How to center sidebar text and icons in HTML/CSS?

I'm trying to center both the text and icons within my website's sidebar, but my existing CSS text-align: center; isn't working. Here's the relevant code and screenshots:

How to convert it to like this one example below:

Specific Questions:

Can you identify why text-align: center; isn't working in this context?
What's the best CSS approach to achieve the centering of both text and icons within the sidebar?

Code:

CSS

/* sidebar starts here*/
.sidebar {
    position: fixed;
    top: 60px;
    width: 260px;
    height: calc(100% - 60px);
    background: #df7f27;
    overflow-x: hidden;
}

.sidebar ul {
    margin-top: 20px;
}
.sidebar ul li {
    width: 100%;
    list-style: none;
}
.sidebar ul li a {
    width: 100%;
    text-decoration: none;
    color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
    height: 60px;
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
}

.sidebar ul li a i {
    min-width: 60px;
    font-size: 24px;
    text-align: center;
}

HTML

<body>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="topbar">
            <div class="logo">
                <h2>Pomodone</h2>
            </div>
            <div class="search">
                <input type="text" id="search" placeholder="search here">
                <label for="search"><i class="fas fa-search"></i></label>
            </div>
            <i class="fas fa-bell"></i>
            <div class="user">
                <img src="img/user.jpg" alt="">
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="sidebar">
            <ul>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-th-large"></i>
                        <div>Dashboard</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-user-graduate"></i>
                        <div>Students</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-chalkboard-teacher"></i>
                        <div>Teachers</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-users"></i>
                        <div>Employees</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-chart-bar"></i>
                        <div>Analytics</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-hand-holding-usd"></i>
                        <div>Earnings</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-cog"></i>
                        <div>Settings</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-question"></i>
                        <div>Help</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
            </ul>
        </div>
        <div class="main"></div>
    </div>
</body>

Thank you in advance, I appreciate your help

Solution

Before anything first understand how the icons `www.fontawesome.com` works.

There's only one simple thing to understand that is:

That the < i > tag you used here is getting commented out and a svg is been loaded to your code above the tag

<i class="sidebar-icon fas fa-user-graduate"></i>

Solution

Just add these Properties to your html

Padding-left: 30px or as per your requirement;
Justify-content: flex-start;

.sidebar ul li a {
  width: 100%;
    text-decoration: none;
    color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
    height: 60px;
    display: flex;
    padding-left: 30px;
    justify-content: flex-start;
  align-items: center
}

.sidebar ul li a i {
    min-width: 60px;
    font-size: 24px;
    text-align: center;
}

New Class to be Added for svg

Added a fixed width for svg.
Margin-right to align the test in the same line

.sidebar ul li a svg{
  margin-right: 15px;
  width: 25px !important;
}

Run this Code

*{
    padding: 0;
    margin: 0;
    box-sizing: border-box;
    font-family: 'poppins', sans-serif;
}
.topbar{
    position: fixed;
    background: #fff;
    box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08);
    width: 100%;
    height: 60px;
    padding: 0 20px;
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 2fr 10fr 0.4fr 1fr;
    align-items: center;
    z-index: 1;
}

.logo h2{
    color: #df7f27;
}

.search{
    position: relative;
    width: 60%;
    justify-self: center;
}

.search input {
    width: 100%;
    height: 40px;
    padding: 0 40px;
    font-size: 16px;
    outline: none;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 10px;
    background: #f5f5f5;
    
}
.search label {
    position: absolute;
    right: 15px;
    top: 50%;
    transform: translateY(-50%);
}
.search i {
    position: absolute;
    right: 15px;
    top: 15px; 
    cursor: pointer;
}

.user{
    position: relative;
    width: 50px;
    height: 50px;
}

.user img{
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    height: 100%;
    width: 100%;
    object-fit: cover; 
}

/* sidebar starts here*/
.sidebar {
    position: fixed;
    top: 60px;
    width: 260px;
    height: calc(100% - 60px);
    background: #df7f27;
    overflow-x: hidden;
}

.sidebar ul {
    margin-top: 20px;
}
.sidebar ul li {
    width: 100%;
    list-style: none;
    display:  flex;
  justify-content: center;
}
.sidebar ul li a {
  width: 100%;
    text-decoration: none;
    color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
    height: 60px;
    display: flex;
    padding-left: 30px;
    justify-content: flex-start;
  align-items: center
}

.sidebar ul li a i {
    min-width: 60px;
    font-size: 24px;
    text-align: center;
    align-self: flex-start;
}
.sidebar ul li a svg{
  margin-right: 15px;
  width: 25px !important;
}

    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
    <script defer src="https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.15.4/js/all.js" integrity="sha384-rOA1PnstxnOBLzCLMcre8ybwbTmemjzdNlILg8O7z1lUkLXozs4DHonlDtnE7fpc" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="topbar">
            <div class="logo">
                <h2>Pomodone</h2>
            </div>
            <div class="search">
                <input type="text" id="search" placeholder="search here">
                <label for="search"><i class="fas fa-search"></i></label>
            </div>
            <i class="fas fa-bell"></i>
            <div class="user">
                <img src="img/user.jpg" alt="">
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="sidebar">
            <ul>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-th-large"></i>
                        <div>Dashboard</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-user-graduate"></i>
                        <div>Students</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-chalkboard-teacher"></i>
                        <div>Teachers</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-users"></i>
                        <div>Employees</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-chart-bar"></i>
                        <div>Analytics</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-hand-holding-usd"></i>
                        <div>Earnings</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-cog"></i>
                        <div>Settings</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a href="#">
                        <i class="fas fa-question"></i>
                        <div>Help</div>
                    </a>
                </li>
            </ul>
        </div>
        <div class="main"></div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

How to center sidebar text and icons in HTML/CSS?

Before anything first understand how the icons www.fontawesome.com works.

That the < i > tag you used here is getting commented out and a svg is been loaded to your code above the tag

Solution

Padding-left: 30px or as per your requirement;

Justify-content: flex-start;

Added a fixed width for svg.

Margin-right to align the test in the same line

Run this Code

Before anything first understand how the icons `www.fontawesome.com` works.