25 CSS Button Groups09 / 25

Pure CSSMIT licensed

CSS Toggle Button Group with Radio Inputs (Single-Select Alignment Group)

The classic single-select toggle group — text-align Left / Center / Right / Justify — where exactly one option stays pressed at a time. The canonical 'CSS toggle button group radio inputs' pattern for editor controls and settings, using genuine radios so only one is ever active, keyboard arrows move between them, and the pressed state is announced natively.

Published

Live Demo
Try it

The code

<section class="btn-09" aria-label="Toggle button group demo">
  <div class="btn-09__wrap">
    <p class="btn-09__label">Text alignment</p>
    <div class="btn-09__group" role="radiogroup" aria-label="Text alignment">
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-1" class="btn-09__in" checked>
      <label for="btn-09-1" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Align left"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M4 11h10M4 16h14M4 21h8"/></svg></label>
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-2" class="btn-09__in">
      <label for="btn-09-2" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Align center"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M7 11h10M5 16h14M8 21h8"/></svg></label>
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-3" class="btn-09__in">
      <label for="btn-09-3" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Align right"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M10 11h10M6 16h14M12 21h8"/></svg></label>
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-4" class="btn-09__in">
      <label for="btn-09-4" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Justify"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M4 11h16M4 16h16M4 21h16"/></svg></label>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>
.btn-09,
.btn-09 *,
.btn-09 *::before,
.btn-09 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.btn-09 {
  --accent: oklch(0.5 0.13 155);
  --gold: oklch(0.78 0.13 85);
  --ink: #20301f;
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  background: linear-gradient(160deg,#f7f5ec,#eef1e4);
  padding: 44px 20px;
}

.btn-09__wrap {
  width: min(420px,100%);
}

.btn-09__label {
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 800;
  letter-spacing: .14em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: var(--accent);
  margin: 0 0 14px 4px;
}

.btn-09__group {
  display: inline-flex;
  padding: 5px;
  gap: 4px;
  background: #fff;
  border: 1px solid #e3e6d6;
  border-radius: 15px;
  box-shadow: 0 14px 34px -22px rgba(40,60,30,.5);
}

.btn-09__in {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip-path: inset(50%);
}

.btn-09__btn {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  width: 46px;
  height: 46px;
  color: #5c6b52;
  border-radius: 11px;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: background .15s,color .15s,box-shadow .15s;
}

.btn-09__btn:hover {
  background: #f0f2e6;
  color: var(--ink);
}

.btn-09__in:checked + .btn-09__btn {
  background: var(--accent);
  color: #fff;
  box-shadow: inset 0 2px 6px rgba(0,0,0,.3);
}

.btn-09__in:checked + .btn-09__btn::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  bottom: 6px;
  width: 14px;
  height: 2px;
  border-radius: 2px;
  background: var(--gold);
}

.btn-09__btn {
  position: relative;
}

.btn-09__in:focus-visible + .btn-09__btn {
  outline: 3px solid var(--accent);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .btn-09__btn {
    transition: none;
  }
}
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any coding assistant. The block below is pre-framed with everything the AI needs to integrate this demo into your project — markup, styles, scoping notes, and the source URL. Hit Copy and paste straight into your chat.
Here's a working CSS Button Group from CodeFronts. Use it as-is or adapt to your framework. All classes are scoped under a unique prefix so the code won't collide with your existing styles. MIT licensed.
Demo: CSS Toggle Button Group with Radio Inputs (Single-Select Alignment Group)
Source: https://codefronts.com/components/css-button-groups/css-toggle-button-group-with-radio-inputs-single-select-alignment-group/

