RunLocalTools

Tailwind Flexbox Generator — Build Responsive Flex Layouts Visually

Visually build a Tailwind CSS flexbox layout with real responsive breakpoints, dark mode, and arbitrary values, then copy the exact classes. Free, runs entirely in your browser.

What it does

The Tailwind Flexbox Generator lets you build a flex layout by clicking and dragging instead of guessing at class names. Set the container’s direction, wrap, alignment, and gap, add as many items as you like, and control each item’s order, alignment, and sizing individually. When you’re happy with it, copy the exact Tailwind utility classes — as plain classes, a full HTML snippet, a JSX component, or a Vue template.

Unlike a generic “convert this CSS to Tailwind” tool, this one is Tailwind-native from the start: it supports per-breakpoint responsive variants, dark-mode background swatches, and automatically switches to bracket-syntax arbitrary values when a size falls off Tailwind’s default spacing scale.

How it works

Every control maps directly to a real Tailwind utility class — there’s no intermediate “guess the closest class” step. Gap values snap to Tailwind’s default spacing scale (each step is 0.25rem) when possible; if you pick a value that doesn’t land on the scale, the tool automatically switches to bracket syntax like gap-[13px] and shows you a matching config snippet so you can turn it into a reusable named token instead.

Responsive breakpoints work the same way real Tailwind does: each breakpoint tab (sm, md, lg, xl, 2xl) only stores the settings you’ve actually changed at that breakpoint — everything else keeps inheriting from the base layout and from smaller breakpoints below it. A live width slider lets you drag through viewport sizes and see exactly which breakpoint’s settings are cascading into effect at any given width, the same way they would in a real responsive page.

The “reverse on hover” and dark-mode swatch options are genuine demonstrations, not just visual flourishes: hovering the preview actually flips the layout using the same hover: class that gets added to your copied output, and toggling dark mode adds real dark: background classes alongside the light ones.

One honest limitation worth naming: flexbox utility classes themselves are identical between Tailwind v3 and v4 — nothing about flex-row, gap-4, or justify-between changed. The v3/v4 toggle here only affects how an off-scale arbitrary value gets promoted into a named token, since that part of the workflow (a JS config file vs. a CSS @theme block) genuinely did change between versions.

How to use it

  1. Set your container’s direction, wrap, justify, align, and gap using the controls at the top.
  2. Add items with the “+ Add item” button, then drag them by the grip handle to reorder — this changes the actual markup order, separate from the order-* utility.
  3. Click into any breakpoint tab (sm through 2xl) to add responsive overrides — only touch the fields that should actually differ at that size.
  4. Drag the preview-width slider to check what’s actually rendering at a given viewport width.
  5. Pick your output format (classes, HTML, JSX, or Vue) in the right-hand panel and hit Copy.
  6. If you want to reuse this exact layout later, give it a name and click Save — it’ll be waiting in your browser next time you open the tool.

FAQ

Does this only work for simple layouts, or can I build a full responsive page section with it? It’s built for one flex container and its direct children — a nav bar, a card row, a button group, a form layout. For a full multi-section page, build each flex region separately and assemble them in your project.

Why does my gap value show up as gap-[13px] instead of a normal class? Tailwind’s default spacing scale only includes specific values (multiples of 0.25rem, plus a few extras). If your gap doesn’t land exactly on one of those, Tailwind itself would need either an arbitrary bracket value or a custom token — the tool picks the bracket value automatically and gives you a ready-to-paste config snippet if you’d rather name it.

Is the “reverse on hover” feature a real Tailwind pattern? Yes — it’s just hover:flex-row-reverse (or the column equivalent), applied to the container. The tool demonstrates it live in the preview and includes the class in whatever you copy.

Do I need Tailwind installed to use this preview? No — the live preview is built from equivalent plain CSS so it works instantly in your browser. The copied output uses real Tailwind class names; once Tailwind compiles your project, it’ll render identically.

Can I get responsive behavior on individual items, not just the container? Yes, for order, alignment, basis, and visibility (show/hide) per breakpoint. Grow and shrink stay at the base level to keep the interface manageable — those are rarely varied per breakpoint in practice.

What happens to my saved layouts if I clear my browser data? They’re stored in your browser’s local storage, scoped to this tool. Clearing site data for this domain will remove them, the same as any other saved settings on the site.