How to Make a VStack Fill the Width of the Screen in SwiftUI

How to Make a VStack Fill the Width of the Screen in SwiftUI

28 February 2025 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment Xcode

When designing user interfaces in SwiftUI, developers often encounter the challenge of ensuring a VStack fills the width of the screen, regardless of the content size. This guide will walk you through how to achieve this efficiently using various approaches, with a focus on modern solutions that offer flexibility and simplicity.

Using the Frame Modifier

The most straightforward way to make a VStack fill the screen’s width is by using the .frame modifier. This method is both simple and effective, accommodating dynamic content sizes.

struct ContentView: View {
  var body: some View {
    VStack(alignment: .leading) {
      Text("Hello World")
        .font(.title)
      Text("Another")
        .font(.body)
      Spacer()
    }
    .frame(
      minWidth: 0,
      maxWidth: .infinity,
      minHeight: 0,
      maxHeight: .infinity,
      alignment: .topLeading
    )
    .background(Color.red)
  }
}

This approach specifies a flexible frame that adapts to fill the available space, centering its contents when there is extra room.

Alternative Techniques

If you’re looking for alternatives, several techniques can achieve similar results:

  • Container Relative Frame: For iOS 17.0+, the .containerRelativeFrame modifier aligns the VStack within its container.
  • Using a ZStack: A ZStack can be employed to layer a full-size background behind a VStack, ensuring it fills the screen.
  • GeometryReader: This provides a flexible way to adjust the view’s size based on its parent view’s dimensions.

Practical Example with ZStack

struct ContentView: View {
  var body: some View {
    ZStack(alignment: .topLeading) {
      Color.red
        .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity)

      VStack(alignment: .leading) {
        Text("Title")
          .font(.title)
        Text("Content")
          .font(.body)
      }
    }
  }
}

This method uses ZStack to achieve a full-width effect, ensuring the VStack aligns with the top leading corner.

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