<center>
The <center> element was used to horizontally center its block-level contents. It was a purely presentational element that has been replaced by CSS text and layout alignment properties.
This page was last updated on 2025-11-17
Deprecation Warning
This element is deprecated and should not be used. The <center> element was deprecated in HTML 4.01 and is obsolete in HTML5. All alignment should be done with CSS.
The <center> element was essentially a shortcut for <div align="center">. Both approaches are now obsolete because they embed presentation in the HTML structure. CSS provides much more flexible and powerful centering options.
Syntax
<center>content to center</center>
The element required both opening and closing tags and acted as a block-level container.
Modern Alternatives
Use CSS properties instead of the <center> element:
Old HTML (Deprecated)
<center>
<p>This text is centered.</p>
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="Photo">
</center>
Modern CSS for Text
<p style="text-align: center;">This text is centered.</p>
Modern CSS for Block Elements
<!-- HTML -->
<div class="centered-block">
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="Photo">
</div>
<!-- CSS -->
.centered-block {
text-align: center;
}
Modern CSS for Container Centering
<!-- CSS for centering a block element itself -->
.centered-container {
margin: 0 auto;
width: 80%;
}
Modern Flexbox Centering
.flex-center {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
}
When to Avoid
Always avoid using <center>. There is no valid use case for this element in modern HTML:
- It mixes presentation with structure
- It provides less control than CSS alternatives
- It fails validation for HTML5 documents
- CSS offers multiple centering methods for different scenarios
- Flexbox and Grid provide superior layout control
