How to center absolute div horizontally using CSS?

Question

You need to set left: 0 and right: 0.

This specifies how far to offset the margin edges from the sides of the window.

Like 'top', but specifies how far a box's right margin edge is offset to the [left/right] of the [right/left] edge of the box's containing block.

Source: http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/visuren.html#position-props

Note: The element must have a width smaller than the window or else it will take up the entire width of the window.

If you could use media queries to specify a minimum margin, and then transition to auto for larger screen sizes.

---

.container {
  left:0;
  right:0;

  margin-left: auto;
  margin-right: auto;

  position: absolute;
  width: 40%;

  outline: 1px solid black;
  background: white;
}

<div class="container">
  Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.
  Maecenas faucibus mollis interdum.
  Sed posuere consectetur est at lobortis.
  Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus dolor auctor.
  Sed posuere consectetur est at lobortis.
</div>

This doesn't work in IE8 but might be an option to consider. It is primarily useful if you do not want to specify a width.

.element
{
  position: absolute;
  left: 50%;
  transform: translateX(-50%);
}

Although above answers are correct but to make it simple for newbies, all you need to do is set margin, left and right. following code will do it provided that width is set and position is absolute:

margin: 0 auto;
left: 0;
right: 0;

Demo:

.centeredBox {
    margin: 0 auto;
    left: 0;
    right: 0;
   
   
   /** Position should be absolute */
    position: absolute;
    /** And box must have a width, any width */
    width: 40%;
    background: #faebd7;
   
   }

<div class="centeredBox">Centered Box</div>

Flexbox? You can use flexbox.

.box {
  display: -ms-flexbox;
  display: -webkit-flex;
  display: flex;
  
  -webkit-justify-content: center;
  justify-content: center;

}

.box div {
  border:1px solid grey;
  flex: 0 1 auto;
  align-self: auto;
  background: grey;
}

<div class="box">
  <div class="A">I'm horizontally centered.</div>
</div>

.centerDiv {
    position: absolute;
    left: 0;
    right: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
    text-align:center;
}