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HTML <optgroup> Tag

HTML <optgroup> tag groups elements in а drop-down list <select>, defined by the <option> tag. See examples.

HTML <optgroup> tag groups <option> tags together. The required <label> attribute defines the group heading, which appears in bold, while the options inside are automatically indented. (The <option> tag defines items in a drop-down list created by the <select> tag.)

The <optgroup> tag is considered to be a form element.

Syntax

The <optgroup> tag comes in pairs. The content is written between the opening (<optgroup>) and closing (</optgroup>) tags.

Example of the HTML <optgroup> tag:

Example of a drop-down list

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Title of the document</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <select>
      <optgroup label="Books">
        <option value="html">HTML</option>
        <option value="css">CSS</option>
      </optgroup>
      <optgroup label="Snippets">
        <option value="java">Java</option>
        <option value="linux">Linux</option>
        <option value="git">Git</option>
      </optgroup>
    </select>
  </body>
</html>
Try it Yourself »

Result

The browser will render a drop-down list with two groups:

  • Books: HTML, CSS
  • Snippets: Java, Linux, Git

Example of the HTML <optgroup> tag with the disabled attribute:

Example of the HTML <optgroup> Tag

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Title of the document</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <select>
      <optgroup disabled="disabled" label="Quizzes">
        <option value="html">HTML</option>
        <option value="css">CSS</option>
        <option value="javascript">JavaScript</option>
        <option value="php">PHP</option>
      </optgroup>
      <optgroup label="Snippets">
        <option value="git">Git</option>
        <option value="angularjs">AngularJS</option>
      </optgroup>
    </select>
  </body>
</html>
Try it Yourself »

Result

The browser will render a drop-down list with two groups:

  • Quizzes (disabled): HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP
  • Snippets: Git, AngularJS

Attributes

AttributeValueDescription
disableddisabledIndicates that the selection of the group elements is disabled.
labeltextDefines a label for the group, which will be displayed as a heading in the drop-down list. Required attribute.

The <optgroup> tag supports the Global attributes and the Event Attributes.

How to style an HTML <optgroup> Tag

You can use CSS to change the appearance of the group heading and its options:

optgroup {
  font-weight: bold;
  color: #333;
}
optgroup option {
  font-weight: normal;
  padding-left: 15px;
}

Practice

Practice

What is the function of the HTML 'optgroup' tag?