Listbox (Select)

Listboxes are a great foundation for building custom, accessible select menus for your app, complete with robust support for keyboard navigation.

To get started, install Headless UI via npm.

Please note that this library only supports Vue 3.

npm install @headlessui/vue

Listboxes are built using the Listbox, ListboxButton, ListboxOptions, ListboxOption and ListboxLabel components.

The ListboxButton will automatically open/close the ListboxOptions when clicked, and when the menu is open, the list of items receives focus and is automatically navigable via the keyboard.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>
    <ListboxOptions>
      <ListboxOption
        v-for="person in people"
        :key="person"
        :value="person"
        :disabled="person.unavailable"
      >
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds', unavailable: false },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne', unavailable: false },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch', unavailable: false },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler', unavailable: true },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan', unavailable: false },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

This is a headless component so there are no styles included by default. Instead, the components expose useful information via scoped slots that you can use to apply the styles you'd like to apply yourself.

To style the active ListboxOption you can read the active slot prop, which tells you whether or not that listbox option is the option that is currently focused via the mouse or keyboard.

To style the selected ListboxOption you can read the selected slot prop, which tells you whether or not that listbox option is the option that is currently the value passed to the Listbox.

Note that an option can be both active and selected at the same time.

You can use this state to conditionally apply whatever active/focus styles you like, for instance a blue background like is typically used for native <select> elements. For the selected state, a checkmark is also common.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>
    <ListboxOptions>
      <!-- Use the `active` state to conditionally style the active option. -->
      <!-- Use the `selected` state to conditionally style the selected option. -->
      <ListboxOption
        as="template"
        v-slot="{ active, selected }"
        v-for="person in people"
        :key="person"
        :value="person"
      >
        <li
          :class="{
            'bg-blue-500 text-white': active,
            'bg-white text-black': !active
          }"
        >
          <CheckIcon v-show="selected" />          {{ person.name }}
        </li>
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'
  import { CheckIcon } from '@heroicons/vue/solid'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

To allow selecting multiple values in your listbox, use the multiple prop and pass an array to v-model instead of a single option.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPeople" multiple>
    <ListboxButton>
      {{ selectedPeople.map((person) => person.name).join(', ') }}
    </ListboxButton>
    <ListboxOptions>
      <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPeople = ref([people[0], people[1]])</script>

This will keep the listbox open when you are selecting options, and choosing an option will toggle it in place.

Your v-model binding will be updated with an array containing all selected options any time an option is added or removed.

By default the Listbox will use the button contents as the label for screenreaders. If you'd like more control over what is announced to assistive technologies, use the ListboxLabel component.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxLabel>Assignee:</ListboxLabel>
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>
    <ListboxOptions>
      <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxLabel,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

If you add the name prop to your listbox, hidden input elements will be rendered and kept in sync with your selected value.

<template>
  <form action="/projects/1/assignee" method="post">
    <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson" name="assignee">
      <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>
      <ListboxOptions>
        <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
          {{ person.name }}
        </ListboxOption>
      </ListboxOptions>
    </Listbox>
    <button>Submit</button>
  </form>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

This lets you use a listbox inside a native HTML <form> and make traditional form submissions as if your listbox was a native HTML form control.

Basic values like strings will be rendered as a single hidden input containing that value, but complex values like objects will be encoded into multiple inputs using a square bracket notation for the names:

<input type="hidden" name="assignee[id]" value="1" />
<input type="hidden" name="assignee[name]" value="Durward Reynolds" />

By default, your ListboxOptions instance will be shown/hidden automatically based on the internal open state tracked within the Listbox component itself.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>

    <!--
      By default, this will automatically show/hide when the
      ListboxButton is pressed.
    -->
    <ListboxOptions>
      <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

If you'd rather handle this yourself (perhaps because you need to add an extra wrapper element for one reason or another), you can add a static prop to the ListboxOptions instance to tell it to always render, and inspect the open slot prop provided by the Listbox to control which element is shown/hidden yourself.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson" v-slot="{ open }">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>

    <div v-show="open">
      <!--
        Using `static`, `ListboxOptions` is always rendered and ignores
        the `open` state.
      -->
      <ListboxOptions static>
        <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
          {{ person.name }}
        </ListboxOption>
      </ListboxOptions>
    </div>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

Use the disabled prop to disable a ListboxOption. This will make it unselectable via mouse and keyboard, and it will be skipped when pressing the up/down arrows.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>

    <ListboxOptions>
      <!-- Disabled options will be skipped by keyboard navigation. -->
      <ListboxOption
        v-for="person in people"
        :key="person"
        :value="person"
        :disabled="person.unavailable"
      >
        <span :class='{ "opacity-75": person.unavailable }'>
          {{ person.name }}
        </span>
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { name: 'Durward Reynolds', unavailable: true },
    { name: 'Kenton Towne', unavailable: false },
    { name: 'Therese Wunsch', unavailable: false },
    { name: 'Benedict Kessler', unavailable: true },
    { name: 'Katelyn Rohan', unavailable: false },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

To animate the opening/closing of your listbox, you can use Vue's built-in <transition> component. All you need to do is wrap your ListboxOptions instance in a <transition>, and the transition will be applied automatically.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>

    <!-- Use Vue's built-in <transition> component to add transitions. -->
    <transition
      enter-active-class="transition duration-100 ease-out"
      enter-from-class="transform scale-95 opacity-0"
      enter-to-class="transform scale-100 opacity-100"
      leave-active-class="transition duration-75 ease-out"
      leave-from-class="transform scale-100 opacity-100"
      leave-to-class="transform scale-95 opacity-0"
    >
      <ListboxOptions>
        <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
          {{ person.name }}
        </ListboxOption>
      </ListboxOptions>
    </transition>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

If you'd like to coordinate multiple transitions for different children of your Listbox, check out the Transition component included in Headless UI.

