---
icon: IconDirectory
title: 'layouts'
head.title: Layouts directory
---

# Layouts directory

Nuxt provides a customizable layouts framework you can use throughout your application, ideal for extracting common UI or code patterns into reusable layout components.

Layouts are placed in the `layouts/` directory and will be automatically loaded via asynchronous import when used. Layouts are used by setting a `layout` property as part of your page metadata (if you are using the `~/pages` integration), or by using the `<NuxtLayout>` component.

If you only have a single layout in your application, we recommend using [app.vue](/guide/directory-structure/app) instead.

::alert{type=warning}
Unlike other components, your layouts must have a single root element to allow Nuxt to apply transitions between layout changes - and this root element cannot be a `<slot />`.
::

## Example: Enabling layouts with `app.vue`

```bash
-| layouts/
---| custom.vue
-| app.vue
```

In your layout files, you'll need to use `<slot />` to define where the content of your layout will be loaded. For example:

```vue{}[layouts/custom.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    Some shared layout content:
    <slot />
  </div>
</template>
```

Here's how you might use that layout in `app.vue`:

```vue{}[app.vue]
<template>
  <NuxtLayout name="custom">
    Hello world!
  </NuxtLayout>
</template>
```

## Example: setting the layout with `~/pages`

```bash
-| layouts/
---| custom.vue
-| pages/
---| index.vue
```

You can set your layout within your page components like this:

```vue{}[pages/index.vue]
<script>
// This will also work in `<script setup>`
definePageMeta({
  layout: "custom",
});
</script>
```

And in your `app.vue` you need to wrap the `NuxtPage` component with the `NuxtLayout` component.

```vue{}[app.vue]
<template>
  <NuxtLayout>
    <NuxtPage />
  </NuxtLayout>
</template>
```

::alert{type=info}
Learn more about [defining page meta](/guide/directory-structure/pages#page-metadata).
::

## Example: manual control with `~/pages`

Even if you are using the `~/pages` integration, you can take full control by using the `<NuxtLayout>` component (which is globally available throughout your application), by setting `layout: false`.

::code-group

```vue [layouts/custom.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    <header>
      <slot name="header">
        Default header content
      </slot>
    </header>
    <main>
      <slot />
    </main>
  </div>
</template>
```

```vue [pages/index.vue]
<template>
  <div>
    <NuxtLayout name="custom">
      <template #header> Some header template content. </template>

      The rest of the page
    </NuxtLayout>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup>
definePageMeta({
  layout: false,
});
</script>
```

::

::alert{type=warning}
If you use `<NuxtLayout>` within your pages, make sure it is not the root element (or disable layout/page transitions).
::

## Example: changing the layout

You can also use a ref or computed property for your layout.

```vue
<template>
  <div>
    <button @click="enableCustomLayout">Update layout</button>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup>
const route = useRoute()
function enableCustomLayout () {
  route.meta.layout = "custom"
}
definePageMeta({
  layout: false,
});
</script>
```

:LinkExample{link="/examples/routing/layouts"}