Styled Radio Buttons Template

Achieve a consistent, branded look by replacing default browser radio buttons with a custom style.

Using a pure CSS technique, this template visually hides the native radio button but uses its state to style a custom element, giving you full control over the design while maintaining all accessibility features.

Get Source Code → Preview →

About these Styled Radio Buttons

Just like checkboxes, default browser radio buttons lack styling options and look inconsistent across different platforms. This template provides a robust solution to create a beautiful, uniform look for radio button inputs.

The technique is almost identical to styling checkboxes:

The actual input type="radio" is visually hidden but remains functional and part of its group (defined by the name attribute).
A label contains the input and a custom-styled span which acts as the visible circular button.
A CSS pseudo-element (::after) is used to create the inner "dot", which is hidden by default.
When the hidden input is checked (input:checked), we use the adjacent sibling selector (+) to reveal the inner dot within our custom element. The outer ring's border color can also be changed.

This creates a clean, interactive radio button that is fully accessible via keyboard (tab and arrow keys) and to screen readers, as the native input is still being controlled.

Features

Fully Customizable: Easily change the size, colors, and border of the radio buttons with CSS.
Pure CSS Solution: The interactive state changes are handled entirely by CSS selectors.
Accessible by Default: Preserves all the native functionality of radio buttons, including keyboard navigation within a group.
Consistent Cross-Browser Look: Ensures your radio buttons look the same everywhere.

Dependencies

None. This template uses only pure HTML and CSS.

Code

Here's the full code for the styled radio buttons:

/* The container for each option */
.radio-option {
    display: block;
    position: relative;
    padding-left: 35px;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
    cursor: pointer;
    font-size: 1rem;
    -webkit-user-select: none;
    -moz-user-select: none;
    -ms-user-select: none;
    user-select: none;
}

/* Hide the default radio button but keep it accessible */
.radio-option input {
    position: absolute;
    opacity: 0;
    cursor: pointer;
    height: 0;
    width: 0;
}

/* The custom radio button */
.radiomark {
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    height: 22px;
    width: 22px;
    background-color: #eee;
    border: 1px solid #ccc;
    border-radius: 50%;
    transition: all 0.2s;
}

/* On mouse-over, add a grey background */
.radio-option:hover .radiomark {
    background-color: #ccc;
}
/* When focused with keyboard, show a focus ring */
.radio-option input:focus ~ .radiomark {
    box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(0, 123, 255, 0.5);
    border-color: #007bff;
}
/* When the radio button is checked, change the border color */
.radio-option input:checked ~ .radiomark {
    border-color: #007bff;
}

/* Create the indicator (the dot - hidden when not checked) */
.radiomark:after {
    content: "";
    position: absolute;
    display: none;
}

/* Show the indicator when checked */
.radio-option input:checked ~ .radiomark:after {
    display: block;
}

/* Style the indicator (the inner dot) */
.radio-option .radiomark:after {
    top: 5px;
    left: 5px;
    width: 12px;
    height: 12px;
    border-radius: 50%;
    background: #007bff;
}
</style>

<div class="radio-container">
    <h3>Shipping Method:</h3>
    <div class="radio-option">
        <input type="radio" id="shipping-standard" name="shipping" checked="checked">
        <label for="shipping-standard">Standard Shipping (5-7 days)</label>
        <span class="radiomark"></span>
    </div>
    
    <div class="radio-option">
        <input type="radio" id="shipping-express" name="shipping">
        <label for="shipping-express">Express Shipping (2-3 days)</label>
        <span class="radiomark"></span>
    </div>
    
    <div class="radio-option">
        <input type="radio" id="shipping-overnight" name="shipping">
        <label for="shipping-overnight">Overnight Shipping (1 day)</label>
        <span class="radiomark"></span>
    </div>
</div>

View Output