Why format CSS?
Readable CSS speeds code review, debugging, git diffs, and onboarding. Expanded files reveal duplicate properties, deep nesting, and !important overuse that one-line bundles hide.
Formatting runs entirely in your browser. Pasted CSS is not uploaded to EverydayTools servers.
Paste minified CSS and get readable, indented output instantly—runs locally in your browser.
A CSS formatter (beautifier) adds consistent indentation and line breaks to stylesheets so minified or messy CSS is readable for reviews, debugging, and version control—without changing cascade behavior.
CSS formatters normalize whitespace: they indent rules inside blocks, break declarations onto lines, and preserve comments and quoted strings where supported. They do not rename selectors or change property values—only spacing changes for valid CSS.
Developers use them after copying CSS from browser DevTools, unpacking a production bundle, or inheriting a file with inconsistent style. Pair formatting with CSS Minifier when you need the smallest file for production.
Formatting expands CSS for humans; minification compresses it for deploy—use this tool for review, CSS Minifier for production bytes.
Concise answers for common searches — definitions, steps, and comparisons.
Readable CSS speeds code review, debugging, git diffs, and onboarding. Expanded files reveal duplicate properties, deep nesting, and !important overuse that one-line bundles hide.
The engine tokenizes your stylesheet, respects quoted strings and comments, inserts newlines after braces and semicolons, and applies your indent width—similar to Prettier or js-beautify for CSS, entirely in the browser.
Minified CSS removes whitespace and comments for smallest file size (production). Beautified CSS adds indentation and line breaks for human reading (development). This tool beautifies; CSS Minifier compresses.
No—for valid CSS, only whitespace changes. The cascade and computed styles stay the same. Fix syntax errors separately if DevTools already flags them.
Paste minified CSS into Your CSS, click Paste, upload a .css file, or tap Minified / Media query / Keyframes above the editor.
Readable output appears below as you type. Change indent (2, 4, or tabs) in the toolbar; open More options for brace style, comments, and property order.
Click Copy or Download next to Formatted result. Use CSS Minifier when you need a one-line production file.
Open More options to change indent width, brace style, comment handling, or property sort—then copy or download the updated formatted CSS.
Common real-world scenarios where this tool saves time.
Frontend developers
Beautify CSS copied from the Elements panel to trace selectors and overridden properties.
Tech leads
Reformat minified vendor CSS before review so diffs show meaningful line changes.
Students
See how selectors, declarations, and @rules nest in real stylesheets.
Designers
Standardize indentation from generator exports before merge.
Maintainers
Expand legacy bundles and review quality suggestions for duplicates and !important.
DevOps
Pretty-print one-line bundles from build output without sending files to external services.
Step-by-step chains that connect related tools for common tasks.
Compare two style snapshots from debugging sessions.
Make legacy CSS reviewable before refactoring.
Move from standalone CSS to a full document workflow.
Input
.card{display:flex;padding:1rem}Output
.card {
display: flex;
padding: 1rem;
}Common after build tools—formatting restores structure for pull-request review.
Input
@media (max-width:768px){.nav{display:none}}Output
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.nav {
display: none;
}
}Responsive rules become scannable when @media blocks are indented.
Input
@keyframes fade{from{opacity:0}to{opacity:1}}Output
@keyframes fade {
from { opacity: 0; }
to { opacity: 1; }
}Animation steps are easier to edit when from/to blocks are expanded.
Input
:root{--brand:#4f46e5}main{color:var(--brand)}Output
:root {
--brand: #4f46e5;
}
main {
color: var(--brand);
}CSS variables stand out after :root and usage rules are separated.
Input
@supports (display:grid){.layout{display:grid}}Output
@supports (display: grid) {
.layout {
display: grid;
}
}Feature-query blocks benefit from the same nesting rules as @media.
Input
.flex{display:flex}.gap-4{gap:1rem}Output
.flex {
display: flex;
}
.gap-4 {
gap: 1rem;
}Tailwind-like or framework output becomes navigable source.
EverydayTools walks your stylesheet character by character, respecting strings and block comments, then inserts indentation after opening braces and before each declaration. @media, @keyframes, @supports, and @container blocks expand with nested indentation like standard rules. Indentation: 2 spaces match most Prettier and web projects; 4 spaces suit enterprise style guides; tabs give one level per tab stop. Brace style controls whether { sits on the same line as the selector (K&R) or on the next line (Allman). Spacing after colons and commas can be normalized without touching values inside strings. Optional alphabetical sorting reorders declarations inside a rule block only—it does not change specificity. Analysis passes count selectors, declarations, and @media blocks; quality hints flag duplicate properties, empty rules, deep nesting, and !important overuse.
