The HTML <option> tag

Definition and Usage

<option> tag defines the options in the selection list.

<option> The element is located in <select>,<optgroup> or <datalist> within the element.

Note:<option> The tag can be used without any attributes, but you usually need the value attribute, which indicates the content sent to the server when the form is submitted.

Tip:If you have a long list of options, you can <optgroup> Group related options within a tag.

See also:

HTML DOM Reference Manual:Option Object

Instance

Example 1

A dropdown list containing four options:

<label for="cars">Please select a car brand:</label>
<select id="cars">
  <option value="audi">奥迪</option>
  <option value="byd">比亚迪</option>
  <option value="geely">吉利</option>
  <option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
</select>

Try It Yourself

Example 2

in <datalist> used in elements <option>:

<label for="browser">Please select 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>

Try It Yourself

Example 3

in <optgroup> used in elements <option>:

<label for="cars">Please select a car brand:</label>
<select id="cars">
  <optgroup label="中国车">
    <option value="byd">比亚迪</option>
    <option value="geely">吉利</option>
  </optgroup>
  <optgroup label="德国车">
    <option value="mercedes">奔驰</option>
    <option value="audi">奥迪</option>
  </optgroup>
</select>

Try It Yourself

Attribute

Attribute Value Description
disabled disabled Specifies that the option should be disabled.
label Text Specifies a shorter label for the option.
selected selected Specifies that an option should be pre-selected when the page is loaded.
value Text Specifies the value to be sent to the server.

Global Attributes

<option> The tag also supports Global Attributes in HTML.

Event Attributes

<option> The tag also supports Event Attributes in HTML.

Default CSS Settings

None.

Browser Support

Chrome Edge Firefox Safari Opera
Chrome Edge Firefox Safari Opera
Support Support Support Support Support