CSS Formatter
Beautify CSS with clean indentation, or minify it for production. Comments, strings, and url() paths stay intact.
Input CSS
Formatted CSS
Why use our CSS Formatter?
Clean, Readable Output
Beautify minified or compressed CSS into properly indented rules with one declaration per line.
One-Click Minify
Strip comments and whitespace to shrink stylesheets for production without a build step.
Safe for Real Stylesheets
Comments, quoted strings, and url() values are protected so formatting never corrupts fonts or background images.
What is a CSS Formatter?
A CSS formatter rewrites stylesheet source so selectors, braces, and declarations follow a consistent, readable layout — typically one selector per line, one declaration per line inside each rule, and consistent indentation for nested blocks.
Our free online CSS formatter runs entirely in your browser. It beautifies compressed or copy-pasted CSS into a readable structure, or minifies readable CSS down to a compact form for production use — all without uploading your stylesheet anywhere.
What You Can Do
- Beautify mode:Adds line breaks after { and ; and indents nested rules for readability.
- Minify mode:Removes comments and collapses whitespace for a smaller file size.
- Comment-safe:Comments are preserved when formatting and stripped only when minifying.
- url() safe:Content inside url(...) is left untouched, protecting font and image paths.
- String-safe:Quoted values like content: "..." are never rewritten.
- Copy output:Copy the formatted or minified CSS straight to your clipboard.
Common Use Cases
Reviewing Minified CSS
Beautify a minified vendor stylesheet or third-party CSS bundle to understand what rules it contains.
Cleaning Pasted Styles
Format CSS copied from a design tool, browser inspector, or Stack Overflow answer before adding it to your project.
Quick Production Minify
Shrink a small stylesheet for a static page or email template without setting up a build pipeline.
Code Review
Normalize formatting so diffs in pull requests show only meaningful style changes.
Teaching CSS
Show students how nested rules and declarations are structured with clear indentation.
Debugging Layout Issues
Reformat dense CSS to more easily scan for conflicting or duplicate declarations.
How to Format CSS
Paste Your CSS
Paste any CSS rules, minified or not, into the input box.
Click Format
Beautify the stylesheet with indentation and one declaration per line.
Or Click Minify
Remove comments and whitespace for a compact production-ready version.
Copy the Result
Copy the formatted or minified CSS into your project or stylesheet file.
Benefits of Formatting CSS
Easier to Scan
Consistent indentation makes it faster to find a specific selector or property.
Smaller Diffs
Normalized formatting means pull request diffs reflect real changes, not whitespace noise.
Smaller File Size
Minifying removes unnecessary bytes without changing how the stylesheet renders.
Private by Default
All processing happens locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
No Build Step
Get a minified stylesheet instantly without configuring a bundler.
Free Forever
No signup, no file size limits for typical stylesheets, and no watermark.
CSS Formatting Tips
- •Group related rules: Keep related selectors near each other before formatting for the clearest structure.
- •Comment sparingly: Comments are preserved in beautify mode but removed entirely when you minify.
- •Quote font paths: Wrap font and image paths in quotes inside url() for maximum compatibility.
- •Minify before shipping: Use minify mode as a lightweight production step for small projects without a bundler.
- •Watch specificity: Formatting doesn't change selector specificity — review overrides manually.
- •Validate visually: Always preview minified CSS in a browser to confirm nothing broke.
Format or Minify Your CSS Now
Whether you're cleaning up a pasted stylesheet, reviewing a pull request, or shrinking CSS for production, our free formatter handles both directions instantly in your browser.
Paste your CSS above, choose Format or Minify, and copy the result. No signup, no uploads, and no limits on how many stylesheets you can process.
Related tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my CSS uploaded to a server?
No. All formatting and minifying happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your stylesheet never leaves your device.
Does this tool validate my CSS syntax?
No. This is a text-based formatter, not a full CSS parser. It restructures whitespace, braces, and indentation but does not check property names or values for correctness.
Will minifying break url() paths or font references?
No. Content inside url(...) — quoted or unquoted — is protected before minifying or formatting, so image and font paths are left exactly as written.
What happens to comments?
Format mode keeps your comments in place. Minify mode removes all /* ... */ comments to reduce file size.
Does this support SCSS or LESS syntax?
It's designed for plain CSS. Most simple SCSS/LESS nesting will still format reasonably, but preprocessor-only features like variables and mixins are not specially parsed.
Will formatting change how my page looks?
No. Only whitespace and indentation change. Selectors, properties, and values are preserved exactly, so rendering is unaffected.
Is this CSS formatter free?
Yes. It's completely free with no signup and no limits for typical stylesheet sizes.
Can I use this for production minification?
For small stylesheets and quick projects, yes. For large production codebases, a build-tool minifier (like esbuild, Lightning CSS, or cssnano) is recommended for more advanced optimizations.