The classic single-select toggle group — text-align Left / Center / Right / Justify — where exactly one option stays pressed at a time. The canonical 'CSS toggle button group radio inputs' pattern for editor controls and settings, using genuine radios so only one is ever active, keyboard arrows move between them, and the pressed state is announced natively.
## HTML
```html
<section class="btn-09" aria-label="Toggle button group demo">
  <div class="btn-09__wrap">
    <p class="btn-09__label">Text alignment</p>
    <div class="btn-09__group" role="radiogroup" aria-label="Text alignment">
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-1" class="btn-09__in" checked>
      <label for="btn-09-1" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Align left"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M4 11h10M4 16h14M4 21h8"/></svg></label>
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-2" class="btn-09__in">
      <label for="btn-09-2" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Align center"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M7 11h10M5 16h14M8 21h8"/></svg></label>
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-3" class="btn-09__in">
      <label for="btn-09-3" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Align right"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M10 11h10M6 16h14M12 21h8"/></svg></label>
      <input type="radio" name="btn-09" id="btn-09-4" class="btn-09__in">
      <label for="btn-09-4" class="btn-09__btn" aria-label="Justify"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2"><path d="M4 6h16M4 11h16M4 16h16M4 21h16"/></svg></label>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>
```
## CSS
```css
.btn-09,
.btn-09 *,
.btn-09 *::before,
.btn-09 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.btn-09 {
  --accent: oklch(0.5 0.13 155);
  --gold: oklch(0.78 0.13 85);
  --ink: #20301f;
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  background: linear-gradient(160deg,#f7f5ec,#eef1e4);
  padding: 44px 20px;
}

.btn-09__wrap {
  width: min(420px,100%);
}

.btn-09__label {
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 800;
  letter-spacing: .14em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: var(--accent);
  margin: 0 0 14px 4px;
}

.btn-09__group {
  display: inline-flex;
  padding: 5px;
  gap: 4px;
  background: #fff;
  border: 1px solid #e3e6d6;
  border-radius: 15px;
  box-shadow: 0 14px 34px -22px rgba(40,60,30,.5);
}

.btn-09__in {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip-path: inset(50%);
}

.btn-09__btn {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  width: 46px;
  height: 46px;
  color: #5c6b52;
  border-radius: 11px;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: background .15s,color .15s,box-shadow .15s;
}

.btn-09__btn:hover {
  background: #f0f2e6;
  color: var(--ink);
}

.btn-09__in:checked + .btn-09__btn {
  background: var(--accent);
  color: #fff;
  box-shadow: inset 0 2px 6px rgba(0,0,0,.3);
}

.btn-09__in:checked + .btn-09__btn::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  bottom: 6px;
  width: 14px;
  height: 2px;
  border-radius: 2px;
  background: var(--gold);
}

.btn-09__btn {
  position: relative;
}

.btn-09__in:focus-visible + .btn-09__btn {
  outline: 3px solid var(--accent);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .btn-09__btn {
    transition: none;
  }
}
```

How this works

Four hidden radios share one name; each label is a full button with an inline SVG glyph. Because they're radios, the browser enforces single-selection and roving arrow-key focus for free — no aria-pressed bookkeeping and no JavaScript. The checked label gets a filled, inset-shadowed "pressed" look via .in:checked + .btn.

The buttons fuse into one bar: only the outer corners are rounded and shared 1px seams divide them. A subtle inset shadow on the active button sells the physical "pushed in" metaphor that makes toggle groups feel tactile.

.in:checked + .btn{ background:var(--accent); color:#fff;
  box-shadow:inset 0 2px 6px rgba(0,0,0,.28) }

Techniques used: single-select via shared radio name (native, no aria-pressed) · fused bar with shared seams + outer-only radii · inset-shadow pressed metaphor · inline SVG glyphs · roving arrow-key focus for free

Make it yours

  • --accent fills the active button.
  • Swap radios for checkboxes to allow multiple simultaneously-pressed buttons (multi-toggle).
  • Adjust the inset shadow depth to make the press feel harder or softer.
  • Add labels beside glyphs for a text+icon toggle group.

Gotchas — read before shipping

  • Use radios for single-select and checkboxes for multi-select — don't fake exclusivity with JS when the platform gives it to you.
  • Icon-only toggles still need an aria-label per option.
  • The pressed state must differ by more than color (the inset shadow + fill here) to satisfy WCAG 1.4.1.
  • Keep the whole group reachable with one Tab stop and internal arrow navigation — native radios already do this.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
111+15.4+113+111+

Floor set by oklch() as this demo is written. The core technique itself goes back further — Chrome all.

Radios + labels + inline SVG — universal support, no :has() required for the core toggle behavior.

Techniques used in this demo

clip-pathMDN ↗role="" (ARIA)MDN ↗oklch()MDN ↗

Search CodeFronts

Loading…

↑↓ navigate↵ selectesc closeOpen full search page →