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page-break-before

This property has been replaced by the break-before property.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.

/* 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: unset;

Syntax

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.
right: Force page breaks before the element so that the next page is formatted as a right page.
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

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	block-level elements in the normal flow of the root element. User agents may also apply it to other elements like `table-row` elements.
Inherited	no
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

auto | always | avoid | left | right | recto | verso

Examples

Avoid a page break before an element

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

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Logical Properties and Values Level 1 The definition of 'recto and verso' in that specification.	Editor's Draft	Adds the values `recto` and `verso`.
CSS Paged Media Module Level 3 The definition of 'page-break-before' in that specification.	Working Draft	Extends the element that this property applies to table rows and table row groups.
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of 'page-break-before' in that specification.	Recommendation	Initial definition

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari
`page-break-before`	1	12	1 1 The values `avoid`, `left`, and `right` are unsupported.	4	7	1.2

	Mobile
	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`page-break-before`	37	18	4 4 The values `avoid`, `left`, and `right` are unsupported.	14	1	1.0