Overflow

Overflow utilities control what happens when content is bigger than its box: overflow-auto scrolls when needed, overflow-hidden clips, overflow-visible lets content spill and overflow-scroll always shows scrollbars. overflow-x-* and overflow-y-* handle each axis separately, ideal for wide tables and side-scrolling rows.

1The four overflow values

overflow-auto, overflow-hidden, overflow-visible and overflow-scroll on boxes of fixed height.

overflow-auto

We have helped more than two hundred thousand people since we started. Our annual report is independently audited and published in full. Leave a gift in your will and help future generations. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.

overflow-hidden

overflow-visible

overflow-scroll

<div class="row g-3 small">
  <div class="col-6 col-md-3">
    <code>overflow-auto</code>
    <div class="overflow-auto border rounded-3 p-2 bg-body-tertiary" style="height:100px">
      We have helped more than two hundred thousand people since we started. Our annual report is independently audited and published in full. Leave a gift in your will and help future generations. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="col-6 col-md-3">
    <code>overflow-hidden</code>
    <div class="overflow-hidden border rounded-3 p-2 bg-body-tertiary" style="height:100px">
      We have helped more than two hundred thousand people since we started. Our annual report is independently audited and published in full. Leave a gift in your will and help future generations. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="col-6 col-md-3">
    <code>overflow-visible</code>
    <div class="overflow-visible border rounded-3 p-2 bg-body-tertiary mb-5" style="height:100px">
      We have helped more than two hundred thousand people since we started. Our annual report is independently audited and published in full. Leave a gift in your will and help future generations. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="col-6 col-md-3">
    <code>overflow-scroll</code>
    <div class="overflow-scroll border rounded-3 p-2 bg-body-tertiary" style="height:100px">
      We have helped more than two hundred thousand people since we started. Our annual report is independently audited and published in full. Leave a gift in your will and help future generations. Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

2Horizontal scroll only

overflow-x-auto with flex-nowrap scrolls a row of cards sideways.

Disaster response

Clean water

Volunteer programs

Animal rescue

<div class="d-flex flex-nowrap gap-2 overflow-x-auto pb-2">
  <div class="border rounded-3 p-3 flex-shrink-0" style="width:160px">
    <div class="fw-semibold small">
      Disaster response
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="border rounded-3 p-3 flex-shrink-0" style="width:160px">
    <div class="fw-semibold small">
      Clean water
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="border rounded-3 p-3 flex-shrink-0" style="width:160px">
    <div class="fw-semibold small">
      Clean water
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="border rounded-3 p-3 flex-shrink-0" style="width:160px">
    <div class="fw-semibold small">
      Volunteer programs
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="border rounded-3 p-3 flex-shrink-0" style="width:160px">
    <div class="fw-semibold small">
      Animal rescue
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

3Vertical scroll only

overflow-y-auto and a max-height make a scrolling list.

Arjun Fischer
Jonah Ashford
Lucas Duarte
Leo Whitaker
Felix Kowalski
Tariq Ortega

<ul class="list-unstyled border rounded-3 overflow-y-auto mb-0" style="max-height:150px">
  <li class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom">Arjun Fischer</li>
  <li class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom">Jonah Ashford</li>
  <li class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom">Lucas Duarte</li>
  <li class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom">Leo Whitaker</li>
  <li class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom">Felix Kowalski</li>
  <li class="px-3 py-2">Tariq Ortega</li>
</ul>

4Hidden to clip rounded corners

overflow-hidden on a rounded card clips the image corners.

without

overflow-hidden

<div class="row g-3">
  <div class="col-6">
    <div class="border rounded-4">
      <img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1557660559-42497f78035b?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1200&h=800&q=70" alt="Not clipped" class="w-100 d-block">
      <div class="p-2 small">
        without
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="col-6">
    <div class="border rounded-4 overflow-hidden">
      <img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1560220604-1985ebfe28b1?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1200&h=800&q=70" alt="Clipped" class="w-100 d-block">
      <div class="p-2 small">
        overflow-hidden
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

5Wide table

A wide table inside overflow-x-auto scrolls instead of breaking the page.

