@media Nesting

/* Plain CSS: selector and media query are written in different locations */
.card {
    font-size: 1rem;
    padding: 24px;
}

@media (max-width: 768px) {
    .card {
        font-size: 0.9rem;
        padding: 16px;
    }
}

// ========================================
// Basic syntax for nesting @media inside a selector
// ========================================

// Write @media inside a selector block
.selector {
    property: value;

    // Nest the media query here
    @media (condition) {
        property: value;   // Applies to .selector
    }
}

// Compiled CSS (reference)
// .selector { property: value; }
// @media (condition) { .selector { property: value; } }


// ========================================
// Explicit parent selector reference with &
// ========================================

// Using & makes the parent selector reference more explicit
.selector {
    property: value;

    @media (condition) {
        & {
            property: value;
        }
    }
}

Pattern	Example	Description
max-width (non-mobile-first)	@media (max-width: 768px) { ... }	Applies styles to screens at or below the specified width.
min-width (mobile-first)	@media (min-width: 768px) { ... }	Applies styles to screens at or above the specified width.
Range	@media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px) { ... }	Applies styles only within a specific width range, such as tablets.
Print	@media print { ... }	Print-only styles can be written alongside the selector.
Color scheme	@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { ... }	Dark mode styles can be grouped per component.
Combined with @mixin	@include sp { ... }	Wrap media queries in a mixin for shorter notation.

Using a card component and navigation as examples, this demonstrates responsive styles with nested @media. Breakpoint definitions for each component are consolidated in one place, making changes easy to spot.

// ========================================
// Card component responsive layout
// ========================================

.card {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;   // Desktop: thumbnail + text 2-column
    gap: 24px;
    padding: 24px;
    background-color: #ffffff;
    border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
    border-radius: 8px;

    // Switch to 1 column at tablet width
    @media (max-width: 1023px) {
        grid-template-columns: 1fr;
        gap: 16px;
        padding: 20px;
    }

    // Further reduce padding at smartphone width
    @media (max-width: 767px) {
        padding: 16px;
        gap: 12px;
    }

    // Card title
    &__title {
        font-size: 1.25rem;
        font-weight: bold;
        color: #2c3e50;
        margin: 0 0 8px;

        // Reduce font size at smartphone width
        @media (max-width: 767px) {
            font-size: 1.1rem;
        }
    }

    // Card body text
    &__body {
        font-size: 1rem;
        line-height: 1.7;
        color: #495057;

        @media (max-width: 767px) {
            font-size: 0.9rem;
        }
    }
}


// ========================================
// Navigation responsive layout
// ========================================

.nav {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 8px;
    padding: 0 32px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    height: 60px;

    // Switch to vertical drawer menu at smartphone width
    @media (max-width: 767px) {
        display: none;   // Toggle with JavaScript

        &.is-open {
            display: flex;
            flex-direction: column;
            align-items: stretch;
            height: auto;
            padding: 8px 0;
        }
    }

    // Navigation link
    &__link {
        display: block;
        padding: 8px 16px;
        color: #ecf0f1;
        text-decoration: none;
        border-radius: 4px;
        transition: background-color 0.2s;

        &:hover {
            background-color: #34495e;
        }

        // Increase padding for easier tapping at smartphone width
        @media (max-width: 767px) {
            padding: 12px 24px;
            border-radius: 0;
            border-bottom: 1px solid #34495e;
        }
    }
}


// ========================================
// Hero section: managing multiple breakpoints
// ========================================

.hero {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
    min-height: 480px;
    padding: 64px 32px;
    text-align: center;
    background-color: #f0f4f8;

    // Tablet width
    @media (max-width: 1023px) {
        min-height: 360px;
        padding: 48px 24px;
    }

    // Smartphone width
    @media (max-width: 767px) {
        min-height: 280px;
        padding: 40px 16px;
    }

    // Heading
    &__heading {
        font-size: 2.5rem;
        font-weight: bold;
        color: #2c3e50;
        margin: 0 0 16px;
        line-height: 1.3;

