Difference between a View's Padding and Margin

Question

What is the difference between a View's Margin and Padding?

Answer 1

To help me remember the meaning of padding, I think of a big coat with lots of thick cotton padding. I'm inside my coat, but me and my padded coat are together. We're a unit.

But to remember margin, I think of, "Hey, give me some margin!" It's the empty space between me and you. Don't come inside my comfort zone -- my margin.

To make it more clear, here is a picture of padding and margin in a TextView:

xml layout for the image above

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"     android:layout_width="match_parent"     android:layout_height="match_parent"     android:orientation="vertical" >      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:layout_margin="10dp"         android:background="#c5e1b0"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:text="TextView margin only"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:layout_margin="10dp"         android:background="#f6c0c0"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:text="TextView margin only"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:background="#c5e1b0"         android:padding="10dp"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:text="TextView padding only"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:background="#f6c0c0"         android:padding="10dp"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:text="TextView padding only"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:layout_margin="10dp"         android:background="#c5e1b0"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:padding="10dp"         android:text="TextView padding and margin"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:layout_margin="10dp"         android:background="#f6c0c0"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:padding="10dp"         android:text="TextView padding and margin"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:background="#c5e1b0"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:text="TextView no padding no margin"         android:textSize="20sp" />      <TextView         android:layout_width="wrap_content"         android:layout_height="wrap_content"         android:background="#f6c0c0"         android:textColor="#000000"         android:text="TextView no padding no margin"         android:textSize="20sp" />  </LinearLayout> 

Related

• Gravity vs layout_gravity
• Match_parent vs wrap_content

Answer 2

Padding is the space inside the border, between the border and the actual view's content. Note that padding goes completely around the content: there is padding on the top, bottom, right and left sides (which can be independent).

Margins are the spaces outside the border, between the border and the other elements next to this view. In the image, the margin is the grey area outside the entire object. Note that, like the padding, the margin goes completely around the content: there are margins on the top, bottom, right, and left sides.

An image says more than 1000 words (extracted from Margin Vs Padding - CSS Properties):