Radio button

Radio buttons are used for mutually exclusive choices, not for multiple choices. Only one radio button can be selected at a time. When a user chooses a new item, the previous choice is automatically deselected.

Can be used in tiles, data tables, modals, side panels, and in forms on full pages.

Used to change from one setting to another in a menu, page, or component. It can often act as a filtering mechanism.

If a user can select from multiple options, use checkboxes instead of radio buttons. Radio buttons allow the user to select only one item in a set whereas checkboxes allow the user to select multiple items.

The radio button component is comprised of a set of clickable circles (the inputs) with text labels positioned to the right. If there is a group of radio buttons, a group label can be added.

Radio button labels are positioned to the right of their inputs in languages that read left to right. If there is a radio button grouping, they can be laid out vertically or horizontally depending on the use case and the structure of the UI. When possible, arrange the radio button and checkbox groups vertically for easier reading.

For languages that read right to left, it’s acceptable to place labels to the left of the inputs.

The radio button component is often used in forms. Forms can be placed on a full page, in a modal, or in a side panel. A radio button can also be used for changing settings in a menu or selecting a singular item in a data table.

Radio buttons in a form should be placed at least 32px (layout-03) below or before the next component. Spacing of 24px (layout-02) or 16px (layout-01) can also be used when space is more restricted or if the form is more complex.

For more information on spacing in forms, see our form style guidance.

A heading can accompany a set of radio buttons to provide further context or clarity. In some cases, a group of radio buttons may be within a larger group of components that already have a group label. In this case, an additional group label for the radio button component itself is not needed.

For further content guidance, see Carbon’s content guidelines.

The radio button input allows for two states: unselected and selected. The default view of a radio button is having no radio button preselected. Only one radio button should be selected at a time. When a user chooses a new item, the previous choice is automatically deselected. If the user has already selected an item but wants to deselect it, consider adding alternatives such as an “other” or “none” option.

In addition to unselected and selected states, radio buttons also have states for focus, disabled, read-only, error, and warning. When deciding whether to use a disabled or read-only state for radio buttons, see our Read-only states pattern guidance.

Radio button groups can receive the following states: read-only, disabled, error, and warning, as well as the addition of helper text.

Users can trigger an item by clicking the radio button input directly or by clicking the radio button label. Having both regions interactive creates a more accessible click target.

By default, no option will be preselected. Users can navigate between radio button inputs by pressing Up or Down arrow keys. If a user lands on a radio button set without a default indicator, they can press Space to select the radio button or they can press an arrow key to select the next radio button. For additional keyboard interactions, see the accessibility tab.

Radio button has a modification that embeds the AI label when AI present in the control. The AI variant functions the same as the normal version except with the addition of the AI label which is both a visual indicator and the trigger for the explainability popover. The AI label can be placed on the radio button group label or on individual radio button labels.

For more information on designing for AI, see the Carbon for AI guidelines.

Radio buttons allow users to select one option from a group of mutually exclusive choices, while checkboxes allow for a selection of one of more options from a group. In the use cases where multiple selections are allowed, use the checkbox component instead of the radio button.

Radio buttons should have concise, easy to compare options. If more information is required to make a choice, like pricing plans or additional links, consider using a selectable tile.

Toggle switches are preferred when the user options are limited to two choices—on and off or true and false. By comparison, radio buttons, radio buttons can have many other options.

If a user needs to choose a singular item from a list that has simple data and multiple columns, a selectable structured list can be used.

See the data table component for guidance on how to use radio buttons within a table.

Jakob Nielson, Checkboxes vs. Radio Buttons (Nielsen Norman Group, 2004)

Kara Pernice, Radio Buttons: Select One by Default or Leave All Unselected? (Nielsen Norman Group, 2014)

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