--- name: ScreenGui last_updated: 2026-06-11T17:05:16Z inherits: - LayerCollector - GuiBase2d - GuiBase - Instance - Object type: class memory_category: Instances summary: "Primary container of on-screen 2D user interface elements." --- # Class: ScreenGui > Primary container of on-screen 2D user interface elements. ## Description [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) is a storage container for 2D [GuiObjects](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiObject.md) displayed on the user's screen. A [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) only shows if parented to a player's [PlayerGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/PlayerGui.md); parenting a [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) to [StarterGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/StarterGui.md) ensures it clones into each player's [PlayerGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/PlayerGui.md) when they join the experience and their character first spawns. See [On‑Screen UI Containers](/docs/en-us/ui/on-screen-containers.md) for further details. ![Example ScreenGui with various GuiObject children, including a Frame, TextLabel, TextBox, and ImageButton.](../../../assets/ui/ui-objects/ScreenGui-Example.jpg) For performance improvements, the appearance of a [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) is cached until one of the following events occurs: - A descendant is added to or removed from it. - A property of a descendant changes. - A property of the [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) itself changes. If any of these events occur, the [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) appearance is recomputed on the next frame it gets rendered. ## Properties ### Property: ScreenGui.ClipToDeviceSafeArea ```json { "type": "boolean", "access": "ReadWrite", "security": { "read": "None", "write": "None" }, "serialization": { "can_load": true, "can_save": true }, "thread_safety": "ReadSafe", "category": "Appearance", "capabilities": [ "UI" ] } ``` If this property is `true`, all [GuiObject](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiObject.md) descendants of the [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) will be clipped to the device's safe area (see [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md)). The default is `true` to maintain backwards compatibility of UI that is intentionally hidden offscreen, such as objects that slide into view from a screen edge when they're needed. ![Mobile device showing UI button clipped by device safe area](../../../assets/engine-api/classes/ScreenGui/ClipToDeviceSafeArea-True.png) If this property is `false`, [GuiObject](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiObject.md) descendants will **not** be clipped to the device's safe area and may be obscured by the camera notch or other screen cutouts. ![Mobile device showing UI button overflowing device safe area, obscured by screen camera notch](../../../assets/engine-api/classes/ScreenGui/ClipToDeviceSafeArea-False.png) Note that this property will be ignored if you set [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) to [None](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md), as doing so implies that you intentionally want to disregard the device's safe insets. ### Property: ScreenGui.DisplayOrder ```json { "type": "int", "access": "ReadWrite", "security": { "read": "None", "write": "None" }, "serialization": { "can_load": true, "can_save": true }, "thread_safety": "ReadSafe", "category": "Data", "capabilities": [ "UI" ] } ``` This property controls the Z-index order in which multiple [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) containers are drawn. Those with a higher [DisplayOrder](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) will be drawn on top of those with a lower value. ### Property: ScreenGui.IgnoreGuiInset ```json { "type": "boolean", "access": "ReadWrite", "security": { "read": "None", "write": "None" }, "serialization": { "can_load": true, "can_save": false }, "thread_safety": "ReadSafe", "category": "Data", "capabilities": [ "UI" ] } ``` If this property is `false` (default), [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) is set to [CoreUISafeInsets](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md), effectively keeping its bounds below the Roblox top bar core UI. If this property is changed to `true` and [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) is currently set to [CoreUISafeInsets](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md), [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) will be set to [DeviceSafeInsets](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md). See [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) for details on how screen insets affect the contents of a [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md). ### Property: ScreenGui.SafeAreaCompatibility ```json { "type": "SafeAreaCompatibility", "access": "ReadWrite", "security": { "read": "None", "write": "None" }, "serialization": { "can_load": true, "can_save": true }, "thread_safety": "ReadSafe", "category": "Appearance", "capabilities": [ "UI" ] } ``` This property specifies whether automatic UI compatibility transformations are applied to descendant "fullscreen" [GuiObjects](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiObject.md) of the [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) on displays with screen cutouts. Eligibility occurs if the total area of the descendant [GuiObject](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiObject.md) (including any applied border or [UIStroke](/docs/reference/engine/classes/UIStroke.md)) covers the device's safe area both horizontally and vertically. See the [SafeAreaCompatibility](/docs/reference/engine/enums/SafeAreaCompatibility.md) enum reference for details. The default value is [FullscreenExtension](/docs/reference/engine/enums/SafeAreaCompatibility.md) in order to automatically improve the appearance of UI that was authored for screens without any cutouts. However, it's recommended that you avoid fullscreen extensions for new work; instead, use the [ScreenInsets](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) property to specify which insets should be respected for different [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) containers. Note that descendant UI objects will continue to be clipped by the device's safe area if [ClipToDeviceSafeArea](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) is set to `true`. ### Property: ScreenGui.ScreenInsets ```json { "type": "ScreenInsets", "access": "ReadWrite", "security": { "read": "None", "write": "None" }, "serialization": { "can_load": true, "can_save": true }, "thread_safety": "ReadSafe", "category": "Appearance", "capabilities": [ "UI" ] } ``` This property controls the safe area insets that are applied to the contents of the [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md). The default of [CoreUISafeInsets](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md) keeps all descendant [GuiObjects](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiObject.md) inside the core UI safe area, clear of the Roblox top bar buttons and other screen cutouts like the device's camera notch. ![Mobile device showing UI buttons inside core UI safe area](../../../assets/engine-api/enums/ScreenInsets/CoreUISafeInsets.png) If you set this property to [None](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md), UI objects may be obscured behind core UI objects or device cutouts like the camera notch. As a result, you should only use [None](/docs/reference/engine/enums/ScreenInsets.md) for a [ScreenGui](/docs/reference/engine/classes/ScreenGui.md) that contains noninteractive content like background images. See [On-Screen UI Containers](/docs/en-us/ui/on-screen-containers.md#screen-insets) for alternative examples. ## Inherited Members ### From [LayerCollector](/docs/reference/engine/classes/LayerCollector.md) - **Property `Enabled`** (`boolean`): Toggles the visibility of this LayerCollector. - **Property `ResetOnSpawn`** (`boolean`): Determines if the LayerCollector resets (deletes itself and - **Property `ZIndexBehavior`** (`ZIndexBehavior`): Controls how GuiObject.ZIndex behaves on all descendants of this - **Method `GetLayoutNodeTree(): Dictionary`**: *(deprecated)* ### From [GuiBase2d](/docs/reference/engine/classes/GuiBase2d.md) - **Property `AbsolutePosition`** (`Vector2`): Describes the actual screen position of a GuiBase2d element, in - **Property `AbsoluteRotation`** (`float`): Describes the actual screen rotation of a GuiBase2d element, in - **Property `AbsoluteSize`** (`Vector2`): Describes the actual screen size of a GuiBase2d element, in - **Property `AutoLocalize`** (`boolean`): When set to `true`, localization will be applied to this GuiBase2d - **Property `Localize`** (`boolean`): Automatically set to true when a localization table's *(deprecated, hidden)* - **Property `RootLocalizationTable`** (`LocalizationTable`): A reference to a LocalizationTable to be used to apply automated - **Property `SelectionBehaviorDown`** (`SelectionBehavior`): Customizes gamepad selection behavior in the down direction. - **Property `SelectionBehaviorLeft`** (`SelectionBehavior`): Customizes gamepad selection behavior in the left direction. - **Property `SelectionBehaviorRight`** (`SelectionBehavior`): Customizes gamepad selection behavior in the right direction. - **Property `SelectionBehaviorUp`** (`SelectionBehavior`): Customizes gamepad selection behavior in the up direction. - **Property `SelectionGroup`** (`boolean`): Allows customization of gamepad selection movement. - **Event `SelectionChanged`**: Fires when the gamepad selection moves to, leaves, or changes within the ### From [Instance](/docs/reference/engine/classes/Instance.md) - **Property `Archivable`** (`boolean`): Determines if an Instance and its descendants can be cloned using - **Property `archivable`** (`boolean`): *(deprecated, hidden)* - **Property `Capabilities`** (`SecurityCapabilities`): The set of capabilities allowed to be used for scripts inside this - **Property `Name`** (`string`): A non-unique identifier of the Instance. - **Property `Parent`** (`Instance`): Determines the hierarchical parent of the Instance. - **Property `PredictionMode`** (`PredictionMode`): - **Property `RobloxLocked`** (`boolean`): A deprecated property that used to protect CoreGui objects. *(hidden)* - **Property `Sandboxed`** (`boolean`): When enabled, the instance can only access abilities in its `Capabilities` - **Property `UniqueId`** (`UniqueId`): A unique identifier for the instance. - **Method `AddTag(tag: string): ()`**: Applies a tag to the instance. - **Method `children(): Instances`**: Returns an array of the object's children. *(deprecated)* - **Method `ClearAllChildren(): ()`**: This method destroys all of an instance's children. - **Method `Clone(): Instance`**: Create a copy of an instance and all its descendants, ignoring instances - **Method `clone(): Instance`**: *(deprecated)* - **Method `Destroy(): ()`**: Sets the Instance.Parent property to `nil`, locks the - **Method `destroy(): ()`**: *(deprecated)* - **Method `FindFirstAncestor(name: string): Instance?