        @media (max-width: 1023px) {
            font-size: 2rem;
        }

        @media (max-width: 767px) {
            font-size: 1.5rem;
            margin-bottom: 12px;
        }
    }

    // Subtext
    &__sub {
        font-size: 1.1rem;
        color: #636e72;
        max-width: 600px;

        @media (max-width: 767px) {
            font-size: 0.95rem;
        }
    }
}


// ========================================
// Dark mode support (prefers-color-scheme)
// ========================================

.article {
    background-color: #ffffff;
    color: #2c3e50;
    padding: 32px;
    border-radius: 8px;

    // Applies when the user's OS is set to dark mode
    @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
        background-color: #1e272e;
        color: #dfe6e9;
    }

    &__title {
        font-size: 1.5rem;
        border-bottom: 2px solid #dee2e6;
        padding-bottom: 8px;
        margin-bottom: 16px;

        @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
            border-bottom-color: #4a5568;
        }
    }
}


// ========================================
// Print styles nested inside selectors
// ========================================

.page-header {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: space-between;
    padding: 16px 32px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    color: #ffffff;

    // Use white background when printing to avoid relying on background printing settings
    @media print {
        background-color: #ffffff;
        color: #000000;
        border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;
    }
}

// Hide navigation when printing
.nav {
    @media print {
        display: none;
    }
}

Nesting @media too deeply, resulting in many duplicate media queries in the compiled output

Sass @media nesting does not automatically merge identical media query conditions across multiple selectors. Writing the same breakpoint nested inside each component expands them into separate @media blocks in the compiled CSS.

ng_example.scss

// The same breakpoint is nested inside each of three components
.header {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    @media (max-width: 767px) {
        font-size: 1.2rem;
    }
}

.hero {
    padding: 64px;
    @media (max-width: 767px) {
        padding: 32px;
    }
}

.footer {
    height: 120px;
    @media (max-width: 767px) {
        height: auto;
    }
}

/* Compiled output: @media (max-width: 767px) appears three times */
.header { font-size: 1.5rem; }
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .header { font-size: 1.2rem; }
}

.hero { padding: 64px; }
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .hero { padding: 32px; }
}

.footer { height: 120px; }
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .footer { height: auto; }
}

This repetition is easier to manage by naming breakpoints with a mixin and keeping component nesting to a minimum. The impact on CSS file size is largely absorbed by gzip compression, but when duplication is heavy, grouping @media blocks at the end of the file is also an option.

Misunderstanding that nesting @media conditions produces OR logic instead of AND

When one @media block is nested inside another, Sass combines the two conditions with and. Writing @media (max-width: 1024px) inside @media (min-width: 768px) does not produce OR logic — it compiles to "min-width: 768px AND max-width: 1024px".

ng_example.scss

// Written under the assumption that the inner @media becomes an OR condition
.sidebar {
    display: block;

    @media (min-width: 768px) {
        width: 240px;

        // Intending to narrow down to tablet width only
        @media (max-width: 1024px) {
            width: 200px;
        }
    }
}

/* Compiled output: AND combination (may or may not be intended, but easy to misread) */
.sidebar { display: block; }
@media (min-width: 768px) {
    .sidebar { width: 240px; }
}
@media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) {
    .sidebar { width: 200px; }
}

If a range is the goal, write it as a single @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) from the start — this makes the intent clearer. Nesting @media only narrows conditions further (AND); it never adds alternatives (OR).

Sass @media nesting allows breakpoint styles related to a selector to be written inside that selector's block. In plain CSS, @media blocks must be placed elsewhere in the file, making it necessary to search for where a component's responsive definitions are. With Sass nesting, all states of a component can be collected in one place, making changes, deletions, and moves straightforward. After compilation, the output is standard @media blocks, so there is no difference in the size or behavior of the resulting CSS. Using a mixin to define breakpoint conditions by name allows even shorter notation such as @include sp { ... }. Combining with nesting and parent selector reference (&) makes component-based style management more effective.