Mobile-first responsive design with Tailwind CSS v4. Use when building responsive layouts, configuring breakpoints, creating touch-friendly UIs, implementing dark mode, or optimizing for mobile devices. Covers grid/flexbox patterns, responsive typography, image optimization, and accessibility.
Default breakpoints (mobile-first, min-width):
| Prefix | Width | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| (none) | 0px | Mobile base |
sm | 640px (40rem) | Large phones |
md | 768px (48rem) | Tablets |
lg | 1024px (64rem) | Laptops |
xl | 1280px (80rem) | Desktops |
2xl | 1536px (96rem) | Large screens |
@import "tailwindcss";
@theme {
--breakpoint-xs: 475px;
--breakpoint-3xl: 1920px;
}
Override defaults:
@theme {
--breakpoint-*: initial;
--breakpoint-mobile: 480px;
--breakpoint-tablet: 768px;
--breakpoint-desktop: 1024px;
}
<!-- Hide on screens >= sm -->
<div class="max-sm:hidden">Mobile only</div>
<!-- Target range: md to lg only -->
<div class="md:max-lg:grid-cols-2">Tablet layout</div>
<!-- 1 col mobile -> 2 col tablet -> 4 col desktop -->
<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4 gap-4">
<div>Item</div>
</div>
<nav class="flex flex-col sm:flex-row sm:items-center gap-4">
<a href="/" class="font-bold">Logo</a>
<div class="flex flex-col sm:flex-row gap-2 sm:gap-4 sm:ml-auto">
<a href="#">Link</a>
</div>
</nav>
<div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-6">
<article class="p-4 rounded-lg bg-white dark:bg-gray-800 shadow">
<img class="w-full aspect-video object-cover rounded"
src="image.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy">
<h3 class="mt-4 text-lg font-semibold">Title</h3>
<p class="mt-2 text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400">Description</p>
</article>
</div>
<!-- Touch-friendly button: min-h-11 = 44px -->
<button class="min-h-11 min-w-11 px-4 py-2 rounded-lg
active:scale-95 touch-manipulation">
Tap Me
</button>
<!-- Touch-friendly link list -->
<ul class="divide-y">
<li>
<a href="#" class="block py-3 px-4 min-h-11 flex items-center">
Menu Item
</a>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- Prevent double-tap zoom, reduce touch delay -->
<button class="touch-manipulation">Fast tap</button>
<!-- Disable text selection on interactive elements -->
<div class="select-none">Draggable</div>
<article class="prose prose-sm md:prose-base lg:prose-lg dark:prose-invert">
<h1>Heading</h1>
<p>Content scales with viewport.</p>
</article>
@theme {
--font-size-fluid-sm: clamp(0.875rem, 0.8rem + 0.25vw, 1rem);
--font-size-fluid-base: clamp(1rem, 0.9rem + 0.5vw, 1.25rem);
--font-size-fluid-lg: clamp(1.25rem, 1rem + 1vw, 2rem);
--font-size-fluid-xl: clamp(1.5rem, 1rem + 2vw, 3rem);
}
<h1 class="text-fluid-xl font-bold">Responsive Heading</h1>
<!-- Lazy loading with aspect ratio -->
<img src="image.jpg"
alt="Description"
loading="lazy"
decoding="async"
class="w-full aspect-video object-cover">
<!-- Responsive images with srcset -->
<img srcset="small.jpg 480w, medium.jpg 768w, large.jpg 1200w"
sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 50vw, 33vw"
src="medium.jpg"
alt="Description"
loading="lazy"
class="w-full h-auto">
<!-- Background image placeholder pattern -->
<div class="relative bg-gray-200 dark:bg-gray-700">
<img src="image.jpg"
alt=""
loading="lazy"
class="w-full h-auto"
onload="this.parentElement.classList.remove('bg-gray-200', 'dark:bg-gray-700')">
</div>
<div class="bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
Content adapts to OS setting
</div>
@import "tailwindcss";
@custom-variant dark (&:where(.dark, .dark *));
<html class="dark">
<body class="bg-white dark:bg-gray-900">
<!-- dark: utilities active -->
</body>
</html>
// Toggle implementation
const toggle = () => {
document.documentElement.classList.toggle('dark');
localStorage.theme = document.documentElement.classList.contains('dark')
? 'dark' : 'light';
};
// On load: respect saved preference or system
document.documentElement.classList.toggle('dark',
localStorage.theme === 'dark' ||
(!('theme' in localStorage) &&
matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches)
);
See references/components.md for complete patterns:
See references/a11y-checklist.md for testing requirements.