Order	Customer	City	Date	Status	Total
#TX-1415	Noah Carter	Austin	Dec 9, 2025	Active	$832.42
#INV-3243	Freya Morgan	Auckland	Jan 3, 2026	In review	$783.76

<div class="overflow-x-auto border rounded-3">
  <table class="table table-sm mb-0 text-nowrap">
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th scope="col">Order</th>
        <th scope="col">Customer</th>
        <th scope="col">City</th>
        <th scope="col">Date</th>
        <th scope="col">Status</th>
        <th scope="col">Total</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td>#TX-1415</td>
        <td>Noah Carter</td>
        <td>Austin</td>
        <td>Dec 9, 2025</td>
        <td>Active</td>
        <td>$832.42</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>#INV-3243</td>
        <td>Freya Morgan</td>
        <td>Auckland</td>
        <td>Jan 3, 2026</td>
        <td>In review</td>
        <td>$783.76</td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

6Code block that scrolls

Long lines in a pre with overflow-x-auto stay on one line.

npm run build -- --mode production --out-dir dist/rallyium --base ./ --sourcemap false --emptyOutDir

<pre class="overflow-x-auto bg-body-tertiary border rounded-3 p-3 small mb-0"><code>npm run build -- --mode production --out-dir dist/rallyium --base ./ --sourcemap false --emptyOutDir</code></pre>

7Chat window

A fixed height message area with overflow-y-auto above a fixed input.

Start in minutes and get help from a real person whenever you need it.

Local partners know their communities and make sure help arrives where it matters.

Monthly gifts let us plan ahead and respond quickly when disaster strikes.

Thousands of donors already trust us, and we work hard to keep it that way.

<div class="border rounded-4 d-flex flex-column" style="height:220px;max-width:22rem">
  <div class="overflow-y-auto p-3 d-flex flex-column gap-2 flex-grow-1">
    <div class="align-self-start bg-body-tertiary rounded-3 px-2 py-1 small">
      Start in minutes and get help from a real person whenever you need it.
    </div>
    <div class="align-self-end text-bg-primary rounded-3 px-2 py-1 small">
      Local partners know their communities and make sure help arrives where it matters.
    </div>
    <div class="align-self-start bg-body-tertiary rounded-3 px-2 py-1 small">
      Monthly gifts let us plan ahead and respond quickly when disaster strikes.
    </div>
    <div class="align-self-end text-bg-primary rounded-3 px-2 py-1 small">
      Thousands of donors already trust us, and we work hard to keep it that way.
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="border-top p-2">
    <label class="visually-hidden" for="ut-msg-1253">Message</label>
    <input id="ut-msg-1253" type="text" class="form-control form-control-sm" placeholder="Type a message">
  </div>
</div>

8Scrollable tab strip

Pills in a flex-nowrap row with overflow-x-auto for many categories.

<nav class="d-flex flex-nowrap gap-2 overflow-x-auto pb-1" aria-label="Categories">
  <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-primary rounded-pill text-nowrap">All</a> <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-light border rounded-pill text-nowrap">Environment</a> <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-light border rounded-pill text-nowrap">product</a> <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-light border rounded-pill text-nowrap">Environment</a> <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-light border rounded-pill text-nowrap">news</a> <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-light border rounded-pill text-nowrap">workflow</a> <a href="#" class="btn btn-sm btn-light border rounded-pill text-nowrap">bright</a> 
</nav>

9Terms box

A long text inside a bordered box with overflow-auto, like a licence agreement.

Terms of use

A school kit costs less than a cinema ticket and lasts a whole year. Volunteers give their time in schools, shelters and food banks every week. We keep things simple, so you can focus on what matters to you. Companies can match employee donations and double their impact.

Clear prices, honest advice and no surprises along the way. Clean water wells are built with and maintained by local communities. We listen first, then build a plan around what you actually need.

