Style marginLeft Property

Example

Set the left margin of a <div> element:

document.getElementById("myDiv").style.marginLeft = "50px";
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Description

The marginLeft property sets or returns the left margin of an element.

Both the margin property and the padding property insert space around an element. However, the difference is that margin inserts the space around the border, while padding inserts the space within the border of an element.


Browser Support

Property
marginLeft Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Syntax

Return the marginLeft property:

object.style.marginLeft

Set the marginLeft property:

object.style.marginLeft = "%|length|auto|inherit"

Property Values

Value Description
% Defines the left margin in % of the width of the parent element
length Defines the left margin in length units
auto The browser sets the left margin
initial Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial
inherit Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit


Technical Details

Default Value: 0
Return Value: A String, representing the left margin of an element
CSS Version CSS1

More Examples

Example

Change the left margin of a <div> element back to "normal":

document.getElementById("myDiv").style.marginLeft = "0px";
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Example

Return the left margin of a <div> element:

alert(document.getElementById("myDiv").style.marginLeft);
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Example

Difference between marginLeft and paddingLeft:

function changeMargin() {
  document.getElementById("myDiv").style.marginLeft = "100px";
}

function changePadding() {
  document.getElementById("myDiv2").style.paddingLeft = "100px";
}
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Related Pages

CSS tutorial: CSS Margin

CSS reference: margin-left property

HTML DOM reference: margin property


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