By default, the Listbox and its subcomponents each render a default element that is sensible for that component.

For example, ListboxLabel renders a label by default, ListboxButton renders a button, ListboxOptions renders a ul, and ListboxOption renders a li. By contrast, Listbox does not render an element, and instead renders its children directly.

This is easy to change using the as prop, which exists on every component.

<template>
  <!-- Render a `div` instead of nothing -->
  <Listbox as="div" v-model="selectedPerson">
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>

    <!-- Render a `div` instead of a `ul` -->
    <ListboxOptions as="div">
      <!-- Render a `span` instead of a `li` -->
      <ListboxOption
        as="span"
        v-for="person in people"
        :key="person"
        :value="person"
      >
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

To tell an element to render its children directly with no wrapper element, use as="template".

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson">
    <!-- Render children directly instead of a `button` -->
    <ListboxButton as="template">
      <button>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</button>
    </ListboxButton>

    <ListboxOptions>
      <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

If you've styled your ListboxOptions to appear horizontally, use the horizontal prop on the Listbox component to enable navigating the items with the left and right arrow keys instead of up and down, and to update the aria-orientation attribute for assistive technologies.

<template>
  <Listbox v-model="selectedPerson" horizontal>
    <ListboxButton>{{ selectedPerson.name }}</ListboxButton>

    <ListboxOptions class="flex flex-row">
      <ListboxOption v-for="person in people" :key="person" :value="person">
        {{ person.name }}
      </ListboxOption>
    </ListboxOptions>
  </Listbox>
</template>

<script setup>
  import { ref } from 'vue'
  import {
    Listbox,
    ListboxButton,
    ListboxOptions,
    ListboxOption,
  } from '@headlessui/vue'

  const people = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Durward Reynolds' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Kenton Towne' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Therese Wunsch' },
    { id: 4, name: 'Benedict Kessler' },
    { id: 5, name: 'Katelyn Rohan' },
  ]
  const selectedPerson = ref(people[0])
</script>

When a Listbox is toggled open, the ListboxOptions receives focus. Focus is trapped within the list of items until Escape is pressed or the user clicks outside the options. Closing the Listbox returns focus to the ListboxButton.

Clicking a ListboxButton toggles the options list open and closed. Clicking anywhere outside of the options list will close the listbox.

Command	Description
`Enter`, `Space`, `ArrowDown`, or `ArrowUp` when `ListboxButton` is focused	Opens listbox and focuses the selected item
`Esc` when listbox is open	Closes listbox
`ArrowDown` or `ArrowUp` when listbox is open	Focuses previous/next non-disabled item
`Home` or `End` when listbox is open	Focuses first/last non-disabled item
`Enter` or `Space` when listbox is open	Selects the current item
`A–Z` or `a–z` when listbox is open	Focuses first item that matches keyboard input

All relevant ARIA attributes are automatically managed.

The main Listbox component.

Prop	Default	Description
`as`	`template`	`String \| Component` The element or component the `Listbox` should render as.
`v-model`	—	`T` The selected value.
`disabled`	`false`	`Boolean` Use this to disable the entire Listbox component & related children.
`horizontal`	`false`	`Boolean` When true, the orientation of the `ListboxOptions` will be `horizontal`, otherwise it will be `vertical`.
`name`	—	`String` The name used when using this component inside a form.
`multiple`	`false`	`Boolean` Whether multiple options can be selected or not.

Slot Prop	Description
`open`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is open.
`disabled`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is disabled.

The Listbox's button.

Prop	Default	Description
`as`	`button`	`String \| Component` The element or component the `ListboxButton` should render as.

Slot Prop	Description
`open`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is open.
`disabled`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is disabled.

A label that can be used for more control over the text your Listbox will announce to screenreaders. Its id attribute will be automatically generated and linked to the root Listbox component via the aria-labelledby attribute.

Prop	Default	Description
`as`	`label`	`String \| Component` The element or component the `ListboxLabel` should render as.

Slot Prop	Description
`open`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is open.
`disabled`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is disabled.

The component that directly wraps the list of options in your custom Listbox.

Prop	Default	Description
`as`	`ul`	`String \| Component` The element or component the `ListboxOptions` should render as.
`static`	`false`	`Boolean` Whether the element should ignore the internally managed open/closed state.
`unmount`	`true`	`Boolean` Whether the element should be unmounted or hidden based on the open/closed state.

Slot Prop	Description
`open`	`Boolean` Whether or not the Listbox is open.

Used to wrap each item within your Listbox.

Prop	Default	Description
`value`	—	`T` The option value.
`as`	`li`	`String \| Component` The element or component the `ListboxOption` should render as.
`disabled`	`false`	`Boolean` Whether or not the option should be disabled for keyboard navigation and ARIA purposes.

Slot Prop	Description
`active`	`Boolean` Whether or not the option is the active/focused option.
`selected`	`Boolean` Whether or not the option is the selected option.
`disabled`	`Boolean` Whether or not the option is the disabled for keyboard navigation and ARIA purposes.

If you're interested in predesigned component examples using Headless UI and Tailwind CSS, check out Tailwind UI — a collection of beautifully designed and expertly crafted components built by us.

It's a great way to support our work on open-source projects like this and makes it possible for us to improve them and keep them well-maintained.