Making Your Framer Site Responsive
Jan 10, 2026
More than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices, which means your site needs to look excellent on every screen size. Your template comes with responsive design built in, but understanding how it works lets you customize confidently without breaking the mobile experience.
Understanding Breakpoints
Framer uses breakpoints to define how your design adapts to different screen sizes. The breakpoint selector at the top of your canvas lets you switch between Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile views.
Desktop is typically 1200 pixels and wider. Tablet covers the range from about 810 to 1199 pixels. Mobile handles everything below 810 pixels. Your template is designed at the desktop breakpoint first, then adapted for smaller screens.
When you select a different breakpoint, you're not creating a separate design—you're viewing how the same design adapts. Changes you make at one breakpoint can affect others, so understanding these relationships prevents frustration.
How Responsive Behavior Works
Most elements in your template are set to responsive behaviors automatically. Text usually wraps to fit narrower screens. Images scale proportionally. Sections stack vertically instead of sitting side by side.
These behaviors are controlled by layout settings on each element. The most important settings are width and height constraints. An element set to "fill" will expand to use available space. An element set to "fixed" stays at a specific size. An element set to "hug" sizes itself to fit its content.
Your template uses these constraints intelligently. A three-column layout on desktop might use "fill" width so columns share space evenly. At tablet breakpoints, it might switch to two columns. At mobile, it stacks into a single column.
Adjusting Padding at Different Breakpoints
Spacing that looks perfect on desktop often feels too loose or too tight on mobile. Your template accounts for this by using different padding values at different breakpoints.
When you select the tablet or mobile breakpoint, you can adjust padding independently without affecting the desktop design. Reducing padding on mobile makes better use of limited screen space. Increasing padding on desktop creates breathing room on larger displays.
To adjust padding at a specific breakpoint, switch to that breakpoint view, select your section or element, and change the padding values in the properties panel. These changes apply only to that breakpoint and smaller sizes.
Hiding Elements Responsibly
Sometimes an element that works beautifully on desktop doesn't translate well to mobile. A complex navigation structure, a large image gallery, or detailed background graphics might need to be hidden on smaller screens.
Select the element, switch to the breakpoint where you want to hide it, and toggle visibility off in the properties panel. The element disappears at that breakpoint but remains visible at larger sizes.
The key word is "responsibly"—only hide elements that are truly problematic on small screens. Don't hide important content or critical navigation just because it requires some rethinking. Find a mobile-appropriate way to present it instead.
Text Sizing Across Breakpoints
Your template's text likely scales automatically at different breakpoints. A 48-pixel headline on desktop might be 36 pixels on tablet and 28 pixels on mobile. This scaling is built into the text styles your template uses.
If you've created custom text elements or overridden sizes, you need to manage this scaling manually. Switch to each breakpoint and adjust text sizes appropriately. As a rule, mobile text should be slightly larger relative to the screen size than desktop text, because people hold phones closer and tap targets need to be bigger.
Navigation at Mobile Breakpoints
The most dramatic responsive change in most templates is navigation. Desktop navigation often shows all links horizontally in a nav bar. Mobile navigation typically uses a hamburger menu that expands when tapped.
Your template handles this automatically, but if you've customized navigation, test it thoroughly at mobile sizes. Ensure the menu icon appears, the menu expands properly, links are tappable (at least 44x44 pixels), and the menu closes after selecting a link.
The Testing Workflow
Here's how to ensure your customizations work at all screen sizes:
Make your edits at the desktop breakpoint first
Switch to tablet view and check how everything adapted
Adjust padding, text sizes, or layouts if needed
Switch to mobile view and repeat the process
Use the preview mode to test actual interactions
Check your real phone to see how it actually behaves
The preview mode is critical because it shows you interactions that the editor doesn't. Hover effects, click actions, and scroll behavior all need testing in preview mode across devices.
Common Responsive Issues
Text that wraps awkwardly at certain sizes is usually a width constraint problem. Check if the containing frame is set to fill, fixed, or hug, and adjust accordingly.
Images that distort or crop strangely need their fit setting adjusted. Switch between fill, fit, and center to find what works best for that specific image at each breakpoint.
Elements that overlap unexpectedly are usually a layout direction issue. Desktop layouts often use horizontal stacks, while mobile needs vertical stacks. Check your stack direction setting in the properties panel.
The Mobile-First Mindset
Even though your template starts at desktop size, think mobile-first as you customize. Before adding any element, ask whether it works on a phone screen. If it doesn't, either find a mobile-friendly alternative or make it a desktop-only enhancement.
This mindset prevents you from building elaborate desktop layouts that become impossible to adapt for mobile. It's much easier to enhance a simple, mobile-friendly design for desktop than to simplify a complex desktop design for mobile.
Quick Tip: Keep your phone next to your computer while you work. Every few edits, publish to a preview URL and check it on your actual phone. The desktop preview is helpful, but nothing beats seeing your design on the real device your visitors will use.