Formula
formatted size ≈ input size + (line breaks × indent width)
minified size ≈ input − comments − redundant whitespace| Form | Purpose | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Minified | One line, no extra whitespace | Production CDN, page speed |
| Beautified | Indented, multi-line, readable | Code review, debugging, git |
| Compressed | Minified + shorter values where safe | Aggressive deploy pipelines |
| Formatted (this tool) | Beautified with your indent rules | Development and maintenance |
| Option | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 spaces | Most web projects, Prettier default | Smallest readable indent |
| 4 spaces | Enterprise style guides | Clearer nesting depth |
| Tabs | Team tab preference | One tab per nesting level |
| Same-line brace | K&R / compact style | Selector and { on one line |
| Next-line brace | Allman / strict guides | Brace on its own line |
| Goal | Tool | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Readable source | CSS Formatter | Indented, expanded CSS |
| Smallest file | CSS Minifier | One line, comments stripped |
| HTML document | HTML Formatter | Markup indentation |
| Mixed JS/CSS/HTML | Code Minifier & Beautifier | All languages on one page |
Use CSS Formatter for standalone .css files and extracted stylesheet fragments. Switch tools when your task is compression, markup, or another language.
| Related tool | Use this tool when | Use related tool when |
|---|---|---|
| CSS Minifier | You need readable, indented CSS for review, debugging, or editing before commit. | The stylesheet is approved and you need the smallest byte size for production deploy. |
| HTML Formatter | You have a pure .css file or extracted rules without HTML tags. | You are fixing tag nesting, attributes, or inline markup in .html or .htm files. |
| JavaScript Formatter | Your input is stylesheet syntax—selectors, declarations, and at-rules. | You need to beautify .js or .ts with semicolon and brace rules for script code. |
| JSON Formatter | You are formatting CSS rules in a .css file. | You have design-tokens.json or theme JSON to validate and pretty-print. |
| Code Minifier & Beautifier | You want CSS-specific indent, quality hints, and a dedicated stylesheet editor. | You want one page for mixed JavaScript, CSS, and HTML snippets. |
| XML Formatter | You are working with plain CSS selectors and declaration blocks. | You have SVG or config XML where tag nesting matters. |
Keep readable source in git; compress only the artifact you ship to the CDN.
Consistent 2-space or tab rules prevent noisy diffs across contributors.
Strip comments at minify time so section headers survive formatting.
Sass, Less, and Stylus nesting must become plain CSS before pretty-printing.
Duplicate properties and deep nesting are easier to spot in expanded output.
Repair syntax errors first—formatting only adjusts whitespace.
Alphabetical order changes diffs; agree on sort rules in your style guide.
Compile to CSS first; mixins and nesting are not valid plain CSS.
Pretty-print once for review, then minify for production.
Use Preserve comments here; let CSS Minifier strip them at deploy.
Likely cause: Invalid syntax, unclosed strings, or preprocessor code in the paste.
Fix: Validate in DevTools; compile Sass/Less to CSS first.
Likely cause: Remove comments is enabled under More options.
Fix: Switch to Keep comments—minify strips them at deploy time.
Likely cause: Very large stylesheets stress the in-browser editor.
Fix: Split the file or turn off live format and format sections manually.
Likely cause: Sort A–Z is enabled under More options.
Fix: Set Property order to Keep original order.
Likely cause: Browser blocked clipboard access.
Fix: Grant clipboard permission or select output and copy manually.
This tool beautifies whitespace only—use DevTools or a CSS validator for conformance checks.
Compile preprocessor files to CSS first; nesting and mixins are not standard CSS syntax.
Formatting expands size for readability—use CSS Minifier for deploy artifacts.
HTML Formatter handles tag structure and inline markup together with styles.
Formatters do not refactor—use PurgeCSS or your bundler's optimizer.
Continue the workflow with the right follow-up tool.
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Valid CSS stays valid—only whitespace changes. If the browser already reports a syntax error, fix that rule before relying on formatted output.
Use Minify input under More options for a quick one-line result, or CSS Minifier for a dedicated compression workflow with deeper optimization.
No—it beautifies structure. Quality suggestions flag duplicates and !important patterns; use DevTools for parse errors.
Yes—at-rules expand with nested indentation like standard rule blocks, including @supports queries.
Yes—open More options and set Property order to Sort A–Z. Default keeps the author's declaration sequence.
No—formatting runs in your browser. Pasted stylesheets are not sent to EverydayTools servers for standard use.
2 spaces match most web projects and Prettier defaults. Use 4 spaces or tabs if your team style guide requires them.
Yes—utility-class bundles and framework-generated CSS are plain CSS. Paste the built file and pretty-print for review.
CSS formatting runs in your browser—pasted stylesheets are not uploaded for standard use.
Whitespace-only transformation for valid CSS; preprocessor syntax requires your build toolchain first.
Paste or upload triggers instant local formatting with syntax highlighting. No network requests are made for your stylesheet content.
Try the Minified example—confirm multi-line output with indented declarations. Paste .card{display:flex} and expect display and padding on separate lines.
Limitations: Invalid or future CSS may need manual touch-up; quality hints are heuristic, not a linter replacement.
Always spot-check formatted output in target browsers before shipping critical style changes.
Part of Developer Tools
More free tools for the same workflow.
Free CSS border radius generator — set individual corner values visually and copy the CSS border-radius property instantly. Supports all four corners independently. No signup. Runs locally in your browser when supported—no upload required for normal use.
Free CSS box shadow generator — set X/Y offset, blur radius, spread, and color visually with live preview. Copy the finished CSS box-shadow property instantly. No signup. Runs locally in your browser when supported—no upload required for normal use.
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Reviewed by EverydayTools Editorial Team on 2026-06-02.