Above the fold
Above the fold is the part of a web page or email that is visible as soon as it loads, without scrolling
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
The term comes from print: it referred to the top half of a newspaper’s front page, visible when folded on the news-stand. Online it is used to decide which content should appear first, such as the main message, value proposition or call to action.
In practice there is no single fold, since it depends on the device, window size and each person’s settings. People are also used to scrolling, so there is no need to cram everything at the top: what appears first simply needs to make clear what the page is about and invite people to continue. It also matters for performance, as initial content should load quickly.
Also known as
first screen, initial viewport
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