Components

Select

WCAG 2.2

New WCAG 2.2 criteria affect this component

To use the ‘Select’ and meet the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 criteria:

if you choose to add functionality to select multiple options, make sure users can do so without relying on 'click and drag' movements

See the full list of components and patterns affected by WCAG 2.2.

HTML
Nunjucks

<div class="govuk-form-group">
  <label class="govuk-label" for="sort">
    Sort by
  </label>
  <select class="govuk-select" id="sort" name="sort">
    <option value="published">Recently published</option>
    <option value="updated" selected>Recently updated</option>
    <option value="views">Most views</option>
    <option value="comments">Most comments</option>
  </select>
</div>

Nunjucks

Nunjucks macro options

Use options to customise the appearance, content and behaviour of a component when using a macro, for example, changing the text.

Some options are required for the macro to work; these are marked as “Required” in the option description.

If you’re using Nunjucks macros in production with “html” options, or ones ending with “html”, you must sanitise the HTML to protect against cross-site scripting exploits.

Primary options
Name	Type	Description
id	string	Required. ID for each select box.
name	string	Required. Name property for the select.
items	array	Required. The items within the select component. See macro options for items.
value	string	Value for the option which should be selected. Use this as an alternative to setting the `selected` option on each individual item.
disabled	boolean	If `true`, select box will be disabled. Use the `disabled` option on each individual item to only disable certain options.
describedBy	string	One or more element IDs to add to the `aria-describedby` attribute, used to provide additional descriptive information for screenreader users.
label	object	Required. The label used by the select component. See macro options for label.
hint	object	Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See macro options for hint.
errorMessage	object	Can be used to add an error message to the select component. The error message component will not display if you use a falsy value for `errorMessage`, for example `false` or `null`. See macro options for errorMessage.
formGroup	object	Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See macro options for formGroup.
classes	string	Classes to add to the select.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the select.

Options for `items` array objects
Name	Type	Description
value	string	Value for the option. If this is omitted, the value is taken from the text content of the option element.
text	string	Required. Text for the option item.
selected	boolean	Whether the option should be selected when the page loads. Takes precedence over the top-level `value` option.
disabled	boolean	Sets the option item as disabled.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the option.

Options for `formGroup` object
Name	Type	Description
classes	string	Classes to add to the form group (for example to show error state for the whole group).
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the form group.
beforeInput	object	Content to add before the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput	object	Content to add after the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup afterInput.

Options for formGroup `beforeInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for formGroup `afterInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for `label` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
for	string	The value of the `for` attribute, the ID of the input the label is associated with.
isPageHeading	boolean	Whether the label also acts as the heading for the page.
classes	string	Classes to add to the label tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the label tag.

Options for `hint` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
id	string	Optional ID attribute to add to the hint span tag.
classes	string	Classes to add to the hint span tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the hint span tag.

{% from "govuk/components/select/macro.njk" import govukSelect %}

{{ govukSelect({
  id: "sort",
  name: "sort",
  label: {
    text: "Sort by"
  },
  items: [
    {
      value: "published",
      text: "Recently published"
    },
    {
      value: "updated",
      text: "Recently updated",
      selected: true
    },
    {
      value: "views",
      text: "Most views"
    },
    {
      value: "comments",
      text: "Most comments"
    }
  ]
}) }}

When to use this component

The select component should only be used as a last resort in public-facing services because research shows that some users find selects very difficult to use.

When not to use this component

The select component allows users to choose an option from a long list. Before using the select component, try asking users questions which will allow you to present them with fewer options.

Asking questions means you’re less likely to need to use the select component, and can consider using a different solution, such as a Radios component.

How it works

If you use the component for settings, you can make an option pre-selected by default when users first see it.

If you use the component for questions, you should not pre-select any of the options in case it influences users’ answers.

There are 2 ways to use the select component. You can use HTML or, if you’re using Nunjucks or the GOV.UK Prototype Kit, you can use the Nunjucks macro.

HTML
Nunjucks

HTML

<div class="govuk-form-group">
  <label class="govuk-label" for="sort">
    Sort by
  </label>
  <select class="govuk-select" id="sort" name="sort">
    <option value="published">Recently published</option>
    <option value="updated" selected>Recently updated</option>
    <option value="views">Most views</option>
    <option value="comments">Most comments</option>
  </select>
</div>

Nunjucks

Nunjucks macro options

Use options to customise the appearance, content and behaviour of a component when using a macro, for example, changing the text.

