CSS order Property
Controls the order in which flex or grid items appear in their container
Syntax
order: <integer>;Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Default order |
| <negative> | Moves item before items with default order |
| -1 | Placed before items with order: 0 |
| 1 | Placed after items with order: 0 |
| 99 | Placed last among numbered items |
Example
.first-on-mobile {
order: -1;
}
@media (min-width: 768px) {
.first-on-mobile { order: 0; }
}Understanding CSS order
The CSS order property controls the order in which flex or grid items appear in their container. As part of the Flexbox module in CSS, it is one of the most commonly used properties for controlling the visual presentation of web pages.
You can set order to values such as 0, <negative>, -1, 1, among others. Each value changes how the browser renders the affected element, giving you fine-grained control over your page layout and design. Choosing the right value depends on the specific design requirements of your project.
Common use cases for the order property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like flex-direction, flex-wrap, display to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.
Browser support for order is excellent across all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For older browsers, consider using fallback values or progressive enhancement strategies. The property can also be set dynamically via JavaScript using element.style.order or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.
Related Properties
flex-directionDefines the direction flex items are placed in the flex container
flex-wrapControls whether flex items are forced onto one line or can wrap onto multiple lines
displayControls how an element generates display boxes in the document flow
z-indexSets the stack order of a positioned element and its descendants
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