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How to Add Accessible Pagination in Bootstrap 5.3

Create Bootstrap pagination with a labeled navigation landmark, working page URLs, an accessible current-page state, and controls that behave correctly when unavailable.

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Bootstrap pagination uses a short list-based pattern: place page links inside <ul class="pagination">, style each item with page-item and each link with page-link, then supply real page URLs and the correct current-page state. The classes handle presentation; your application must handle navigation and page state.

Build a basic Bootstrap pagination component

Bootstrap 5.3 presents pagination as a navigation landmark containing a list. Give the landmark a descriptive label when its purpose might not be clear beside other navigation, such as Search results pages. The documentation’s href="#" values are illustrative; replace them with destinations that lead to the corresponding pages.

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<nav aria-label="Search results pages">
  <ul class="pagination">
    <li class="page-item">
      <a class="page-link" href="/search?page=1">Previous</a>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item">
      <a class="page-link" href="/search?page=1">1</a>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item active">
      <a class="page-link" href="/search?page=2" aria-current="page">2</a>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item">
      <a class="page-link" href="/search?page=3">3</a>
    </li>
    <li class="page-item">
      <a class="page-link" href="/search?page=3">Next</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Adjust the URLs and page numbers to match the actual content and routing in your application. A control that looks like a page link but points to # does not implement pagination.

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Bootstrap’s component guide describes pagination links as “customizable for different circumstances.” The supported markup and styling details are documented in the Bootstrap 5.3 pagination documentation.

Mark the current page and handle unavailable controls

Current page

Add active to the current item. When its page number is an anchor, also set aria-current="page" on that link so assistive technology can identify it as the current page. If you represent the current page with a non-interactive element such as a <span>, Bootstrap says aria-current may be omitted.

Previous or Next when unavailable

At the beginning or end of a result set, do not leave an unavailable control looking and behaving like a working link. Bootstrap’s .disabled styling relies on pointer-events: none, which does not by itself resolve keyboard navigation. The component documentation advises adding tabindex="-1" and using custom JavaScript to fully disable an anchor, or using a <span> instead when the item should not be interactive or focusable.

<li class="page-item disabled">
  <span class="page-link">Previous</span>
</li>

Choose the non-interactive form when no action is available and the control should not receive focus. If you retain an anchor, ensure its behavior is actually disabled rather than relying on visual styling alone.

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Change pagination size or alignment

Bootstrap provides built-in size classes and supports alignment through flexbox utilities:

  • pagination-sm makes the pagination smaller.
  • pagination-lg makes it larger.
  • justify-content-center centers it.
  • justify-content-end aligns it to the end.

Apply sizing to the ul alongside pagination, and apply alignment utilities to that list as needed. The same component documentation describes CSS custom properties and Sass variables for further styling.

What accessibility depends on

Bootstrap provides useful markup conventions, not an automatic accessibility guarantee. Its accessibility overview says, “The overall accessibility of any project built with Bootstrap depends in large part on the author’s markup, additional styling, and scripting they’ve included.” For pagination, that means using a descriptive navigation label, exposing the current linked page with aria-current="page", and making sure unavailable controls cannot be activated or misleadingly focused. These practices are covered in the Bootstrap 5.2 accessibility overview and the component guidance.

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Can Bootstrap pagination be used for free in commercial projects?

Bootstrap’s official license FAQ identifies the framework as MIT-licensed and permits personal, private, company-internal, and commercial use. It says to retain the license and copyright notice included in Bootstrap CSS and JavaScript files when using them in your work. This is the FAQ’s guidance about the framework license, not a statement that Bootstrap marks or branding are unrestricted. See the Bootstrap 5.0 license FAQ.

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