Checkboxes in web pages – how to make them bigger?

The standard checkboxes rendered in most browsers are quite small and don’t increase in size even when a larger font is used. What is the best, browser-independent way to display larger checkboxes?

In case this can help anyone, here's simple CSS as a jumping off point. Turns it into a basic rounded square big enough for thumbs with a toggled background color.

input[type='checkbox'] {
    -webkit-appearance:none;
    width:30px;
    height:30px;
    background:white;
    border-radius:5px;
    border:2px solid #555;
}
input[type='checkbox']:checked {
    background: #abd;
}

<input type="checkbox" />

Actually there is a way to make them bigger, checkboxes just like anything else (even an iframe like a facebook button).

Wrap them in a "zoomed" element:

.double {
  zoom: 2;
  transform: scale(2);
  -ms-transform: scale(2);
  -webkit-transform: scale(2);
  -o-transform: scale(2);
  -moz-transform: scale(2);
  transform-origin: 0 0;
  -ms-transform-origin: 0 0;
  -webkit-transform-origin: 0 0;
  -o-transform-origin: 0 0;
  -moz-transform-origin: 0 0;
}

<div class="double">
  <input type="checkbox" name="hello" value="1">
</div>

It might look a little bit "rescaled" but it works.

Of course you can make that div float:left and put your label besides it, float:left too.

Try this CSS

input[type=checkbox] {width:100px; height:100px;}

I tried changing the padding and margin and well as the width and height, and then finally found that if you just increase the scale it'll work:

input[type=checkbox] {
	transform: scale(1.5);
}

Pure modern 2020 CSS only decision, without blurry scaling or non-handy transforming. And with tick! =)

Works nice in Firefox and Chromium-based browsers.

So, you can rule your checkboxes purely ADAPTIVE, just by setting parent block's font-size and it will grow with text!

input[type='checkbox'] {
  -moz-appearance: none;
  -webkit-appearance: none;
  appearance: none;
  vertical-align: middle;
  outline: none;
  font-size: inherit;
  cursor: pointer;
  width: 1.0em;
  height: 1.0em;
  background: white;
  border-radius: 0.25em;
  border: 0.125em solid #555;
  position: relative;
}

input[type='checkbox']:checked {
  background: #adf;
}

input[type='checkbox']:checked:after {
  content: "✔";
  position: absolute;
  font-size: 90%;
  left: 0.0625em;
  top: -0.25em;
}

<label for="check1"><input type="checkbox" id="check1" checked="checked" /> checkbox one</label>
<label for="check2"><input type="checkbox" id="check2" /> another checkbox</label>
<label for="check3" style="font-size:150%"><input type="checkbox" id="check3" checked="checked" /> bigger checkbox </label>

Here's a trick that works in most recent browsers (IE9+) as a CSS only solution that can be improved with javascript to support IE8 and below.

<div>
  <input type="checkbox" id="checkboxID" name="checkboxName" value="whatever" />
  <label for="checkboxID"> </label>
</div>

Style the label with what you want the checkbox to look like

#checkboxID
{
position: absolute fixed;
margin-right: 2000px;
right: 100%;
}
#checkboxID + label
{
/* unchecked state /
}
#checkboxID:checked + label
{
/ checked state */
}

For javascript, you'll be able to add classes to the label to show the state. Also, it would be wise to use the following function:

$('label[for]').live('click', function(e){
  $('#' + $(this).attr('for') ).click();
  return false;
});

EDIT to modify #checkboxID styles

I'm writtinga phonegap app, and checkboxes vary in size, look, etc. So I made my own simple checkbox:

First the HTML code:

<span role="checkbox"/>

Then the CSS:

[role=checkbox]{
    background-image: url(../img/checkbox_nc.png);
    height: 15px;
    width: 15px;
    display: inline-block;
    margin: 0 5px 0 5px;
    cursor: pointer;
}

.checked[role=checkbox]{
    background-image: url(../img/checkbox_c.png);
}

To toggle checkbox state, I used JQuery:

CLICKEVENT='touchend';
function createCheckboxes()
{
    $('[role=checkbox]').bind(CLICKEVENT,function()
    {
        $(this).toggleClass('checked');
    });
}

But It can easily be done without it...

Hope it can help!