`translate()` CSS function

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.

See full compatibility

The translate() CSS function repositions an element in the horizontal and/or vertical directions. Its result is a <transform-function> data type.

Try it

transform: translate(0);

transform: translate(42px, 18px);

transform: translate(-2.1rem, -2ex);

transform: translate(3ch, 3mm);

<section id="default-example">
  <img class="transition-all" id="static-element" src="../../../../../../../shared-assets/images/examples/firefox-logo.svg" width="200">
  <img class="transition-all" id="example-element" src="../../../../../../../shared-assets/images/examples/firefox-logo.svg" width="200">
</section>

#static-element {
  opacity: 0.4;
  position: absolute;
}

#example-element {
  position: absolute;
}

This transformation is characterized by a two-dimensional vector [tx, ty]. Its coordinates define how much the element moves in each direction.

Syntax

css

/* Single <length-percentage> values */
transform: translate(200px);
transform: translate(50%);

/* Double <length-percentage> values */
transform: translate(100px, 200px);
transform: translate(100px, 50%);
transform: translate(30%, 200px);
transform: translate(30%, 50%);

Values

Single <length-percentage> values: This value is a <length> or <percentage> representing the abscissa (horizontal, x-component) of the translating vector [tx, 0]. The ordinate (vertical, y-component) of the translating vector will be set to 0. For example, translate(2px) is equivalent to translate(2px, 0). A percentage value refers to the width of the reference box defined by the transform-box property.
Double <length-percentage> values: This value describes two <length> or <percentage> values representing both the abscissa (horizontal, x-component) and the ordinate (vertical, y-component) of the translating vector [tx, ty]. A percentage as first value refers to the width, as second part to the height of the reference box defined by the transform-box property.

Cartesian coordinates on ℝ^2	Homogeneous coordinates on ℝℙ^2	Cartesian coordinates on ℝ^3	Homogeneous coordinates on ℝℙ^3
A translation is not a linear transformation in ℝ^2 and can't be represented using a Cartesian-coordinate matrix.	$\left( \begin{array}{ccc} 1 & 0 & tx \\ 0 & 1 & ty \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{array} \right)$	$\left( \begin{array}{ccc} 1 & 0 & tx \\ 0 & 1 & ty \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{array} \right)$	$\left( \begin{array}{cccc} 1 & 0 & 0 & tx \\ 0 & 1 & 0 & ty \\ 0 & 0 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 & 1 \end{array} \right)$
	`[1 0 0 1 tx ty]`

Formal syntax

<translate()> = 
  translate( <length-percentage> , <length-percentage>? )  

<length-percentage> = 
  <length>      |
  <percentage>

Examples

Using a single-axis translation

HTML

html

<div>Static</div>
<div class="moved">Moved</div>
<div>Static</div>

CSS

css

div {
  width: 60px;
  height: 60px;
  background-color: skyblue;
}

.moved {
  /* Equal to: translateX(10px) or translate(10px, 0) */
  transform: translate(10px);
  background-color: pink;
}

Result

Combining y-axis and x-axis translation

HTML

html

<div>Static</div>
<div class="moved">Moved</div>
<div>Static</div>

CSS

css

div {
  width: 60px;
  height: 60px;
  background-color: skyblue;
}

.moved {
  transform: translate(10px, 10px);
  background-color: pink;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
CSS Transforms Module Level 1 # funcdef-transform-translate

Browser compatibility

	desktop					mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Opera	Safari	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet	WebView Android	WebView on iOS
`translate()`	Chrome – Full support Chrome 1 (Release date: 2008-12-11) footnote Full support	Edge – Full support Edge 12 (Release date: 2015-07-29) footnote Full support	Firefox – Full support Firefox 3.5 (Release date: 2009-06-30) footnote Full support	Opera – Full support Opera 10.5 (Release date: 2010-03-02) footnote Full support	Safari – Full support Safari 3.1 (Release date: 2008-03-18) footnote Full support	Chrome Android – Full support Chrome Android 18 (Release date: 2012-06-27) footnote Full support	Firefox for Android – Full support Firefox for Android 4 (Release date: 2011-03-29) footnote Full support	Opera Android – Full support Opera Android 11 (Release date: 2011-03-22) footnote Full support	Safari on iOS – Full support Safari on iOS 3.2 (Release date: 2010-04-03) footnote Full support	Samsung Internet – Full support Samsung Internet 1 (Release date: 2013-04-27) footnote Full support	WebView Android – Full support WebView Android 2 (Release date: 2009-10-26) footnote Full support	WebView on iOS – Full support WebView on iOS 3.2 (Release date: 2010-04-03) footnote Full support

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support: Full support

translate() CSS function

HTML

CSS

Result

HTML

CSS

Result

Legend

`translate()` CSS function