How to center a two-line text in a TextView on Android?

Question

I want to let it looks like this:

|    two    |
|   lines   |

Here is the current layout, not working at all.

<RelativeLayout
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:gravity="center_vertical">
    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="two\nlines"
        android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"/>
</RelativeLayout>

Any idea? Thanks!

score 229 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 14 '13 at 12:19

229

If you just want to center it (I'm assuming the \n is working to split the lines), just add android:gravity="center_horizontal" rather than layout_gravity.
Using layout gravity moves the actual TextView, using gravity affects the content of the TextView.

edited Aug 14 '13 at 12:19

Salvatorelab

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answered Jan 25 '11 at 03:34

Kevin Coppock

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score 21 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 16 '17 at 03:20

21

Had to add both gravity and layout_gravity to align both TextView and its content

android:gravity="center_horizontal"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"

edited Jan 16 '17 at 03:20

ρяσѕρєя K

132,198
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answered Jan 16 '17 at 02:56

kishor.j

223
3
7

score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 02 '17 at 07:50

4

if your width is wrap_content, you have to set gravity and layout_gravity both as "center_horizontal"

<TextView
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="two\nlines"
    android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
    android:gravity="center_horizontal"/>

However, if your width is "match_parent, you will only have to set gravity as "center_horizontal"

<TextView
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="two\nlines"
    android:gravity="center_horizontal"/>

Hope it helps!

answered Oct 02 '17 at 07:50

Shivam

1,086
7
8

Thanks. This works. Setting both 'gravity' and 'layout_gravity' did the trick for me. – Prasanna Ramaswamy Feb 25 '18 at 09:00
This should be the accepted answer, as the one selected is only valid with newline. Thank you! – Chiara Mar 24 '21 at 14:14

score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Aug 07 '12 at 14:55

2

You can use:

TextView tv = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.the_text_view);
tv.setText(Html.fromHtml("two"+"\n"+"lines"));

edited Aug 07 '12 at 14:55

Tisho

8,320
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answered May 09 '12 at 14:08

Dleelk4android

45
1

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited Mar 23 '18 at 02:34

2

I use:

android:gravity="center_horizontal"

to center two line text

edited Mar 23 '18 at 02:34

Stephen Rauch

47,830
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answered Mar 23 '18 at 02:13

Dea Venditama

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5

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Jan 25 '11 at 02:58

I think you must do it from Java:

<RelativeLayout
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:gravity="center_vertical">
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/the_text_view"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"/>
</RelativeLayout>

Then:

TextView tv = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.the_text_view);
tv.setText(Html.fromHtml("two<br/>lines"));

score -3 · Answer 7 · edited Dec 11 '14 at 07:16

-3

Add property

android:lines="2"

where 2 is no of lines you can set this no as your requirment

edited Dec 11 '14 at 07:16

Kampai

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answered Dec 11 '14 at 07:09

Siddhartha

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1

1

this does not set the TextView centered, it only forces it to have two lines. Still, this answer is not so bad it needs to be downvoted. – Shishdem Mar 19 '15 at 14:14
It won't make any impact as requested. Alignment will not be centred. – deva11 Dec 30 '17 at 06:18

How to center a two-line text in a TextView on Android?

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