HTML - <optgroup> Tag
Introduction to <optgroup> Tag
The HTML <optgroup> tag in HTML is used to group the related options within the <select> element. It improves the readability of the drop-down lists, especially when dealing with a large number of options.
It accepts the label attribute, that provides a descriptive name for the group. This label is displayed in the drop-down menu but cannot be selected.
Syntax
Following is the syntax of HTML <optgroup> tag −
<optgroup label= "..."></optgroup>
Attributes
HTML optgroup tag supports Global and Event attributes of HTML. It also accepts some specific attributes as well which are listed bellow.
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| disabled | disabled | Disables the input control. The button won't accept changes from the user. It also cannot receive focus and will be skipped when tabbing. |
| label | text | Defines a label to use when using <optgroup>. |
Example : Basic Usage
Let's look at the following example, where we are going to consider the basic usage of the <optgroup> tag.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>HTML optgroup Tag</title>
</head>
<body>
<!--create optgroup element-->
<select>
<optgroup label='Fruits'>
<option value="apple">Apple</option>
<option value="banana">Banana</option>
<option value="orange">Orange</option>
<option value="grapes">Grapes</option>
</optgroup>
</select>
</body>
</html>
Example : Using disabled Attribute
Consider the following example, where we are going to use the disabled attribute along with the <optgroup> tag.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>HTML optgroup tag</title>
</head>
<body>
<!--create optgroup tag-->
<select>
<option value="">Choose your option</option>
<optgroup label='Group 1'>
<option value="opt1.1">Option 1.1</option>
<option value="opt1.2">Option 1.2</option>
</optgroup>
<optgroup label='Group 2'>
<option value="opt2.1">Option 2.1</option>
<option value="opt2.2">Option 2.2</option>
</optgroup>
<optgroup label='Group 3' disabled>
<option value="opt3.1">Option 3.1</option>
<option value="opt3.2">Option 3.2</option>
</optgroup>
</select>
</body>
</html>
Example : Applying CSS
In the following example, we are going to use the <optgroup> tag and applying the CSS properties to it.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>HTML optgroup tag</title>
<style>
optgroup {
color: green;
background-color: aquamarine;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<!--create optgroup tag-->
<select>
<option value="">Choose your option</option>
<optgroup label='Frontend'>
<option value="html">HTML</option>
<option value="css">CSS</option>
<option value="javascript">JavaScript</option>
</optgroup>
<optgroup label='Backend'>
<option value="java">Java</option>
<option value="php.2">PHP</option>
</optgroup>
</select>
</body>
</html>
Supported Browsers
| Tag | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| optgroup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |




