Tailwind CSS 4.1 Three-Column Full Screen Layout

To achieve a three-column layout that fills the entire page height, we need to ensure both the outer container and each column have 100% height. In Tailwind CSS 4.1, follow these steps:

Set the root elements (html, body) to height: 100% to allow subsequent elements to expand based on viewport height.
Use flexbox layout with the outer container (flex container) set to viewport height (h-screen).
Configure three flex columns: fixed-width left/right columns, a fluid center column, and automatic height stretching (default align-items: stretch ensures equal height).

Core Code:




  
  
  Full Height Three Columns
  


  
  
    
    
      Fixed width (256px)
    
    
    
    
      Fluid width
    
    
    
    
      Fixed width (256px)

Implementation Principles:

Set root elements to 100% height: h-full class (equivalent to height: 100%) makes the body fill the viewport height.
Outer container settings:
- flex: Enables flexbox layout
- h-screen: Sets container height to viewport height (100vh)
Column height behavior: Flexbox's default align-items: stretch automatically expands column heights to match the container's height (full screen). No manual height required.
Fixed-width columns:
- w-64: Fixed width of 256px
- shrink-0: Prevents column shrinkage when space is limited
Fluid center column: flex-1: Occupies all remaining available space

Important Notes:

If content exceeds a column's height: Columns will expand (due to align-items: stretch), causing scrollbars. For internal scrolling, add overflow-auto to a nested container within the column.
For non-fullscreen layouts: Ensure the parent container has explicit height, then set the layout container to flex h-full to inherit the parent's height.