How to Center a Horizontal Menu Using Only CSS?

How to Center Align a Horizontal Menu

You've encountered difficulties in centering aligning a horizontal menu, despite attempting various techniques. This guide will delve into the issue and provide a proven solution.

HTML and CSS Code

<div class="topmenu-design">
    <ul></ul>
<pre class="brush:php;toolbar:false">#buttons {
    float: right;
    position: relative;
    left: -50%;
    text-align: left;
}

#buttons ul {
    list-style: none;
    position: relative;
    left: 50%;
}

#buttons li {
    float: left;
    position: relative;
}

#buttons a {
    text-decoration: none;
    margin: 10px;
    background: red;
    float: left;
    border: 2px outset blue;
    color: #fff;
    padding: 2px 5px;
    text-align: center;
    white-space: nowrap;
}

#buttons a:hover {
    border: 2px inset blue;
    color: red;
    background: #f2f2f2;
}

#content {
    overflow: hidden; /* hide horizontal scrollbar*/
}

Solution: Utilizing Float and Relative Positioning

The recommended solution involves using float and relative positioning. This technique entails wrapping the menu in a float wrapper that is positioned off-screen to the left. Subsequently, the nested list items are positioned in the opposite direction, effectively centering them horizontally within the wrapper.

Implementation

1. Add the float: right property to the parent div to align it to the right of the page.
2. Set position: relative and left: -50% on the wrapper to shift it 50% to the left, causing it to overlap the content below it.
3. Counteract the overlap by applying position: relative and left: 50% to the ul.
4. Set float: left on the li elements to ensure they float left within the ul.
5. Add styles to customize the menu appearance, such as text decoration, margins, and background color.

Further Considerations

This technique maintains the flow of content and allows for other elements to appear beneath the centered menu. Unlike JavaScript solutions, this approach uses CSS properties, ensuring compatibility across older browsers.