`**: Returns the first ancestor of the Instance whose - **Method `FindFirstAncestorOfClass(className: string): Instance?`**: Returns the first ancestor of the Instance whose - **Method `FindFirstAncestorWhichIsA(className: string): Instance?`**: Returns the first ancestor of the Instance for whom - **Method `FindFirstChild(name: string, recursive?: boolean): Instance?`**: Returns the first child of the Instance found with the given name. - **Method `findFirstChild(name: string, recursive?: boolean): Instance`**: *(deprecated)* - **Method `FindFirstChildOfClass(className: string): Instance?`**: Returns the first child of the Instance whose - **Method `FindFirstChildWhichIsA(className: string, recursive?: boolean): Instance?`**: Returns the first child of the Instance for whom - **Method `FindFirstDescendant(name: string): Instance?`**: Returns the first descendant found with the given Instance.Name. - **Method `GetActor(): Actor?`**: Returns the Actor associated with the Instance, if any. - **Method `GetAttribute(attribute: string): Variant`**: Returns the value which has been assigned to the given attribute name. - **Method `GetAttributeChangedSignal(attribute: string): RBXScriptSignal`**: Returns an event that fires when the given attribute changes. - **Method `GetAttributes(): Dictionary`**: Returns a dictionary of the instance's attributes. - **Method `GetChildren(): Instances`**: Returns an array containing all of the instance's children. - **Method `getChildren(): Instances`**: *(deprecated)* - **Method `GetDebugId(scopeLength?: int): string`**: Returns a coded string of the debug ID used internally by Roblox. - **Method `GetDescendants(): Instances`**: Returns an array containing all of the descendants of the instance. - **Method `GetFullName(): string`**: Returns a string describing the instance's ancestry. - **Method `GetStyled(name: string, selector: string?): Variant`**: Returns the styled or explicitly modified value of the specified property, - **Method `GetStyledPropertyChangedSignal(property: string): RBXScriptSignal`**: - **Method `GetTags(): Array`**: Gets an array of all tags applied to the instance. - **Method `HasTag(tag: string): boolean`**: Check whether the instance has a given tag. - **Method `IsAncestorOf(descendant: Instance): boolean`**: Returns true if an Instance is an ancestor of the given - **Method `IsDescendantOf(ancestor: Instance): boolean`**: Returns `true` if an Instance is a descendant of the given - **Method `isDescendantOf(ancestor: Instance): boolean`**: *(deprecated)* - **Method `IsPropertyModified(property: string): boolean`**: Returns `true` if the value stored in the specified property is not equal - **Method `QueryDescendants(selector: string): Instances`**: - **Method `Remove(): ()`**: Sets the object's `Parent` to `nil`, and does the same for all its *(deprecated)* - **Method `remove(): ()`**: *(deprecated)* - **Method `RemoveTag(tag: string): ()`**: Removes a tag from the instance. - **Method `ResetPropertyToDefault(property: string): ()`**: Resets a property to its default value. - **Method `SetAttribute(attribute: string, value: Variant): ()`**: Sets the attribute with the given name to the given value. - **Method `WaitForChild(childName: string, timeOut: double): Instance`**: Returns the child of the Instance with the given name. If the - **Event `AncestryChanged`**: Fires when the Instance.Parent property of this object or one of - **Event `AttributeChanged`**: Fires whenever an attribute is changed on the Instance. - **Event `ChildAdded`**: Fires after an object is parented to this Instance. - **Event `childAdded`**: *(deprecated)* - **Event `ChildRemoved`**: Fires after a child is removed from this Instance. - **Event `DescendantAdded`**: Fires after a descendant is added to the Instance. - **Event `DescendantRemoving`**: Fires immediately before a descendant of the Instance is removed. - **Event `Destroying`**: Fires immediately before (or is deferred until after) the instance is - **Event `StyledPropertiesChanged`**: Fires whenever any style property is changed on the instance, including ### From [Object](/docs/reference/engine/classes/Object.md) - **Property `ClassName`** (`string`): A read-only string representing the class this Object belongs to. - **Property `className`** (`string`): *(deprecated)* - **Method `GetPropertyChangedSignal(property: string): RBXScriptSignal`**: Get an event that fires when a given property of the object changes. - **Method `IsA(className: string): boolean`**: Returns true if an object's class matches or inherits from a given class. - **Method `isA(className: string): boolean`**: *(deprecated)* - **Event `Changed`**: Fires immediately after a property of the object changes, with some