CSS Multi-column Layouts

Multi-column layouts allow text or content to flow into multiple columns, similar to newspapers or magazines. Unlike Flexbox or Grid, multi-column layouts are primarily used for text-heavy content where the goal is readability and smooth content flow.

column-count

The column-count property specifies how many columns the content should be divided into.

Example:

<div class="multi-column-count">
  <p>
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer nec odio.
    Praesent libero. Sed cursus ante dapibus diam. Sed nisi. Nulla quis sem at
    nibh elementum imperdiet. Duis sagittis ipsum. Praesent mauris.
  </p>
</div>

.multi-column-count {
column-count: 3;        /* Divide content into 3 columns */
column-gap: 20px;       /* Space between columns */
padding: 15px;
background: #f9f9f9;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

column-width

The column-width property defines the ideal width of each column. The browser creates as many columns as fit in the container while respecting the width.

Example:

<div class="multi-column-width">
  <p>
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer nec odio.
    Praesent libero. Sed cursus ante dapibus diam.
  </p>
</div>

.multi-column-width {
  column-width: 200px;    /* Ideal width of each column */
  column-gap: 15px;
  padding: 15px;
  background: #f0f0f0;
  font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

column-gap & column-rule

• column-gap → sets the space between columns.
• column-rule → adds a line (border) between columns for visual separation.

Example:

<div class="multi-column-gap-rule">
  <p>
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer nec odio.
    Praesent libero. Sed cursus ante dapibus diam.
  </p>
</div>

.multi-column-gap-rule {
  column-count: 2;                /* Number of columns */
  column-gap: 30px;               /* Space between columns */
  column-rule: 2px solid #333;    /* Vertical line between columns */
  padding: 15px;
  background: #fffbe6;
  font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

Pros & Cons of Multi-column Layouts vs Flex/Grid

Feature	Multi-column	Flex/Grid
Best For	Text-heavy content, articles, blogs	Complex layouts, apps, dashboards
Ease of Use	Simple for flowing content	More control over rows, columns, and alignment
Responsiveness	Adjusts automatically with column-width	Requires explicit media queries for full control
Alignment & Control	Limited	Precise placement, spacing, and alignment
Styling	Limited to basic column spacing and rules	Advanced styling and complex layouts possible