---
layout: docs
title: Reboot
description: Reboot, a collection of element-specific CSS changes in a single file, kickstart Bootstrap to provide an elegant, consistent, and simple baseline to build upon.
group: content
redirect_from: "/content/"
toc: true
---
## Approach
Reboot builds upon Normalize, providing many HTML elements with somewhat opinionated styles using only element selectors. Additional styling is done only with classes. For example, we reboot some `
` styles for a simpler baseline and later provide `.table`, `.table-bordered`, and more.
Here are our guidelines and reasons for choosing what to override in Reboot:
- Update some browser default values to use `rem`s instead of `em`s for scalable component spacing.
- Avoid `margin-top`. Vertical margins can collapse, yielding unexpected results. More importantly though, a single direction of `margin` is a simpler mental model.
- For easier scaling across device sizes, block elements should use `rem`s for `margin`s.
- Keep declarations of `font`-related properties to a minimum, using `inherit` whenever possible.
## Page defaults
The `` and `` elements are updated to provide better page-wide defaults. More specifically:
- The `box-sizing` is globally set on every element—including `*:before` and `*:after`, to `border-box`. This ensures that the declared width of element is never exceeded due to padding or border.
- No base `font-size` is declared on the ``, but `16px` is assumed (the browser default). `font-size: 1rem` is applied on the `` for easy responsive type-scaling via media queries while respecting user preferences and ensuring a more accessible approach.
- The `` also sets a global `font-family` and `line-height`. This is inherited later by some form elements to prevent font inconsistencies.
- For safety, the `` has a declared `background-color`, defaulting to `#fff`.
## Native font stack
The default web fonts (Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, and Arial) have been dropped in Bootstrap 4 and replaced with a "native font stack" for optimum text rendering on every device and OS. Read more about [native font stacks in this *Smashing Magazine* article](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/11/using-system-ui-fonts-practical-guide/).
{% highlight sass %}
$font-family-sans-serif:
// Safari for OS X and iOS (San Francisco)
-apple-system,
// Chrome >= 56 for OS X (San Francisco), Windows, Linux and Android
system-ui,
// Chrome < 56 for OS X (San Francisco)
BlinkMacSystemFont,
// Windows
"Segoe UI",
// Android
"Roboto",
// Basic web fallback
"Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif !default;
{% endhighlight %}
This `font-family` is applied to the `` and automatically inherited globally throughout Bootstrap. To switch the global `font-family`, update `$font-family-base` and recompile Bootstrap.
## Headings and paragraphs
All heading elements—e.g., `
`—and `
` are reset to have their `margin-top` removed. Headings have `margin-bottom: .5rem` added and paragraphs `margin-bottom: 1rem` for easy spacing.
Heading
Example
{% markdown %}``{% endmarkdown %}
h1. Bootstrap heading
{% markdown %}``{% endmarkdown %}
h2. Bootstrap heading
{% markdown %}``{% endmarkdown %}
h3. Bootstrap heading
{% markdown %}``{% endmarkdown %}
h4. Bootstrap heading
{% markdown %}``{% endmarkdown %}
h5. Bootstrap heading
{% markdown %}``{% endmarkdown %}
h6. Bootstrap heading
## Lists
All lists—`
`, ``, and `
`—have their `margin-top` removed and a `margin-bottom: 1rem`. Nested lists have no `margin-bottom`.
{% markdown %}
* Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
* Consectetur adipiscing elit
* Integer molestie lorem at massa
* Facilisis in pretium nisl aliquet
* Nulla volutpat aliquam velit
* Phasellus iaculis neque
* Purus sodales ultricies
* Vestibulum laoreet porttitor sem
* Ac tristique libero volutpat at
* Faucibus porta lacus fringilla vel
* Aenean sit amet erat nunc
* Eget porttitor lorem
1. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
2. Consectetur adipiscing elit
3. Integer molestie lorem at massa
4. Facilisis in pretium nisl aliquet
5. Nulla volutpat aliquam velit
6. Faucibus porta lacus fringilla vel
7. Aenean sit amet erat nunc
8. Eget porttitor lorem
{% endmarkdown %}
For simpler styling, clear hierarchy, and better spacing, description lists have updated `margin`s. `
`s reset `margin-left` to `0` and add `margin-bottom: .5rem`. `
`s are **bolded**.
{% markdown %}
Description lists
A description list is perfect for defining terms.
Euismod
Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper eget lacinia odio sem.
Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus.
Malesuada porta
Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.
{% endmarkdown %}
## Preformatted text
The `
` element is reset to remove its `margin-top` and use `rem` units for its `margin-bottom`.
{% markdown %}
.example-element {
margin-bottom: 1rem;
}
{% endmarkdown %}
## Tables
Tables are slightly adjusted to style `
`s, collapse borders, and ensure consistent `text-align` throughout. Additional changes for borders, padding, and more come with [the `.table` class]({{ site.baseurl }}/content/tables/).
This is an example table, and this is its caption to describe the contents.
Table heading
Table heading
Table heading
Table heading
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
Table cell
## Forms
Various form elements have been rebooted for simpler base styles. Here are some of the most notable changes:
- `