Fixing CSS Layout Issues (Responsive Design Breakpoints)

Common Layout Problems

• Elements overflow on mobile (horizontal scrolling).
• Columns stack incorrectly on small screens.
• Images or text get cut off.

How to Fix:

1. Use Mobile-First Media Queries

Start with mobile styles and add breakpoints for larger screens:

/* Default (mobile) styles */
.container {
  padding: 20px;
}

/* Tablet breakpoint */
@media (min-width: 768px) {
  .container {
    padding: 40px;
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
  }
}

/* Desktop breakpoint */
@media (min-width: 1024px) {
  .container {
    grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;
  }
}
    

2. Fix Overflow Issues

Prevent horizontal scrolling with:

body {
  overflow-x: hidden; /* Emergency fix */
}

img, video {
  max-width: 100%; /* Scale media to container */
  height: auto;
}
    

3. Use Flexbox/Grid for Responsive Layouts

Example of a responsive grid:

.grid {
  display: grid;
  gap: 20px;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr));
}
    

4. Debug with Browser Tools

Use Chrome DevTools to inspect elements:

1. Right-click the element → Inspect.
2. Toggle device emulation (Ctrl + Shift + M).
3. Test responsiveness at different screen sizes.

Prevention Tips

• Use a CSS reset (e.g., Normalize.css).
• Validate CSS with W3C Validator.
• Test layouts on real devices (not just emulators).