to hide elements for many years, but it’s been superseded by more flexible, animatable options. It’s still valid, but perhaps only when you want to permanently hide content from all users. transform or opacity are better choices when considering performance.
Take your CSS skills to the next level with CSS Master. Learn CSS architecture, debugging, custom properties, advanced layout and animation techniques, how to use CSS with SVG, and more.
Share This Article
Craig is a freelance UK web consultant who built his first page for IE2.0 in 1995. Since that time he’s been advocating standards, accessibility, and best-practice HTML5 techniques. He’s created enterprise specifications, websites and online applications for companies and organisations including the UK Parliament, the European Parliament, the Department of Energy & Climate Change, Microsoft, and more. He’s written more than 1,000 articles for SitePoint and you can find him @craigbuckler.