What's the difference between Grid and Flexbox?

Grid handles two dimensions simultaneously — rows and columns at once — which makes it the right choice for full page layouts, dashboards, and complex forms where alignment across both axes matters. Flexbox handles one dimension at a time and excels at navigation bars, lists, and content distribution within a section. Most real pages use both: Grid for the outer page structure, Flexbox for component-internal layout.

The fr unit represents a fraction of available space, distributed after fixed-size tracks are accounted for. 'grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr' creates three columns sharing space in a 1-2-1 ratio out of 4 total fractions, so the middle column ends up twice as wide as each side. The math works out automatically when the container resizes, which is why fr is more flexible than percentages for most grid layouts.

How do I make a responsive grid?

The minmax() function combined with auto-fill or auto-fit handles most responsive needs without media queries. 'repeat(auto-fill, minmax(200px, 1fr))' creates as many columns as fit at the current width, each at least 200px and growing to share leftover space. As the viewport changes, the column count adjusts automatically. Auto-fit collapses empty slots; auto-fill keeps them reserved.

What are grid-template-areas?

Named regions that let you define layout structure as ASCII-art-like strings. Defining 'header header' on the first row, 'sidebar main' on the second, and 'footer footer' on the third creates a layout grid where each name corresponds to a region. Children get placed by name with grid-area: header rather than by row and column numbers, which makes the CSS read like the actual layout and makes refactoring much easier.

When should I use Grid vs Flexbox?

Reach for Grid when you need true two-dimensional control — complex page structures, explicit cell positioning for dashboard widgets, or responsive layouts where rows and columns both shift with viewport. Reach for Flexbox when you're laying out items along a single axis — a navigation bar, a row of cards, content within a single column. Both are modern, both have universal support, and most production layouts use them in combination.

What are gap and grid-gap?

Both set spacing between grid cells, with gap being the modern name and grid-gap being the legacy alias from when the property was grid-specific. Both work; gap is preferred in new code. Specifying two values — gap: row-gap column-gap — lets you set different spacing along each axis. The property replaces older margin-based hacks and produces cleaner, more consistent spacing.

Is the data sent anywhere?

No. The grid generator runs entirely client-side, producing CSS strings in JavaScript. Your design experiments and copied output stay in your browser session without ever crossing a network.

CSS Grid Generator

Build CSS grid layouts visually online with interactive controls. Free grid generator with rows, columns, gaps, and CSS code output.

Generators CSS Tools

Instant results

Columns: 3

Rows: 3

Column Gap: 16px

Row Gap: 16px

Column Sizes

Row Sizes

CSS

display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: auto auto auto;
column-gap: 16px;
row-gap: 16px;

Tailwind CSS (basic)

grid grid-cols-3 gap-x-4 gap-y-4

Preview

About CSS Grid Generator

Generate CSS Grid layouts visually. Customize the number of columns and rows, adjust gaps, and set individual track sizes. Get both standard CSS and Tailwind CSS output.

How to Use CSS Grid Generator

Configure container

Define the column structure with grid-template-columns — fr units for flexible distribution, fixed lengths for unchanging widths, or minmax() with auto-fit for responsive grids that adapt without media queries. Set grid-template-rows the same way, then add gap for spacing between cells and justify-items or align-items if you need to control how content sits within each cell. The live preview shows the result as you adjust.

Add named areas (optional)

Named grid areas let you define layout semantically rather than by line numbers. Declare 'header header' on row one, 'sidebar main' on row two, and 'footer footer' on row three, and each name corresponds to a region you can target. Children get placed by name with grid-area: header, which makes the CSS read like a layout diagram and makes refactoring much easier than chasing column-start and row-end values.

Configure children

Per-child placement is mostly about overriding the auto-flow when you need something specific. grid-column and grid-row let you span multiple cells or pin an item to a specific column. grid-area assigns a child to a named region. The default flow handles most cases automatically — explicit placement is for the exceptions like a sidebar that spans two rows or a feature card that breaks the regular grid rhythm.

Copy CSS

The generator produces a complete CSS block covering both container and child rules. Paste it into your stylesheet. CSS Grid landed broadly in 2017 and is now universal across modern browsers, so you can ship the output without worrying about polyfills or fallbacks for older browsers that nobody is using anyway.

When to Use CSS Grid Generator

Page layouts

Dashboards with sidebars and headers, magazine-style multi-column articles, photo galleries that adapt to viewport — these are the cases where CSS Grid earns its keep. Writing the syntax from scratch isn't hard, but visualizing how it'll behave when the viewport resizes can be slow without a preview. The generator gives you immediate visual feedback as you adjust columns, rows, gap, and named areas. Designers picking up Grid for the first time often find it the fastest way to build intuition.

