No fixed-width containers that exceed mobile viewport
Why it matters
A wrapper element with width: 1200px and no max-width forces the document to be wider than any phone viewport. The browser shows a horizontal scrollbar, content spills off-screen, and users must swipe sideways to read anything. Buttons and forms placed on the right edge become unreachable without scrolling. This is one of the most common causes of a failed mobile render — and it persists even when the viewport meta tag is correctly configured.
Severity rationale
Critical because even one uncontrolled fixed-width container causes horizontal overflow that breaks every page it appears on.
Remediation
Replace fixed widths with max-width + width: 100%, or use CSS min() to combine both constraints. In Tailwind, pair max-w-7xl or similar with w-full and mx-auto on the wrapper.
.wrapper { max-width: 1200px; width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; }
Audit every layout file in app/ and components/layout/ for hardcoded pixel widths above 640px.
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the Mobile Responsiveness Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from mobile-responsiveness·automated