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, make sure that users can successfully:

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

<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 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 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 label.
hint object Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See 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 errorMessage.
formGroup object Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See 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 formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput object Content to add after the select used by the select component. See 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 radios.

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.

<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 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 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 label.
hint object Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See 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 errorMessage.
formGroup object Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See 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 formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput object Content to add after the select used by the select component. See 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.

<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 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 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 label.
hint object Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See 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 errorMessage.
formGroup object Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See 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 formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput object Content to add after the select used by the select component. See 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:

<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 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 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 label.
hint object Can be used to add a hint to the select component. See 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 errorMessage.
formGroup object Additional options for the form group containing the select component. See 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 formGroup beforeInput.
afterInput object Content to add after the select used by the select component. See 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:

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.