How to create a responsive image carousel with CSS scroll-snap?
Aug 02, 2025 am 09:40 AMCreate a container containing multiple pictures as a carousel structure; 2. Use flex layout and scroll-snap-type: x mandatory to achieve horizontal scrolling and ensure that each picture is aligned and docked; 3. Set the picture style to flex: 0 0 100% and cooperate with scroll-snap-align: start to accurately stop each scroll at the start position of each picture; 4. Adjust the picture width under different screen sizes through media query to achieve responsive effects of single images on mobile, large images on tablets with preview, and double images on desktops on side by side; 5. Optionally add visual prompts or navigation buttons to improve the user experience, but the basic functions can achieve smooth scrolling without JavaScript, and finally obtain a lightweight, high-performance, native support responsive picture carousel component.
Creating a responsive image carousel using CSS scroll-snap
is a lightweight and performant way to build a horizontal scrolling gallery without JavaScript. Here's how you can do it step by step.

1. Set up the HTML structure
Start with a container for the carousel and a series of images inside it:
<div class="carousel"> <img src="/static/imghw/default1.png" data-src="image1.jpg" class="lazy" alt="Image 1"> <img src="/static/imghw/default1.png" data-src="image2.jpg" class="lazy" alt="Image 2"> <img src="/static/imghw/default1.png" data-src="image3.jpg" class="lazy" alt="Image 3"> <img src="/static/imghw/default1.png" data-src="image4.jpg" class="lazy" alt="How to create a responsive image carousel with CSS scroll-snap?"> </div>
Each img
element represents a slide in the carousel.

2. Apply CSS for scroll snapping
Use CSS to make the container horizontally scrollable and apply scroll snap behavior:
.carousel { display: flex; overflow-x: auto; scroll-snap-type: x mandatory; scroll-behavior: smooth; gap: 1rem; padding: 1rem; /* Optional: hide scrollbar for cleaner look */ -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch; scrollbar-width: none; /* Firefox */ } .carousel::-webkit-scrollbar { display: none; /* Chrome, Safari, Edge */ }
-
display: flex
aligns images in a row. -
overflow-x: auto
enables horizontal scrolling. -
scroll-snap-type: x mandatory
ensures the container snaps to each image along the x-axis. -
scroll-behavior: smooth
adds smooth scrolling (optional). - Hiding the scrollbar improves visual appeal on desktop.
3. Make images responsive and snap to place
Style the images so they take up the right amount of space and snap correctly:

.carousel img { flex: 0 0 100%; /* Full width of container, no shrinking/growing */ height: auto; max-height: 60vh; object-fit: cover; scroll-snap-align: start; border-radius: 8px; }
-
flex: 0 0 100%
makes each image take the full width of the carousel. -
scroll-snap-align: start
ensures snapping happens at the start of each image. -
object-fit: cover
maintains aspect ratio and fills the space nicely.
4. Make it responsive for different screen sizes
You can enhance responsiveness by adjusting the image width on larger screens to show partial previews of adjacent images:
@media (min-width: 768px) { .carousel img { flex: 0 0 calc(100% - 2rem); /* Leave space for gap */ } } @media (min-width: 1024px) { .carousel img { flex: 0 0 calc(50% - 1.5rem); } }
This way:
- On mobile: one image per view.
- On tablets: one large image with slight peek of next.
- On desktop: two images visible at once (with snapping still working per image).
You can also add padding or gap adjustments to fine-tune spacing.
5. Optional: Add navigation hints
To improve UX, you can:
- Add left/right buttons using JavaScript (optional).
- Use subtle shadows or faded edges to suggest scrollability.
- Include a scroll progress indicator via JavaScript if needed.
But with scroll-snap
, even without buttons, users can swipe or scroll naturally.
Final Notes
- Works well on mobile (touch swipe) and desktop (mouse wheel, trackpad).
- No JavaScript required for basic functionality.
- Performance is excellent since it uses native scrolling.
- Test on older browsers—
scroll-snap
has good support but may need fallbacks for very old versions.
Basically, with just a few lines of CSS, you get a smooth, responsive, accessible image carousel. Not magic—just smart use of modern CSS.
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