Some options are required for the macro to work; these are marked as “Required” in the option description.

If you’re using Nunjucks macros in production with “html” options, or ones ending with “html”, you must sanitise the HTML to protect against cross-site scripting exploits.

Primary options
Name	Type	Description
id	string	Required. ID for each select box.
name	string	Required. Name property for the select.
items	array	Required. The items within the select component. See macro options for items.
value	string	Value for the option which should be selected. Use this as an alternative to setting the `selected` option on each individual item.
disabled	boolean	If `true`, select box will be disabled. Use the `disabled` option on each individual item to only disable certain options.
describedBy	string	One or more element IDs to add to the `aria-describedby` attribute, used to provide additional descriptive information for screenreader users.
label	object	Required. The label used by the select component. See macro options for label.
hint	object	Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See macro options for hint.
errorMessage	object	Can be used to add an error message to the select component. The error message component will not display if you use a falsy value for `errorMessage`, for example `false` or `null`. See macro options for errorMessage.
formGroup	object	Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See macro options for formGroup.
classes	string	Classes to add to the select.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the select.

Options for `items` array objects
Name	Type	Description
value	string	Value for the option. If this is omitted, the value is taken from the text content of the option element.
text	string	Required. Text for the option item.
selected	boolean	Whether the option should be selected when the page loads. Takes precedence over the top-level `value` option.
disabled	boolean	Sets the option item as disabled.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the option.

Options for `formGroup` object
Name	Type	Description
classes	string	Classes to add to the form group (for example to show error state for the whole group).
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the form group.
beforeInput	object	Content to add before the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput	object	Content to add after the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup afterInput.

Options for formGroup `beforeInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for formGroup `afterInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for `label` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
for	string	The value of the `for` attribute, the ID of the input the label is associated with.
isPageHeading	boolean	Whether the label also acts as the heading for the page.
classes	string	Classes to add to the label tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the label tag.

Options for `hint` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
id	string	Optional ID attribute to add to the hint span tag.
classes	string	Classes to add to the hint span tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the hint span tag.

{% from "govuk/components/select/macro.njk" import govukSelect %}

{{ govukSelect({
  id: "sort",
  name: "sort",
  label: {
    text: "Sort by"
  },
  items: [
    {
      value: "published",
      text: "Recently published"
    },
    {
      value: "updated",
      text: "Recently updated",
      selected: true
    },
    {
      value: "views",
      text: "Most views"
    },
    {
      value: "comments",
      text: "Most comments"
    }
  ]
}) }}

Select with hint

You can add hint text to help the user understand the options and choose one of them.

Keep hint text to a single short sentence, without any full stops.

Do not use links in hint text. While screen readers will read out the link text, they usually do not tell users the text is a link.

HTML
Nunjucks

HTML

<div class="govuk-form-group">
  <label class="govuk-label" for="location">
    Choose location
  </label>
  <div id="location-hint" class="govuk-hint">
    This can be different to where you went before
  </div>
  <select class="govuk-select" id="location" name="location" aria-describedby="location-hint">
    <option value="choose" selected>Choose location</option>
    <option value="eastmidlands">East Midlands</option>
    <option value="eastofengland">East of England</option>
    <option value="london">London</option>
    <option value="northeast">North East</option>
    <option value="northwest">North West</option>
    <option value="southeast">South East</option>
    <option value="southwest">South West</option>
    <option value="westmidlands">West Midlands</option>
    <option value="yorkshire">Yorkshire and the Humber</option>
  </select>
</div>

Nunjucks

Nunjucks macro options

Use options to customise the appearance, content and behaviour of a component when using a macro, for example, changing the text.

Some options are required for the macro to work; these are marked as “Required” in the option description.

If you’re using Nunjucks macros in production with “html” options, or ones ending with “html”, you must sanitise the HTML to protect against cross-site scripting exploits.