Responsive layouts

Two-dimensional responsive layout used to require either JavaScript or fragile float-based hacks. CSS Grid handles different layouts at different viewport sizes through pure CSS, often without explicit media queries when you use auto-fit or auto-fill. Mobile-first designers building anything more elaborate than a single column will reach for Grid in most cases now.

Asymmetric layouts

Magazine layouts, dashboard widget arrangements, and image collages tend to want irregular grids — a tall column next to two short ones, or a two-by-two grid where one cell spans both rows. Named grid areas and explicit row/column placement make these straightforward to express, where they used to require absolute positioning or float gymnastics. The visual editor saves you the trial-and-error around span values.

Educational learning

Grid has roughly twenty container and child properties, and the spec is dense reading. Watching a layout actually change when you toggle grid-template-areas on, or seeing what happens when you switch from auto-fill to auto-fit, builds intuition faster than reading the same description three times. The generator works well as both a sandbox and a quick reference.

CSS Grid Generator Examples

Three-column layout

Input

Columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr (equal), gap: 1rem

Output

.grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; gap: 1rem; }

Three equal columns separated by 1rem of gap. The fr unit means 'fraction of available space' — three columns each taking one fraction split the container evenly. This pattern shows up constantly for card rows, three-up navigation, and any time you want a content section split into thirds.

Sidebar layout

Input

Columns: 250px 1fr (sidebar + content), with header + footer

Output

.layout { display: grid; grid-template: 'header header' auto 'sidebar main' 1fr 'footer footer' auto / 250px 1fr; gap: 1rem; }

A classic application shell — full-width header, a 250px sidebar next to a flexible main area, and a full-width footer. Doing this with floats or absolute positioning used to be a multi-stage chore; with named grid areas it becomes one declaration that reads almost like ASCII art of the layout.

Photo gallery

Input

Auto-fill columns, min 200px each

Output

.gallery { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(200px, 1fr)); gap: 1rem; }

A gallery that adapts to viewport width without media queries. Each column is at least 200px wide, and the grid creates as many columns as fit. On a wide monitor you get five or six columns, on a tablet maybe three, on a phone one or two — handled entirely in a single line of CSS.

Tips & Best Practices for CSS Grid Generator

1.Use fr units when you want flexible distribution. 'grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr' produces three columns where the middle one is twice as wide as each side. The math always works out to fractions of remaining space after fixed-size tracks are accounted for.
2.Pair minmax() with auto-fill or auto-fit for responsive grids. 'minmax(200px, 1fr)' means each column should be at least 200px but can grow to share leftover space evenly. This pattern handles most card grid responsive needs without media queries.
3.Named grid areas are more readable than line numbers. Defining 'header header' / 'sidebar main' and assigning grid-area: header to a child reads like a layout diagram. Refactoring later is much easier than tracing through column-start and row-end values.
4.Reach for gap rather than margin between grid items. The gap property gives consistent spacing without the off-by-one issues that come with applying margin to grid children. It also doesn't double up at the container edges, which is almost always what you want.
5.Use Grid for two-dimensional problems, Flexbox for one-dimensional ones. Grid handles 'I want columns and rows that align'; Flexbox handles 'I want this row of items distributed.' The two complement each other — most real pages use both at different levels.
6.Know the difference between auto-fill and auto-fit. auto-fill keeps empty slots reserved at full size, even if there aren't enough children to fill them. auto-fit collapses empty slots so the existing children expand to fill the row. Pick based on whether you want a fixed grid or a children-fill-the-space behavior.

Frequently Asked Questions

Grid is a two-dimensional layout system you enable by setting display: grid on a container. Once enabled, you define rows and columns and place children into cells, either explicitly or by letting them flow. It solves problems that floats and Flexbox handled awkwardly — complex page layouts, dashboards with mixed cell sizes, and responsive layouts that adapt without media queries. The spec became broadly supported in 2017 and is now universal across modern browsers.

CSS Grid Generator

About CSS Grid Generator

How to Use CSS Grid Generator

Configure container

Add named areas (optional)

Configure children

Copy CSS

When to Use CSS Grid Generator

Page layouts

Responsive layouts

Asymmetric layouts

Educational learning

CSS Grid Generator Examples

Three-column layout

Sidebar layout

Photo gallery

Tips & Best Practices for CSS Grid Generator

Frequently Asked Questions

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