// build sticky headers, sidebars & anchored sections instantly
Generate perfect CSS for sticky headers, sidebars, and anchored sections with correct offset rules, z-index, and scroll margin support.
Distance from the sticky edge when stuck. Use this to account for another fixed element above.
Elements that need scroll-margin-top so anchor links land below the sticky bar.
Ready to generate
Configure your sticky element and click Generate CSSChoose Header, Sidebar, Subnav, or Custom to pre-fill smart defaults.
Enter the top/bottom offset in pixels and enable extras like backdrop blur or scroll-margin.
Click Generate CSS, review the live preview, then copy the output into your stylesheet.
position: sticky is a CSS layout mode that lets an element scroll with the page until it hits a defined edge threshold, then acts as if it were fixed. Getting the right offsets — especially when multiple sticky bars stack — is tricky. This tool generates the correct ruleset for you.
The most common cause is that a parent element has overflow: hidden, overflow: auto, or overflow: scroll set — this breaks sticky positioning. Also ensure the parent is tall enough to allow scrolling, and that you haven't forgotten to set a top value.
When you have a sticky header and a user clicks an anchor link (e.g. #section), the browser scrolls that element to the very top of the viewport — behind your sticky bar. Adding scroll-margin-top equal to the header height to your anchor targets pushes the landing point down so the content is visible.
It hints to the browser that this element will be composited on its own GPU layer. This can improve scrolling performance but uses more memory. Only add it if you notice jank on sticky transitions, and remove it after scrolling is complete for best results.
If you have a sticky header (60px) and a sticky subnav below it, set the subnav's top to 60px. Each sticky element's offset should equal the total height of all sticky elements above it. This tool lets you set the exact pixel value for each element.
Yes! position: sticky works on thead, th, and td elements for sticky table headers and columns. Just set top: 0 for sticky table headers. No parent overflow issues apply in this case since tables scroll internally.
position: sticky is supported in all modern browsers and has been for several years. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera without any vendor prefixes needed as of 2024. No fallback is required for modern web projects.
position: sticky is one of the most powerful — and frequently misunderstood — layout values in CSS. It allows an element to behave as if it were position: relative while scrolling within its parent container, and then "stick" in place (like position: fixed) once it reaches a defined threshold, such as the top of the viewport.
Unlike position: fixed, a sticky element is still part of the normal document flow. It occupies its original space and does not cause layout shifts. Once the parent container scrolls out of view, the sticky element naturally unsticks and scrolls away with it.
💡 Looking for premium CSS templates and UI kits? MonsterONE offers unlimited downloads of templates, UI kits, and assets — worth checking out.
There are four patterns developers reach for most often when working with sticky positioning:
position: sticky; top: 0; on the header element and a z-index high enough to appear over page content.top offset, typically leaving breathing room from the header.top value equal to the height of the sticky header above it.thead row of a data table that stays visible as the user scrolls through many rows. Works directly on thead or th with top: 0.There are three root causes for sticky positioning failures, and they trip up developers of every experience level:
1. A parent has overflow set. Any ancestor element with overflow: hidden, overflow: auto, or overflow: scroll will clip the sticky context. The sticky element can only stick relative to its scrolling container. If the container does not scroll, the element appears fixed — but if the container is not the one scrolling, sticky breaks entirely.
2. No threshold value is defined. position: sticky requires at least one of top, bottom, left, or right to be set. Without a threshold, the browser does not know when to stick the element and it behaves like position: relative.
3. The parent is not tall enough. A sticky element can only stick within the bounds of its parent container. If the parent has the same height as the sticky element itself, there is no room to scroll and the stickiness never activates.
One of the most overlooked bugs in sites with sticky headers is broken anchor navigation. When a user clicks a link like <a href="#contact">, the browser scrolls the #contact element to the very top of the viewport — directly underneath the sticky header, making the heading invisible.
The fix is scroll-margin-top. By applying a value equal to (or slightly greater than) the sticky header height to all anchor target elements, you push the landing point down so the heading is fully visible above the sticky bar. This tool automatically generates this rule when you enable the option.
A frosted-glass sticky header — where the bar is semi-transparent and blurs the content scrolling behind it — is a popular design pattern. Achieving it requires background: rgba(255,255,255,0.8) combined with backdrop-filter: blur(12px). Note that backdrop-filter creates a new stacking context, so you may need to adjust z-index values for child elements.
Because position: sticky creates a stacking context, you need to be deliberate about z-index. A sticky header generally sits around z-index: 100. A modal or dropdown needs to be higher, say z-index: 1000. A sticky sidebar can typically be lower than the header, around z-index: 50. The key is defining a clear layering hierarchy before you start, which is exactly what the z-index field in this tool helps you do.
Sticky elements that contain heavy backgrounds, blur filters, or many child elements can cause scroll jank on lower-powered devices. A few techniques help: use will-change: transform sparingly to hint to the browser that the element should be composited on its own GPU layer. Avoid triggering layout recalculations inside scroll handlers. Keep the sticky element's paint area small and its contents as simple as possible.