Why don't tabs in Webflow behave like normal elements with flexbox or grid? How can I disable any preset CSS properties causing this issue?
TL;DR
- Webflow Tabs have built-in styles and JavaScript that conflict with custom layouts like Flexbox/Grid.
- To override this, apply custom classes to tab elements, avoid default class styling, and use custom code to control visibility, or rebuild tabs manually with Div Blocks and Interactions for full layout control.
Webflow Tabs are pre-built components with internal styling and JavaScript behavior, which can conflict with custom layouts like Flexbox or Grid. Here's why issues occur and how to regain full layout control.
1. Why Webflow Tabs Don’t Behave Like Normal Elements
- Webflow’s Tabs component comes with preset CSS (e.g.,
display: flex, fixed widths, overflow settings) and built-in JavaScript behavior for showing/hiding tab panels. - These presets are applied via default class names like
w-tab-menu,w-tab-link,w-tab-content, andw-tab-pane, which can override or conflict with custom layout rules. - For example, tab panes are hidden/displayed using inline styles and
display: none, which can interfere with custom Flexbox/Grid settings.
2. How to Disable or Override Preset Tab Behavior
To make tabs behave more like normal elements, follow these steps:
- Select each Tabs sub-element (Tab Menu, Tab Links, Tab Content, Tab Panes) and add a custom class to override default styles.
- Avoid styling default Webflow classes like
w-tab-panedirectly; they may be overwritten by Webflow JS. - Set your custom classes with explicit layout properties:
- For example, set the Tab Content wrapper to
display: gridorflexusing your custom class. - For Tab Panes, Webflow sets
display: noneanddisplay: blockas inline styles. These override any CSS in your stylesheet. - Unfortunately, this cannot be disabled via Designer. You must manually override this via custom code, such as toggling visibility with your own logic.
3. Alternative Workarounds
If overriding Webflow Tabs is too restrictive, consider:
- Building a custom Tabs system using regular Div Blocks and Interactions to show/hide content manually.
- Gives full control over layout and behavior.
- Use Webflow CMS with Filters or Conditions for more dynamic content patterns, especially if tab-like behavior is only for UX purposes.
Summary
Webflow Tabs include hardcoded styles and JS that restrict Flex/Grid layout behavior. To override this, use custom classes on each tab element and avoid relying on default styles. For full control, consider rebuilding Tabs using custom Divs and Interactions.