What is preventing my div from reaching 100% height when I implement an HTML5 doctype? Is there a solution to achieving a full height div?

I'm currently working on organizing the layout for a basic gallery webapp, and I've encountered an issue where some of my divs are shrinking in height when using an HTML5 doctype declaration. Despite trying different CSS properties, I can't seem to adjust them back to their original size.

You can view my HTML at and the CSS at

  • Removing the HTML5 doctype declaration resolves the issue, but I prefer using the proper HTML5 doctype.
  • With the doctype set to HTML 5 and no other changes, the photo and footer divs disappear, likely due to having a height of 0px.
  • Even with setting the heights in pixels or percentages for the body and container, they don't appear as full height as desired.
  • Trying to set the body height to 100% results in the same disappearing act by the photo and footer divs.

What steps should I take to ensure that the photo and footer divs are fully visible with a 100% height?

csshtmlquirks-mode

Answer №1

It is essential for the parent element to have a specified height, rather than an 'auto' value. If the parent has a height of 100%, then even its parent must have a defined height, extending all the way up to the root element html.

To achieve this, set the height of both the html and body elements to 100%, along with every ancestor element of the target element that needs to inherit the height.

Consider this example for clarity: 

html, body, .outer, .inner, .content {
  height: 100%;
  padding: 10px;
  margin: 0;
  background-color: rgba(255,0,0,.1);
  box-sizing: border-box;
}
<div class="outer">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="content">
      Content
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

If I were not to assign 100% height to the html element, the following setup would fail: 

body, .outer, .inner, .content {
  height: 100%;
  padding: 10px;
  margin: 0;
  background-color: rgba(255,0,0,.1);
  box-sizing: border-box;
}
<div class="outer">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="content">
      Content
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Similarly, failing to give 100% height to—let's say .inner—would also lead to issues: 

html, body, .outer, .content {
  height: 100%;
  padding: 10px;
  margin: 0;
  background-color: rgba(255,0,0,.1);
  box-sizing: border-box;
}
<div class="outer">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="content">
      Content
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Answer №2

Sure thing, here are the steps to get it working:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>Vertical Scrolling Demo</title>
  <style>
    html, body {
      width: 100%;
      height: 100%;
      background: white;
      margin:0;
      padding:0;
    }
    .page {
      min-height: 100%;
      width: 100%;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="nav" class="page">
    <ul>
      <li><a href="#about">About</a></li>
      <li><a href="#portfolio">Portfolio</a></li>
      <li><a href="#contact">Contact</a></li>
    </ul>
  </div>
  <div id="page1" class="page">
    <h1><a name="about">about</a></h1>
    About page content goes here.
  </div>
  <div id="page2" class="page">
    <h1><a name="portfolio">portfolio</a></h1>
    Portfolio page content goes here.
  </div>
  <div id="page3" class="page">
    <h1><a name="contact">contact</a></h1>
    Contact page content goes here.
  </div>
</body>
</html>

Answer №3

I encountered a similar issue when trying to size a canvas, but I found a solution that worked perfectly for me.

In addition to setting the overall body dimensions with:

body{ width: 100%; height: 100%;}

You can also specify the desired element like this:

.desired-element{ width: 100vw; height: 100vh}

By doing this, you will ensure that your element takes up 100% of the viewport in both width and height.

The "vw" in the code stands for viewwidth, and "vh" stands for viewheight.

I hope this tip proves helpful to someone facing the same challenge.

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