:default

The :default CSS pseudo-class selects form elements that are the default in a group of related elements.

Try it

What this selector matches is defined in HTML Standard §4.16.3 Pseudo-classes — it may match the <button>, <input type="checkbox">, <input type="radio">, and <option> elements:

  • A default option element is the first one with the selected attribute, or the first enabled option in DOM order. multiple <select>s can have more than one selected option, so all will match :default.
  • <input type="checkbox"> and <input type="radio"> match if they have the checked attribute.
  • <button> matches if it is a <form>'s default submission button: the first <button> in DOM order that belongs to the form. This also applies to <input> types that submit forms, like image or submit.

Syntax

css

:default {
  /* ... */
}

Examples

HTML

html

<fieldset>
  <legend>Favorite season</legend>

  <input type="radio" name="season" id="spring" value="spring" />
  <label for="spring">Spring</label>

  <input type="radio" name="season" id="summer" value="summer" checked />
  <label for="summer">Summer</label>

  <input type="radio" name="season" id="fall" value="fall" />
  <label for="fall">Fall</label>

  <input type="radio" name="season" id="winter" value="winter" />
  <label for="winter">Winter</label>
</fieldset>

CSS

css

input:default {
  box-shadow: 0 0 2px 1px coral;
}

input:default + label {
  color: coral;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
HTML Standard
# selector-default
Selectors Level 4
# default-pseudo

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also