Pure CSS Tabs with Radio Buttons
Tabs built on the radio hack: each tab is a radio, an underline slides under the active one and its panel fades up in place. :has() matches the checked tab to its panel.
Also known as: css tabs radio buttons, css only tabs, tabs without javascript.
A lightweight tab set where each tab is a radio, so exactly one panel shows.
Three tabs, one underline, zero lines of JavaScript.
"Swapped our settings page to this in ten minutes."
HTML
<div class="rad-radio-tabs" role="radiogroup" aria-label="Sections">
<div class="rad-radio-tabs-list">
<label><input type="radio" name="rad-radio-tabs" value="overview" checked><span>Overview</span></label>
<label><input type="radio" name="rad-radio-tabs" value="specs"><span>Specs</span></label>
<label><input type="radio" name="rad-radio-tabs" value="reviews"><span>Reviews</span></label>
<span class="rad-radio-tabs-bar" aria-hidden="true"></span>
</div>
<div class="rad-radio-tabs-panels">
<p>A lightweight tab set where each tab is a radio, so exactly one panel shows.</p>
<p>Three tabs, one underline, zero lines of JavaScript.</p>
<p>"Swapped our settings page to this in ten minutes."</p>
</div>
</div>CSS
.rad-radio-tabs {
--c: var(--rad-color, #3b82f6);
font-size: var(--rad-size, 18px);
--i: 0;
display: grid;
gap: 0.9em;
width: 17em;
font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
line-height: 1.2;
}
.rad-radio-tabs:has(label:nth-of-type(2) :checked) { --i: 1; }
.rad-radio-tabs:has(label:nth-of-type(3) :checked) { --i: 2; }
.rad-radio-tabs-list {
position: relative;
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
border-bottom: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 15%, transparent);
}
.rad-radio-tabs label {
position: relative;
cursor: pointer;
}
.rad-radio-tabs input {
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
opacity: 0;
cursor: pointer;
z-index: 1;
}
.rad-radio-tabs input + span {
display: block;
padding: 0.5em 0 0.7em;
border-radius: 0.3em;
text-align: center;
font-size: 0.9em;
font-weight: 600;
color: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 55%, transparent);
transition: color 0.25s ease;
}
.rad-radio-tabs label:hover input:not(:checked) + span {
color: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 85%, transparent);
}
.rad-radio-tabs input:checked + span {
color: var(--c);
}
.rad-radio-tabs input:focus-visible + span {
outline: 0.12em solid var(--c);
outline-offset: -0.12em;
}
.rad-radio-tabs-bar {
position: absolute;
left: 0;
bottom: -1px;
box-sizing: border-box;
width: calc(100% / 3);
height: 0.18em;
padding: 0 1em;
border-radius: 0.2em;
background: var(--c);
background-clip: content-box;
transform: translateX(calc(var(--i) * 100%));
transition: transform 0.45s cubic-bezier(0.65, 0, 0.35, 1);
}
.rad-radio-tabs-panels {
display: grid;
}
.rad-radio-tabs-panels p {
grid-area: 1 / 1;
margin: 0;
font-size: 0.85em;
line-height: 1.45;
color: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 75%, transparent);
opacity: 0;
visibility: hidden;
transform: translateY(0.5em);
transition: opacity 0.15s ease, transform 0.3s ease, visibility 0s linear 0.15s;
}
.rad-radio-tabs:has(label:nth-of-type(1) :checked) p:nth-child(1),
.rad-radio-tabs:has(label:nth-of-type(2) :checked) p:nth-child(2),
.rad-radio-tabs:has(label:nth-of-type(3) :checked) p:nth-child(3) {
opacity: 1;
visibility: visible;
transform: none;
transition: opacity 0.3s ease 0.15s, transform 0.4s cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1) 0.15s, visibility 0s;
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.rad-radio-tabs, .rad-radio-tabs *, .rad-radio-tabs::before, .rad-radio-tabs::after, .rad-radio-tabs *::before, .rad-radio-tabs *::after {
animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
}
}Customizing this snippet
- Color: set
--rad-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Size: set
--rad-size. Every other dimension is inem, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing18px. - Speed: change the duration on the
transitionoranimationshorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.