Primary options
Name	Type	Description
id	string	Required. ID for each select box.
name	string	Required. Name property for the select.
items	array	Required. The items within the select component. See macro options for items.
value	string	Value for the option which should be selected. Use this as an alternative to setting the `selected` option on each individual item.
disabled	boolean	If `true`, select box will be disabled. Use the `disabled` option on each individual item to only disable certain options.
describedBy	string	One or more element IDs to add to the `aria-describedby` attribute, used to provide additional descriptive information for screenreader users.
label	object	Required. The label used by the select component. See macro options for label.
hint	object	Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See macro options for hint.
errorMessage	object	Can be used to add an error message to the select component. The error message component will not display if you use a falsy value for `errorMessage`, for example `false` or `null`. See macro options for errorMessage.
formGroup	object	Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See macro options for formGroup.
classes	string	Classes to add to the select.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the select.

Options for `items` array objects
Name	Type	Description
value	string	Value for the option. If this is omitted, the value is taken from the text content of the option element.
text	string	Required. Text for the option item.
selected	boolean	Whether the option should be selected when the page loads. Takes precedence over the top-level `value` option.
disabled	boolean	Sets the option item as disabled.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the option.

Options for `formGroup` object
Name	Type	Description
classes	string	Classes to add to the form group (for example to show error state for the whole group).
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the form group.
beforeInput	object	Content to add before the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput	object	Content to add after the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup afterInput.

Options for formGroup `beforeInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for formGroup `afterInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for `label` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
for	string	The value of the `for` attribute, the ID of the input the label is associated with.
isPageHeading	boolean	Whether the label also acts as the heading for the page.
classes	string	Classes to add to the label tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the label tag.

Options for `hint` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
id	string	Optional ID attribute to add to the hint span tag.
classes	string	Classes to add to the hint span tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the hint span tag.

{% from "govuk/components/select/macro.njk" import govukSelect %}

{{ govukSelect({
  id: "location",
  name: "location",
  label: {
    text: "Choose location"
  },
  hint: {
    text: "This can be different to where you went before"
  },
  items: [
    {
      value: "choose",
      text: "Choose location",
      selected: true
    },
    {
      value: "eastmidlands",
      text: "East Midlands"
    },
    {
      value: "eastofengland",
      text: "East of England"
    },
    {
      value: "london",
      text: "London"
    },
    {
      value: "northeast",
      text: "North East"
    },
    {
      value: "northwest",
      text: "North West"
    },
    {
      value: "southeast",
      text: "South East"
    },
    {
      value: "southwest",
      text: "South West"
    },
    {
      value: "westmidlands",
      text: "West Midlands"
    },
    {
      value: "yorkshire",
      text: "Yorkshire and the Humber"
    }
  ]
}) }}

Error messages

Display an error message if the user has not selected an option.

Style error messages as shown in the example:

HTML
Nunjucks

HTML

<div class="govuk-form-group govuk-form-group--error">
  <label class="govuk-label" for="location">
    Choose location
  </label>
  <div id="location-hint" class="govuk-hint">
    This can be different to where you went before
  </div>
  <p id="location-error" class="govuk-error-message">
    <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Error:</span> Select a location
  </p>
  <select class="govuk-select govuk-select--error" id="location" name="location" aria-describedby="location-hint location-error">
    <option value="choose" selected>Choose location</option>
    <option value="eastmidlands">East Midlands</option>
    <option value="eastofengland">East of England</option>
    <option value="london">London</option>
    <option value="northeast">North East</option>
    <option value="northwest">North West</option>
    <option value="southeast">South East</option>
    <option value="southwest">South West</option>
    <option value="westmidlands">West Midlands</option>
    <option value="yorkshire">Yorkshire and the Humber</option>
  </select>
</div>

Nunjucks

Nunjucks macro options

Use options to customise the appearance, content and behaviour of a component when using a macro, for example, changing the text.

Some options are required for the macro to work; these are marked as “Required” in the option description.

If you’re using Nunjucks macros in production with “html” options, or ones ending with “html”, you must sanitise the HTML to protect against cross-site scripting exploits.

Primary options
Name	Type	Description
id	string	Required. ID for each select box.
name	string	Required. Name property for the select.
items	array	Required. The items within the select component. See macro options for items.
value	string	Value for the option which should be selected. Use this as an alternative to setting the `selected` option on each individual item.
disabled	boolean	If `true`, select box will be disabled. Use the `disabled` option on each individual item to only disable certain options.
describedBy	string	One or more element IDs to add to the `aria-describedby` attribute, used to provide additional descriptive information for screenreader users.
label	object	Required. The label used by the select component. See macro options for label.
hint	object	Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See macro options for hint.
errorMessage	object	Can be used to add an error message to the select component. The error message component will not display if you use a falsy value for `errorMessage`, for example `false` or `null`. See macro options for errorMessage.
formGroup	object	Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See macro options for formGroup.
classes	string	Classes to add to the select.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the select.

