CSS page-break-before property

Definition and usage

The page-break-before property sets the page-breaking behavior before the element.

Although it is possible to force pagination symbols with 'always', it cannot be guaranteed to avoid the insertion of pagination symbols. Creators can at most request that the user agent try to avoid inserting pagination.

Applies to:Non-floating block-level elements with position value relative or static.

Note:Use pagination attributes as little as possible and avoid using pagination attributes in tables, floating elements, and bordered block elements.

See also:

HTML DOM Reference Manual:pageBreakBefore attribute

Example

Set the pagination behavior to always occur after the table element:

<html>
<head>
<style>
@media print
{
table {page-break-before:always;}
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
....
</body>
</html>

CSS syntax

page-break-before: auto|always|avoid|left|right|initial|inherit;

Attribute value

Value Description
auto Default value. Insert a pagination symbol before the element if necessary.
always Insert a pagination symbol before the element.
avoid Avoid inserting a pagination symbol before the element.
left Sufficient pagination symbols before the element, up to an empty left page.
right Sufficient pagination symbols before the element, up to an empty right page.
inherit Specifies that the page-break-before property of the parent element should be inherited.

Technical details

Default value: auto
Inheritance: no
Version: CSS2
JavaScript syntax: object.style.pageBreakBefore="always"

Browser support

The numbers in the table indicate the first browser version that fully supports this attribute.

Chrome IE / Edge Firefox Safari Opera
1.0 4.0 1.0 1.2 7.0