---
title: How to install Tailwind CSS v3 in your Next.js application
description: Style your Next.js Application using Tailwind CSS v3 for broader browser support.
url: "https://nextjs.org/docs/app/guides/tailwind-v3-css"
version: 16.2.2
lastUpdated: 2026-04-02
prerequisites:
- "Guides: /docs/app/guides"
---
This guide will walk you through how to install [Tailwind CSS v3](https://v3.tailwindcss.com/) in your Next.js application.
> **Good to know:** For the latest Tailwind 4 setup, see the [Tailwind CSS setup instructions](/docs/app/getting-started/css#tailwind-css).
## Installing Tailwind v3
Install Tailwind CSS and its peer dependencies, then run the `init` command to generate both `tailwind.config.js` and `postcss.config.js` files:
```bash package="pnpm"
pnpm add -D tailwindcss@^3 postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p
```
```bash package="npm"
npm install -D tailwindcss@^3 postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p
```
```bash package="yarn"
yarn add -D tailwindcss@^3 postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p
```
```bash package="bun"
bun add -D tailwindcss@^3 postcss autoprefixer
bunx tailwindcss init -p
```
## Configuring Tailwind v3
Configure your template paths in your `tailwind.config.js` file:
```js filename="tailwind.config.js"
/** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
module.exports = {
content: [
'./app/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
'./pages/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
'./components/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
],
theme: {
extend: {},
},
plugins: [],
}
```
Add the Tailwind directives to your global CSS file:
```css filename="app/globals.css"
@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;
```
Import the CSS file in your root layout:
```tsx filename="app/layout.tsx" switcher
import './globals.css'
export default function RootLayout({
children,
}: {
children: React.ReactNode
}) {
return (
{children}
)
}
```
```jsx filename="app/layout.js" switcher
import './globals.css'
export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
return (
{children}
)
}
```
## Using classes
After installing Tailwind CSS and adding the global styles, you can use Tailwind's utility classes in your application.
```tsx filename="app/page.tsx" switcher
export default function Page() {
return Hello, Next.js!
}
```
```jsx filename="app/page.js" switcher
export default function Page() {
return Hello, Next.js!
}
```
## Usage with Turbopack
As of Next.js 13.1, Tailwind CSS and PostCSS are supported with [Turbopack](https://turbo.build/pack/docs/features/css#tailwind-css).
---
For a semantic overview of all documentation, see [/docs/sitemap.md](/docs/sitemap.md)
For an index of all available documentation, see [/docs/llms.txt](/docs/llms.txt)