Options for `items` array objects
Name	Type	Description
value	string	Value for the option. If this is omitted, the value is taken from the text content of the option element.
text	string	Required. Text for the option item.
selected	boolean	Whether the option should be selected when the page loads. Takes precedence over the top-level `value` option.
disabled	boolean	Sets the option item as disabled.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the option.

Options for `formGroup` object
Name	Type	Description
classes	string	Classes to add to the form group (for example to show error state for the whole group).
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the form group.
beforeInput	object	Content to add before the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput	object	Content to add after the select used by the select component. See macro options for formGroup afterInput.

Options for formGroup `beforeInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add before the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for formGroup `afterInput` object
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. Text to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. HTML to add after the select. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.

Options for `label` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the label. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
for	string	The value of the `for` attribute, the ID of the input the label is associated with.
isPageHeading	boolean	Whether the label also acts as the heading for the page.
classes	string	Classes to add to the label tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the label tag.

Options for `hint` component
Name	Type	Description
text	string	Required. If `html` is set, this is not required. Text to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
html	string	Required. If `text` is set, this is not required. HTML to use within the hint. If `html` is provided, the `text` option will be ignored.
id	string	Optional ID attribute to add to the hint span tag.
classes	string	Classes to add to the hint span tag.
attributes	object	HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the hint span tag.

{% from "govuk/components/select/macro.njk" import govukSelect %}

{{ govukSelect({
  id: "location",
  name: "location",
  label: {
    text: "Choose location"
  },
  hint: {
    text: "This can be different to where you went before"
  },
  errorMessage: {
    text: "Select a location"
  },
  items: [
    {
      value: "choose",
      text: "Choose location",
      selected: true
    },
    {
      value: "eastmidlands",
      text: "East Midlands"
    },
    {
      value: "eastofengland",
      text: "East of England"
    },
    {
      value: "london",
      text: "London"
    },
    {
      value: "northeast",
      text: "North East"
    },
    {
      value: "northwest",
      text: "North West"
    },
    {
      value: "southeast",
      text: "South East"
    },
    {
      value: "southwest",
      text: "South West"
    },
    {
      value: "westmidlands",
      text: "West Midlands"
    },
    {
      value: "yorkshire",
      text: "Yorkshire and the Humber"
    }
  ]
}) }}

Avoid adding functionality to allow selecting multiple options

The select component does not support selecting multiple options, as there’s a history of poor usability and assistive technology support for <select multiple>. If you need to ask the user to pick more than one item from a list, it’s almost always better to use another method, such as a list of checkboxes.

WCAG 2.2

Any input that’s designed to let a user select multiple options must offer a way to do so without relying on ‘click and drag’ movements or keyboard and mouse combination actions. This is to comply with WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.7 Dragging movements.

Research on this component

User research has shown that some users struggle with selects.

Known issues and gaps

Research shows that users can struggle with selects, particularly when users have:

been unable to close the select
tried to type into the select
confused focused items with selected items
tried to pinch zoom select options on smaller devices
not understood that they can scroll down to see more items, or how to

For more detail watch this video with examples of users struggling with selects.

This blog shows an example where a text input is used over a select for asking a user for a date.

Help improve this component

To help make sure that this page is useful, relevant and up to date, you can:

take part in the ‘Select’ discussion on GitHub and share your research
propose a change – read more about how to propose changes in GitHub

Tell us if your service uses this component

Take part in our usage survey (opens in a new tab) to help us improve this component to better meet the needs of the services that use it.

Need help?

If you’ve got a question about the GOV.UK Design System, contact the team.

Cookies on GOV.UK Design System

Select

New WCAG 2.2 criteria affect this component

When to use this component

When not to use this component

How it works

Select with hint

Error messages

Avoid adding functionality to allow selecting multiple options

Research on this component

Known issues and gaps

Help improve this component

Tell us if your service uses this component

Need help?