cssgridgenerator
Page shells

CSS Grid Admin Panel Layout Generator

Sidebar navigation, a topbar, a breadcrumb strip and a content well that scrolls by itself.

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1204px

Drag across the grid to draw an area. Arrow keys nudge, Shift + arrows resize.

space to pan · ⌘scroll to zoom
1240px2minmax(0, 1fr)3
1auto2auto31fr4
topbar1 / 2 / 2 / 3
crumbs2 / 2 / 3 / 3
main3 / 2 / 4 / 3
sidebar1 / 1 / 4 / 2

Reading orderAt Desktop, sidebar is the first thing seen but topbar is the first thing focused. Placement has moved the layout out of document order, so keyboard and screen reader users get a different sequence from everyone else.

Seensidebar → topbar → crumbs → main

Focusedtopbar → crumbs → main → sidebar

Usually the fix is in the markup, not in CSS: reorder the children so the HTML reads the way the page does, then place them back where you want them. Reaching for order or row-reverse instead moves the picture without moving the focus, which is the bug rather than the cure.

It is not always wrong. A full-height sidebar beside a topbar diverges by construction, and the accepted answer there is a skip link to the main content rather than a reordered document. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.2 asks that the sequence be meaningful — not that it be identical.

Named areas. The CSS is a picture of the layout, and only the properties that actually change get repeated inside each media query.

.admin {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
  grid-template-rows: auto auto 1fr;
  gap: 0;
  grid-template-areas:
    "topbar"
    "crumbs"
    "main";
}

.admin > .topbar { grid-area: topbar; }
.admin > .crumbs { grid-area: crumbs; }
.admin > .main { grid-area: main; }
.admin > .sidebar { display: none; }

@media (min-width: 1024px) {
  .admin {
    grid-template-columns: 240px minmax(0, 1fr);
    grid-template-areas:
      "sidebar topbar"
      "sidebar crumbs"
      "sidebar main";
  }

    .admin > .sidebar { grid-area: sidebar; }
}

How this layout works

An admin panel is a dashboard with one more row: the breadcrumb strip. Keeping it as its own grid row rather than nesting it inside the content well means it stays put when the content scrolls, which is the whole reason it exists.

The sidebar spans every row, so it is one element rather than a header column plus a nav column. Give it grid-row: 1 / -1 — the -1 counts from the end, so adding a row later does not break it.

Only the content area scrolls. That needs overflow: auto **and** min-height: 0 on the main area: grid items default to min-height: auto, which refuses to shrink below the content and silently kills the scroll.

Every property used here is listed in the CSS Grid cheat sheet, with the reason to reach for it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make the sidebar span the full height of an admin panel?
Place it with grid-row: 1 / -1. The -1 counts from the last line, so the sidebar keeps spanning every row even after you add a breadcrumb strip or a status bar later.
Why does my admin content area scroll the whole page instead of just itself?
The content area needs overflow: auto and min-height: 0. Grid items default to min-height: auto, which refuses to shrink below the content, so the row grows and the window scrolls instead of the pane.
How do I center a grid in CSS?
Use justify-content: center on the grid container to centre the whole grid inside it, and margin-inline: auto with a max-width to centre the container in the page. These are different jobs: the first moves the tracks within the container, the second moves the container itself.
How do I center items inside a CSS grid?
Set place-items: center on the container. That is shorthand for align-items plus justify-items, and it centres every item inside its own cell on both axes. For a single item, use place-self: center on that item instead.
How do I make a CSS grid responsive?
Use grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(260px, 1fr)) and it reflows at every width with no media queries at all. Add breakpoints only when the exact column count matters, or when the layout has to change shape rather than just wrap.
When should I use CSS Grid instead of Flexbox?
Use Grid when things must line up in two directions at once, and Flexbox when content flows along one axis. A page skeleton or dashboard is Grid; a navbar or row of buttons is Flexbox. They nest: Grid for the page, Flexbox inside the cells.

How to use it

  1. Open the pattern

    The admin panel layout loads into the editor already responsive, with every breakpoint set up.

  2. Change the tracks

    Edit the column and row sizes in the Tracks panel. Anything valid in a track list works.

  3. Redraw at another width

    Move the ruler past a breakpoint marker and rearrange. Only the placement changes.

  4. Copy the code

    Take CSS, HTML, Tailwind or a shadcn component. The media queries are already written.

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