How TO - Responsive Iframe

Learn how to create responsive iframes with CSS.

Responsive Iframes

Create an iframe that will keep the aspect ratio (4:3, 16:9, etc.) when resized:

What is aspect ratio?

The aspect ratio of an element describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. Two common video aspect ratios are 4:3 (the universal video format of the 20th century), and 16:9 (universal for HD television and European digital television, and for YouTube videos).

How To - Responsive Iframes

Step 1) Add HTML:

Use a container element, like <div>, and add the iframe inside of it:

Example

Step 2) Add CSS:

Add a percentage value for padding-top to maintain the aspect ratio of the container DIV. The following example will create an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is the default aspect ratio of YouTube videos.

Example 16:9 Aspect Ratio

.container {
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
  width: 100%;
padding-top: 56.25%; /* 16:9 Aspect Ratio (divide 9 by 16 = 0.5625) */
}

/* Then style the iframe to fit in the container div with full height and width */
.responsive-iframe {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
  left: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  right: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}

Try it Yourself »

Other aspect ratios: