Unofficial
Internal
Components

Button

<button
  data-module="govuk-button"
  class="govuk-button"
>
  Save and continue
</button>

<Button>Save and continue</Button>
Props
Name Type Default Description
id string 'id' attribute to place on the base HTML element
classBlock string Block name override in BEM style classes applied to all elements
classModifiers other BEM style modifiers to apply to the base HTML element
className string Extra classes to apply to the base HTML element
start boolean
download other
href string
hrefLang string
media string
ping string
target other
type string
referrerPolicy other
defaultChecked boolean
defaultValue other
suppressContentEditableWarning boolean
suppressHydrationWarning boolean
accessKey string
autoFocus boolean
contentEditable other
contextMenu string
dir string
draggable other
hidden boolean
lang string
nonce string
placeholder string
slot string
spellCheck other
style other
tabIndex number
title string
translate enum
radioGroup string
role other
about string
content string
datatype string
inlist other
prefix string
property string
rel string
resource string
rev string
typeof string
vocab string
autoCapitalize string
autoCorrect string
autoSave string
color string
itemProp string
itemScope boolean
itemType string
itemID string
itemRef string
results number
security string
unselectable enum
inputMode enum Hints at the type of data that might be entered by the user while editing the element or its contents
is string Specify that a standard HTML element should behave like a defined custom built-in element
aria-activedescendant string Identifies the currently active element when DOM focus is on a composite widget, textbox, group, or application.
aria-atomic other Indicates whether assistive technologies will present all, or only parts of, the changed region based on the change notifications defined by the aria-relevant attribute.
aria-autocomplete enum Indicates whether inputting text could trigger display of one or more predictions of the user's intended value for an input and specifies how predictions would be presented if they are made.
aria-busy other Indicates an element is being modified and that assistive technologies MAY want to wait until the modifications are complete before exposing them to the user.
aria-checked other Indicates the current "checked" state of checkboxes, radio buttons, and other widgets.
aria-colcount number Defines the total number of columns in a table, grid, or treegrid.
aria-colindex number Defines an element's column index or position with respect to the total number of columns within a table, grid, or treegrid.
aria-colspan number Defines the number of columns spanned by a cell or gridcell within a table, grid, or treegrid.
aria-controls string Identifies the element (or elements) whose contents or presence are controlled by the current element.
aria-current other Indicates the element that represents the current item within a container or set of related elements.
aria-describedby string Identifies the element (or elements) that describes the object.
aria-details string Identifies the element that provides a detailed, extended description for the object.
aria-disabled other Indicates that the element is perceivable but disabled, so it is not editable or otherwise operable.
aria-dropeffect enum Indicates what functions can be performed when a dragged object is released on the drop target.
aria-errormessage string Identifies the element that provides an error message for the object.
aria-expanded other Indicates whether the element, or another grouping element it controls, is currently expanded or collapsed.
aria-flowto string Identifies the next element (or elements) in an alternate reading order of content which, at the user's discretion, allows assistive technology to override the general default of reading in document source order.
aria-grabbed other Indicates an element's "grabbed" state in a drag-and-drop operation.
aria-haspopup other Indicates the availability and type of interactive popup element, such as menu or dialog, that can be triggered by an element.
aria-hidden other Indicates whether the element is exposed to an accessibility API.
aria-invalid other Indicates the entered value does not conform to the format expected by the application.
aria-keyshortcuts string Indicates keyboard shortcuts that an author has implemented to activate or give focus to an element.
aria-label string Defines a string value that labels the current element.
aria-labelledby string Identifies the element (or elements) that labels the current element.
aria-level number Defines the hierarchical level of an element within a structure.
aria-live enum Indicates that an element will be updated, and describes the types of updates the user agents, assistive technologies, and user can expect from the live region.
aria-modal other Indicates whether an element is modal when displayed.
aria-multiline other Indicates whether a text box accepts multiple lines of input or only a single line.
aria-multiselectable other Indicates that the user may select more than one item from the current selectable descendants.
aria-orientation enum Indicates whether the element's orientation is horizontal, vertical, or unknown/ambiguous.
aria-owns string Identifies an element (or elements) in order to define a visual, functional, or contextual parent/child relationship between DOM elements where the DOM hierarchy cannot be used to represent the relationship.
