How do I style a <select> dropdown with only CSS?

user_84201 0
Viewed 2044922

Is there a CSS-only way to style a <select> dropdown?

I need to style a <select> form as much as humanly possible, without any JavaScript. What are the properties I can use to do so in CSS?

This code needs to be compatible with all major browsers:

  • Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8
  • Firefox
  • Safari

I know I can make it with JavaScript: Example.

And I'm not talking about simple styling. I want to know, what the best we can do with CSS only.

I found similar questions on Stack Overflow.

And this one on Doctype.com.

skinning combobox cross-browser css html
24 Answers

The select element and its dropdown feature are difficult to style.

style attributes for select element by Chris Heilmann confirms what Ryan Dohery said in a comment to the first answer:

"The select element is part of the operating system, not the browser chrome. Therefore, it is very unreliable to style, and it does not necessarily make sense to try anyway."

user_1535450

<select> tags can be styled through CSS just like any other HTML element on an HTML page rendered in a browser. Below is an (overly simple) example that will position a select element on the page and render the text of the options in blue.

Example HTML file (selectExample.html):

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<html>
<head>
  <title>Select Styling</title>
  <link href="selectExample.css" rel="stylesheet">
</head>
<body>
<select id="styledSelect" class="blueText">
  <option value="apple">Apple</option>
  <option value="orange">Orange</option>
  <option value="cherry">Cherry</option>
</select>
</body>
</html>

Example CSS file (selectExample.css):

/* All select elements on page */
select {
  position: relative;
}

/* Style by class. Effects the text of the contained options. */
.blueText {
  color: #0000FF;
}

/* Style by id. Effects position of the select drop down. */
#styledSelect {
  left: 100px;
}
user_1935580

Custom Select CSS styles

Tested in Internet Explorer (10 and 11), Edge, Firefox, and Chrome

select::-ms-expand {
  display: none;
}
select {
  display: inline-block;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  padding: 0.5em 2em 0.5em 0.5em;
  border: 1px solid #eee;
  font: inherit;
  line-height: inherit;
  -webkit-appearance: none;
  -moz-appearance: none;
  -ms-appearance: none;
  appearance: none;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-image: linear-gradient(45deg, transparent 50%, currentColor 50%), linear-gradient(135deg, currentColor 50%, transparent 50%);
  background-position: right 15px top 1em, right 10px top 1em;
  background-size: 5px 5px, 5px 5px;
}
<select name="">
  <option value="">Lorem</option>
  <option value="">Lorem Ipsum</option>
</select>

<select name="" disabled>
  <option value="">Disabled</option>
</select>

<select name="" style="color:red;">
  <option value="">Color!</option>
  <option value="">Lorem Ipsum</option>
</select>

user_3839040

The blog post How to CSS form drop down style no JavaScript works for me, but it fails in Opera though:

select {
  border: 0 none;
  color: #FFFFFF;
  background: transparent;
  font-size: 20px;
  font-weight: bold;
  padding: 2px 10px;
  width: 378px;
  *width: 350px;
  *background: #58B14C;
}

#mainselection {
  overflow: hidden;
  width: 350px;
  -moz-border-radius: 9px 9px 9px 9px;
  -webkit-border-radius: 9px 9px 9px 9px;
  border-radius: 9px 9px 9px 9px;
  box-shadow: 1px 1px 11px #330033;
  background: url("arrow.gif") no-repeat scroll 319px 5px #58B14C;
}
<div id="mainselection">
  <select>
    <option>Select an Option</option>
    <option>Option 1</option>
    <option>Option 2</option>
  </select>
</div>

user_5635800

Yes. You may style any HTML element by its tag name, like this:

select {
  font-weight: bold;
}

Of course, you can also use a CSS class to style it, like any other element:

<select class="important">
  <option>Important Option</option>
  <option>Another Important Option</option>
</select>

<style type="text/css">
  .important {
    font-weight: bold;
  }
</style>
user_600
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