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Form elements - Select

Use select to let users choose an option from a long list but only use it as a last resort.

WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 affects this component

Make sure that users can successfully use select without relying on click and drag movements (if you add functionality to select multiple options).

See the full list of design system changes to meet WCAG 2.2.

Open this default select example in a new tab 
<div class="nhsuk-form-group">
  <label class="nhsuk-label" for="select-1">
    Label text goes here
  </label> <select class="nhsuk-select" id="select-1" name="select-1">
    <option value="1">NHS.UK frontend option 1</option>
    <option value="2" selected>NHS.UK frontend option 2</option>
    <option value="3" disabled>NHS.UK frontend option 3</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.

Nunjucks arguments for default select
Name Type Required Description
id string true Id for each select box.
name string true Name property for the select.
items array true Array of option items for the select.
items[].value string false Value for the option item. Defaults to an empty string.
items[].text string true Text for the option item.
items[].selected boolean false Sets the option as the selected.
items[].disabled boolean false Sets the option item as disabled.
items[].attributes object false HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the option.
label object false Options for the label component.
hint object false Options for the hint component.
errorMessage object false Options for the error message component. The error message component will not display if you use a falsy value for errorMessage, for example false or null.
classes string false Classes to add to the select.
attributes object false HTML attributes (for example data attributes) to add to the select. 
{% from 'select/macro.njk' import select %}

{{ select({
  id: "select-1",
  name: "select-1",
  label: {
    text: "Label text goes here"
  },
  items: [
    {
      value: 1,
      text: "NHS.UK frontend option 1"
    },
    {
      value: 2,
      text: "NHS.UK frontend option 2",
      selected: true
    },
    {
      value: 3,
      text: "NHS.UK frontend option 3",
      disabled: true
    }
  ]
}) }}

How to use select

The select component allows users to choose an option from a long list. Before using it, try other questions which will allow you to present users with fewer options. Consider using a different solution, such as radios.

Information: 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 (W3C).

Research

User research shows that some users struggle with the select component, especially people who use a keyboard to navigate and people with motor difficulties. The dropdown feature makes users work hard to see and understand their options and click the option they want.

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

Help us improve this guidance

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If you have any questions, get in touch with the service manual team.

Updated: July 2025