aria-placeholder string Defines a short hint (a word or short phrase) intended to aid the user with data entry when the control has no value. A hint could be a sample value or a brief description of the expected format.
aria-posinset number Defines an element's number or position in the current set of listitems or treeitems. Not required if all elements in the set are present in the DOM.
aria-pressed other Indicates the current "pressed" state of toggle buttons.
aria-readonly other Indicates that the element is not editable, but is otherwise operable.
aria-relevant enum Indicates what notifications the user agent will trigger when the accessibility tree within a live region is modified.
aria-required other Indicates that user input is required on the element before a form may be submitted.
aria-roledescription string Defines a human-readable, author-localized description for the role of an element.
aria-rowcount number Defines the total number of rows in a table, grid, or treegrid.
aria-rowindex number Defines an element's row index or position with respect to the total number of rows within a table, grid, or treegrid.
aria-rowspan number Defines the number of rows spanned by a cell or gridcell within a table, grid, or treegrid.
aria-selected other Indicates the current "selected" state of various widgets.
aria-setsize number Defines the number of items in the current set of listitems or treeitems. Not required if all elements in the set are present in the DOM.
aria-sort enum Indicates if items in a table or grid are sorted in ascending or descending order.
aria-valuemax number Defines the maximum allowed value for a range widget.
aria-valuemin number Defines the minimum allowed value for a range widget.
aria-valuenow number Defines the current value for a range widget.
aria-valuetext string Defines the human readable text alternative of aria-valuenow for a range widget.
dangerouslySetInnerHTML other
onCopy other
onCopyCapture other
onCut other
onCutCapture other
onPaste other
onPasteCapture other
onCompositionEnd other
onCompositionEndCapture other
onCompositionStart other
onCompositionStartCapture other
onCompositionUpdate other
onCompositionUpdateCapture other
onFocus other
onFocusCapture other
onBlur other
onBlurCapture other
onChange other
onChangeCapture other
onBeforeInput other
onBeforeInputCapture other
onInput other
onInputCapture other
onReset other
onResetCapture other
onSubmit other
onSubmitCapture other
onInvalid other
onInvalidCapture other
onLoad other
onLoadCapture other
onError other
onErrorCapture other
onKeyDown other
onKeyDownCapture other
onKeyPress other
onKeyPressCapture other
onKeyUp other
onKeyUpCapture other
onAbort other
onAbortCapture other
onCanPlay other
onCanPlayCapture other
onCanPlayThrough other
onCanPlayThroughCapture other
onDurationChange other
onDurationChangeCapture other
onEmptied other
onEmptiedCapture other
onEncrypted other
onEncryptedCapture other
onEnded other
onEndedCapture other
onLoadedData other
onLoadedDataCapture other
onLoadedMetadata other
onLoadedMetadataCapture other
onLoadStart other
onLoadStartCapture other
onPause other
onPauseCapture other
onPlay other
onPlayCapture other
onPlaying other
onPlayingCapture other
onProgress other
onProgressCapture other
onRateChange other
onRateChangeCapture other
onSeeked other
onSeekedCapture other
onSeeking other
onSeekingCapture other
onStalled other
onStalledCapture other
onSuspend other
onSuspendCapture other
onTimeUpdate other
onTimeUpdateCapture other
onVolumeChange other
onVolumeChangeCapture other
onWaiting other
onWaitingCapture other
onAuxClick other
onAuxClickCapture other
onClick other
onClickCapture other
onContextMenu other
onContextMenuCapture other
onDoubleClick other
onDoubleClickCapture other
onDrag other
onDragCapture other
onDragEnd other
onDragEndCapture other
onDragEnter other
onDragEnterCapture other
onDragExit other
onDragExitCapture other
onDragLeave other
onDragLeaveCapture other
onDragOver other
onDragOverCapture other
onDragStart other
onDragStartCapture other
onDrop other
onDropCapture other
onMouseDown other
onMouseDownCapture other
onMouseEnter other
onMouseLeave other
onMouseMove other
onMouseMoveCapture other
onMouseOut other
onMouseOutCapture other
onMouseOver other
onMouseOverCapture other
onMouseUp other
onMouseUpCapture other
onSelect other
onSelectCapture other
onTouchCancel other
onTouchCancelCapture other
onTouchEnd other
onTouchEndCapture other
onTouchMove other
onTouchMoveCapture other
onTouchStart other
onTouchStartCapture other
onPointerDown other
onPointerDownCapture other
onPointerMove other
onPointerMoveCapture other
onPointerUp other
onPointerUpCapture other
onPointerCancel other
onPointerCancelCapture other
onPointerEnter other
onPointerEnterCapture other
onPointerLeave other
onPointerLeaveCapture other
onPointerOver other
onPointerOverCapture other
onPointerOut other
onPointerOutCapture other
onGotPointerCapture other
onGotPointerCaptureCapture other
onLostPointerCapture other
onLostPointerCaptureCapture other
onScroll other
onScrollCapture other
onWheel other
onWheelCapture other
onAnimationStart other
onAnimationStartCapture other
onAnimationEnd other
onAnimationEndCapture other
onAnimationIteration other
onAnimationIterationCapture other
onTransitionEnd other
onTransitionEndCapture other
forceExternal boolean Whether to force the link to be treated as external (useful for internal links that are NOT handled by the application)
disabled boolean

