HTML <option> Tag
Example
A drop-down list with four options:
<label for="cars">Choose a car:</label>
<select id="cars">
<option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
<option value="saab">Saab</option>
<option value="opel">Opel</option>
<option value="audi">Audi</option>
</select>
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More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
The <option> tag defines an option in a select list.
<option> elements go inside a <select>, <optgroup>, or <datalist> element.
Note: The <option> tag can be used without any attributes, but you usually need the value attribute, which indicates what is sent to the server on form submission.
Tip: If you have a long list of options, you can group related options within the <optgroup> tag.
Browser Support
| Element | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <option> | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Attributes
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| disabled | disabled | Specifies that an option should be disabled |
| label | text | Specifies a shorter label for an option |
| selected | selected | Specifies that an option should be pre-selected when the page loads |
| value | text | Specifies the value to be sent to a server |
Global Attributes
The <option> tag also supports the Global Attributes in HTML.
Event Attributes
The <option> tag also supports the Event Attributes in HTML.
More Examples
Example
Use of <option> in a <datalist> element:
<label for="browser">Choose your browser from the list:</label>
<input list="browsers" name="browser" id="browser">
<datalist id="browsers">
<option value="Edge">
<option value="Firefox">
<option value="Chrome">
<option value="Opera">
<option value="Safari">
</datalist>
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Example
Use of <option> in <optgroup> elements:
<label for="cars">Choose a car:</label>
<select id="cars">
<optgroup label="Swedish Cars">
<option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
<option value="saab">Saab</option>
</optgroup>
<optgroup label="German Cars">
<option value="mercedes">Mercedes</option>
<option value="audi">Audi</option>
</optgroup>
</select>
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Related Pages
HTML DOM reference: Option Object
Default CSS Settings
None.
