Tailwind CSS Cheat Sheet – Complete Utility Class Guide 2025
What it is : Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework with ready-made classes.
1. Responsive prefixes :
These are prefixes like sm:
, md:
, lg:
, etc. used to make styles apply only at specific screen sizes. They allow you to build responsive designs that adapt across devices.
sm:
→ Small screens (≥640px).md:
→ Medium screens (≥768px).lg:
→ Large screens (≥1024px).xl:
→ Extra large (≥1280px).2xl:
→ Extra extra large (≥1536px).
👉 Used to change styles at different screen sizes.
<p class="text-base md:text-xl">Hello</p>
-
hover:,focus:→ Add styles when user hovers or focuses.
<button class="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700">Click</button>
Dark mode :
dark:
→ Applies style in dark mode.
<div class="bg-white dark:bg-gray-800">Box</div>
2. Layout & Display :
This section includes utilities that control how an element is displayed — as a block, inline, flexbox, grid, or hidden. It also has helpers like container
and mx-auto
for responsive layouts.
block
→ Element takes full width (new line).
<div class="block">Box</div>
inline-block → Acts inline but allows width/height.
<span class="inline-block w-20">Box</span>
inline → Flows with text, no width/height control.
<span class="inline">Text</span>
flex → Turns element into a flexbox container.
<div class="flex">Items</div>
grid → Turns element into a grid container.
<div class="grid grid-cols-2">Two cols</div>
hidden → Hides the element.
<p class="hidden">Not visible</p>
Container & Responsive Widths :
container
→ Adds a fixed max-width that adjusts with screen size.
<div class="container">Content</div>
mx-auto → Centers the element horizontally.
<div class="container mx-auto">Centered</div>
3. Flexbox -
Flexbox utilities help arrange items inside a container. You can control direction, alignment, spacing, and wrapping. It’s mainly used for one-dimensional layouts (rows/columns).
Direction
flex-row
→ Items in a row.flex-col
→ Items in a column.
<div class="flex flex-col">...</div>
Justify (horizontal alignment)
justify-start
→ Items at start.justify-center
→ Items in center.justify-between
→ Space between items.
<div class="flex justify-between">...</div>
Align (vertical alignment)
items-start
→ Align top.items-center
→ Align center.items-end
→ Align bottom.
<div class="flex items-center">...</div>
Wrap
flex-wrap
→ Items move to next line.flex-nowrap
→ Items stay in one line.
<div class="flex flex-wrap">...</div>