When to use this component

Use the button component to help users carry out an action like starting an application or saving their information.

How it works

Write button text in sentence case, describing the action it performs. For example:

  • ‘Start now’ at the start of the service
  • ‘Sign in’ to an account a user has already created
  • ‘Continue’ when the service does not save a user’s information
  • ‘Save and continue’ when the service does save a user’s information
  • ‘Save and come back later’ when a user can save their information and come back later
  • ‘Add another’ to add another item to a list or group
  • ‘Pay’ to make a payment
  • ‘Confirm and send’ on a check answers page that does not have any legal content a user must agree to
  • ‘Accept and send’ on a check answers page that has legal content a user must agree to
  • ‘Sign out’ when a user is signed in to an account

You may need to include more or different words to better describe the action. For example, ‘Add another address’ and ‘Accept and claim a tax refund’.

Align the primary action button to the left edge of your form.

Default buttons

Use a default button for the main call to action on a page.

Avoid using multiple default buttons on a single page. Having more than one main call to action reduces their impact, and makes it harder for users to know what to do next.

<button
  data-module="govuk-button"
  class="govuk-button"
>
  Save and continue
</button>

<Button>Save and continue</Button>

Start buttons

Use a start button for the main call to action on your service’s start page. Start buttons do not submit form data, so they use a link tag rather than a button tag.

Start now
<a
  data-module="govuk-button"
  draggable="false"
  role="button"
  class="govuk-button govuk-button--start"
  href="#"
>
  Start now
  <svg
    class="govuk-button__start-icon"
    xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
    width="17.5"
    height="19"
    viewBox="0 0 33 40"
    aria-hidden="true"
    focusable="false"
  >
    <path
      fill="currentColor"
      d="M0 0h13l20 20-20 20H0l20-20z"
    ></path>
  </svg>
</a>

<StartButton href="#" />

Secondary buttons

Use secondary buttons for secondary calls to action on a page.

Pages with too many calls to action make it hard for users to know what to do next. Before adding lots of secondary buttons, try to simplify the page or break the content down across multiple pages.

