---
title: Clearfix
tags: layout,beginner
---

Ensures that an element self-clears its children.

- `.clearfix:after` defines a pseudo-element.
- `content: ''` allows the pseudo-element to affect layout.
- `clear: both` indicates that the left, right or both sides of the element cannot be adjacent to earlier floated elements within the same block formatting context.
- This is only useful if you are still using `float` to build layouts. Please consider using a modern approach with flexbox layout or grid layout. For this snippet to work properly you need to ensure that there are no non-floating children in the container and that there are no tall floats before the clearfixed container but in the same formatting context (e.g. floated columns).

```html
<div class="clearfix">
  <div class="floated">float a</div>
  <div class="floated">float b</div>
  <div class="floated">float c</div>
</div>
```

```css
.clearfix:after {
  content: '';
  display: block;
  clear: both;
}

.floated {
  float: left;
}
```