How can I change the base breakpoint in Webflow so that the changes I make on one breakpoint do not affect another breakpoint, even if it is the base breakpoint?

In Webflow, the base breakpoint is designed as the default state for your site and its styling cascades upward, meaning changes made at the base level will affect other breakpoints unless they’re specifically overridden.

1. Understanding the Base Breakpoint

• Base breakpoint concept: The base breakpoint in Webflow is the foundation of your site's styles.
• Cascade effect: Any changes made here inherently flow through to all higher (narrower) breakpoints unless you override them.

2. The Cascading Nature of Styles

• Inherited styling: When you set properties at the base breakpoint, those styles automatically apply to all breakpoints unless you set new values.
• Effect on modifications: This means that any adjustments on the base will impact other breakpoints unless you intentionally isolate them.

3. Overriding Styles at Specific Breakpoints

• Target specific breakpoints: To prevent a base change from affecting a certain breakpoint, you must explicitly redefine or override that style on the targeted breakpoint.
• Use of specific settings: For example, if you adjust a margin or font-size in the base, you should set the desired values again within the specific breakpoint to ensure they don’t inherit the unintended changes.

4. Custom Code and Workarounds

• No direct breakpoint modification: Webflow doesn’t offer an option to alter the definition or separation of the base breakpoint itself.
• Using custom CSS: As an alternative, you can apply custom code or embed third-party CSS that uses your own media queries to achieve more distinct behavior, though this requires external management outside of Webflow's designer.

5. Best Practices

• Plan your design hierarchies: Be mindful of the cascading structure when planning modifications so that you can preemptively set styles for each breakpoint.
• Override where necessary: Always override properties on specific breakpoints if you do not want them inheriting from the base styling.

Summary

You cannot change the Webflow base breakpoint itself, but by understanding the cascading nature and using explicit style overrides (or custom code as needed) on specific breakpoints, you can control how changes affect each breakpoint.