<button
  data-module="govuk-button"
  class="govuk-button govuk-button--secondary"
>
  Find address
</button>

<Button classModifiers="secondary">
  Find address
</Button>

You can also group default and secondary buttons together.

Warning buttons

Warning buttons are designed to make users think carefully before they use them. They only work if used very sparingly. Most services should not need one.

<button
  data-module="govuk-button"
  class="govuk-button govuk-button--warning"
>
  Delete account
</button>

<Button classModifiers="warning">
  Delete account
</Button>

Only use warning buttons for actions with serious destructive consequences that cannot be easily undone by a user. For example, permanently deleting an account.

When letting users carry out an action like this, it’s a good idea to include an additional step which asks them to confirm it.

In this instance, use another style of button for the initial call to action, and a warning button for the final confirmation.

Do not only rely on the red colour of a warning button to communicate the serious nature of the action. This is because not all users will be able to see the colour or will understand what it signifies. Make sure the context and button text make clear what will happen if the user selects it.

Buttons on dark backgrounds

Use the govuk-button--inverse modifier class to show white buttons on dark backgrounds – for example, in headers, custom components, and patterns with darker backgrounds.

Make sure all users can see the button – the white button and background colour must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.

<div class="govuk-panel govuk-panel--interruption">
  <div class="govuk-panel__body">
    <button
      data-module="govuk-button"
      class="govuk-button govuk-button--inverse"
    >
      Create an account
    </button>
  </div>
</div>

<Panel classModifiers="interruption">
  <Button classModifiers="inverse">
    Create an account
  </Button>
</Panel>

Disabled buttons

Disabled buttons have poor contrast and can confuse some users, so avoid them if possible.

Only use disabled buttons if research shows it makes the user interface easier to understand.

<button
  aria-disabled="true"
  data-module="govuk-button"
  disabled=""
  class="govuk-button govuk-button--disabled"
>
  Disabled button
</button>

<Button disabled>Disabled button</Button>

Grouping buttons

Use a button group when two or more buttons are placed together.

<div class="govuk-button-group">
  <button
    data-module="govuk-button"
    class="govuk-button"
  >
    Save and continue
  </button>
  <button
    data-module="govuk-button"
    class="govuk-button govuk-button--secondary"
  >
    Save as draft
  </button>
</div>

<ButtonGroup>
  <Button>Save and continue</Button>
  <Button classModifiers="secondary">
    Save as draft
  </Button>
</ButtonGroup>

Any links within a button group will automatically align with the buttons.

Stop users from accidentally sending information more than once

IMPLEMENTME

Sometimes, users double click buttons because they:

  • have used operating systems where they have to double click items to make them work
  • are experiencing a slow connection which means they are not given feedback on their action quickly enough
  • have motor impairments such as hand tremors which cause them to click the button involuntarily

In some cases, this can mean their information is sent twice.

For example, the GOV.UK Notify team discovered that a number of users were receiving invitations twice, because the person sending them was double clicking the ‘send’ button.

If you are working in production and research shows that users are frequently sending information twice, you can configure the button to ignore the second click.

<button
  data-module="govuk-button"
  data-prevent-double-click="true"
  class="govuk-button"
>
  Confirm and send
</button>

<Button data-prevent-double-click="true">
  Confirm and send
</Button>

This feature will prevent double clicks for users that have JavaScript enabled, however you should also think about the issue server-side to protect against attacks.

In the case of slow connections, aim to give the user information about what’s happening, for example, by showing a loading spinner or a modal, before using data-prevent-double-click.

Submit buttons

Unofficial

When your button is a part of a form you will probably want to use a submit button.

<button
  data-module="govuk-button"
  type="submit"
  class="govuk-button"
>
  Save and continue
</button>

<SubmitButton>Save and continue</SubmitButton>

Hyperlinks

Unofficial

When your button is not part of a form you will probably want it to be a hyperlink by providing a href prop.