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jQuery width() Method

❮ jQuery HTML/CSS Methods

Example

Return the width of a <div> element:

$("button").click(function(){
    alert($("div").width());
}); 
Try it Yourself »

Definition and Usage

The width() method sets or returns the width of the selected elements.

When this method is used to return width, it returns the width of the FIRST matched element.

When this method is used to set width, it sets the width of ALL matched elements.

As the image below illustrates, this method does not include padding, border, or margin.

jQuery Dimensions


Related methods:

  • height() - Sets or returns the height of an element
  • innerWidth() - Returns the width of an element (includes padding)
  • innerHeight() - Returns the height of an element (includes padding)
  • outerWidth() - Returns the width of an element (includes padding and border).
  • outerHeight() - Returns the height of an element (includes padding and border).


Syntax

Return the width:

$(selector).width()

Set the width:

$(selector).width(value)

Set the width using a function:

$(selector).width(function(index,currentwidth))

Parameter Description
value Required for setting width. Specifies the width in px, em, pt, etc. Default unit is px
function(index,currentwidth) Optional. Specifies a function that returns the new width of selected elements
  • index - Returns the index position of the element in the set
  • currentwidth - Returns the current width of the selected element

Try it Yourself - Examples

Set the width of an element
How to set the width of an element using different units.

Decrease the width using a function
How to use a function to decrease the width of an element.

Return the width of the document and window elements
How to return the current width of the document and window elements.

Display dimensions with related methods
How to use width(), height(), innerHeight(), innerWidth(), outerWidth() and outerHeight().

Responsive Design with width()
How to change the background color of the page on smaller screens.


❮ jQuery HTML/CSS Methods