Friendly people answer your questions quickly, by phone, chat or email. Our team has done this many times, so you never have to guess. We measure success by how many donors come back and tell their friends.

<div class="border rounded-3 p-3 overflow-auto small bg-body-tertiary" style="height:130px">
  <h3 class="h6">Terms of use</h3>
  <p>A school kit costs less than a cinema ticket and lasts a whole year. Volunteers give their time in schools, shelters and food banks every week. We keep things simple, so you can focus on what matters to you. Companies can match employee donations and double their impact.</p>
  <p>Clear prices, honest advice and no surprises along the way. Clean water wells are built with and maintained by local communities. We listen first, then build a plan around what you actually need.</p>
  <p class="mb-0">Friendly people answer your questions quickly, by phone, chat or email. Our team has done this many times, so you never have to guess. We measure success by how many donors come back and tell their friends.</p>
</div>

10Visible overflow for a badge

overflow-visible lets a badge stick out of a box that would otherwise clip it.

overflow-hidden2

overflow-visible3

<div class="d-flex gap-4 pt-2">
  <div class="position-relative overflow-hidden border rounded-3 p-3 small">
    overflow-hidden<span class="position-absolute top-0 start-100 translate-middle badge rounded-pill text-bg-danger">2</span>
  </div>
  <div class="position-relative overflow-visible border rounded-3 p-3 small">
    overflow-visible<span class="position-absolute top-0 start-100 translate-middle badge rounded-pill text-bg-danger">3</span>
  </div>
</div>

11Hidden overflow for a cropped title

overflow-hidden with a fixed height clips long text to two lines worth of space.

Help us build a kinder world - Every donation is tax-deductible, and receipts arrive by email instantly.

Sep 30, 2025

<div class="border rounded-3 p-3" style="max-width:20rem">
  <div class="overflow-hidden fw-semibold lh-sm" style="height:2.5em">
    Help us build a kinder world - Every donation is tax-deductible, and receipts arrive by email instantly.
  </div>
  <div class="small text-body-secondary mt-1">
    Sep 30, 2025
  </div>
</div>

12Sidebar that scrolls separately

The nav column scrolls with overflow-y-auto while the content stays put.

Every detail is handled by people who care about getting it right. Companies can match employee donations and double their impact.

<div class="d-flex border rounded-3" style="height:180px">
  <nav class="overflow-y-auto border-end p-2 small flex-shrink-0" style="width:130px" aria-label="Chapters">
    <a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Intro</a><a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Setup</a><a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Layout</a> <a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Colours</a><a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Forms</a><a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Tables</a> <a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Charts</a><a href="#" class="d-block py-1">Deploy</a> 
  </nav>
  <div class="p-3 small">
    Every detail is handled by people who care about getting it right. Companies can match employee donations and double their impact.
  </div>
</div>

13Image pan area

A large image in an overflow-auto box can be scrolled in both directions.

<div class="overflow-auto border rounded-3" style="height:160px;max-width:26rem">
  <img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1758599668356-c8c919e24dda?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1600&h=700&q=70" alt="What happens after a disaster appeal" width="900" height="394" class="d-block"> 
</div>

14Kanban columns

Columns side by side in overflow-x-auto, each column scrolls with overflow-y-auto.

To do

Education fund

Clean water

Volunteer programs

Doing

Education fund

Done

Education fund

<div class="d-flex gap-2 overflow-x-auto pb-1">
  <div class="bg-body-tertiary rounded-3 p-2 flex-shrink-0 overflow-y-auto" style="width:170px;max-height:180px">
    <div class="small fw-semibold mb-2">
      To do
    </div>
    <div class="bg-body border rounded-2 p-2 small mb-2">
      Education fund
    </div>
    <div class="bg-body border rounded-2 p-2 small mb-2">
      Clean water
    </div>
    <div class="bg-body border rounded-2 p-2 small">
      Volunteer programs
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="bg-body-tertiary rounded-3 p-2 flex-shrink-0 overflow-y-auto" style="width:170px;max-height:180px">
    <div class="small fw-semibold mb-2">
      Doing
    </div>
    <div class="bg-body border rounded-2 p-2 small">
      Education fund
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="bg-body-tertiary rounded-3 p-2 flex-shrink-0 overflow-y-auto" style="width:170px;max-height:180px">
    <div class="small fw-semibold mb-2">
      Done
    </div>
    <div class="bg-body border rounded-2 p-2 small">
      Education fund
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

15Overflow-x hidden

overflow-x-hidden hides content that slides in from the side, like an off-screen panel.

Local partners know their communities and make sure help arrives where it matters.

Panel partly off the edge

<div class="position-relative overflow-x-hidden border rounded-3 p-3" style="height:110px">
  <div class="small">
    Local partners know their communities and make sure help arrives where it matters.
  </div>
  <div class="position-absolute top-0 bg-primary-subtle h-100 p-2 small" style="left:90%;width:200px">
    Panel partly off the edge
  </div>
</div>

16Overflow-y scroll always

overflow-y-scroll always shows the vertical scrollbar, so the width never jumps.

Every donation is tax-deductible, and receipts arrive by email instantly.

<div class="overflow-y-scroll border rounded-3 p-2 small" style="height:90px">
  Every donation is tax-deductible, and receipts arrive by email instantly.
</div>

17Notification panel

A dropdown-like panel with header, scrolling body and footer.

Notifications

Clear prices, honest advice and no surprises along the way.

We listen first, then build a plan around what you actually need.

Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.

Our annual report is independently audited and published in full.

View all

<div class="border rounded-3 shadow-sm d-flex flex-column" style="max-width:20rem;height:220px">
  <div class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom fw-semibold small">
    Notifications
  </div>
  <div class="overflow-y-auto flex-grow-1">
    <div class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom small">
      Clear prices, honest advice and no surprises along the way.
    </div>
    <div class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom small">
      We listen first, then build a plan around what you actually need.
    </div>
    <div class="px-3 py-2 border-bottom small">
      Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to the projects you support.
    </div>
    <div class="px-3 py-2 small">
      Our annual report is independently audited and published in full.
    </div>
  </div>
  <a href="#" class="px-3 py-2 border-top small text-center">View all</a> 
</div>

18Clip a decorative shape

A big circle partly outside its panel is cut off by overflow-hidden.

Hope starts with you

A school kit costs less than a cinema ticket and lasts a whole year.

<div class="position-relative overflow-hidden text-bg-primary rounded-4 p-4">
  <div class="position-absolute bg-white bg-opacity-25 rounded-circle" style="width:180px;height:180px;right:-60px;top:-60px">
  </div>
  <h3 class="h5 position-relative">Hope starts with you</h3>
  <p class="small mb-0 position-relative">A school kit costs less than a cinema ticket and lasts a whole year.</p>
</div>

19Long word handling

overflow-hidden plus text-truncate versus text-break for an unbreakable string.

downloads/rallyium/assets/very-long-file-name-without-any-spaces-at-all.zip

<div class="row g-2 small">
  <div class="col-sm-6">
    <div class="border rounded-3 p-2 text-truncate">
      downloads/rallyium/assets/very-long-file-name-without-any-spaces-at-all.zip
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="col-sm-6">
    <div class="border rounded-3 p-2 text-break">
      downloads/rallyium/assets/very-long-file-name-without-any-spaces-at-all.zip
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

20Responsive table wrapper

table-responsive is the helper made of overflow-x-auto for tables.

Plan	Users	Storage	Support	API	Price
Pro	49	321 GB	Email and chat	Unlimited	$73.64

<div class="table-responsive border rounded-3">
  <table class="table table-sm mb-0 text-nowrap">
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th scope="col">Plan</th>
        <th scope="col">Users</th>
        <th scope="col">Storage</th>
        <th scope="col">Support</th>
        <th scope="col">API</th>
        <th scope="col">Price</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td>Pro</td>
        <td>49</td>
        <td>321 GB</td>
        <td>Email and chat</td>
        <td>Unlimited</td>
        <td>$73.64</td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>