How to style the <option> with only CSS?

CssHtml Select

Css Problem Overview


Note: This question is not about making a custom dropdown. It's only about possibilities of styling <option> elements within the select element in CSS

How can I style <option>s of a <select> element with cross-browser compatibility? I know many JavaScript ways which customize the dropdown to convert into <li>, which I'm not asking about.

<select class="select">
    <option selected>Select</option>
    <option>Blue</option>
    <option >Red</option>
    <option>Green</option>
    <option>Yellow</option>
    <option>Brown</option>
</select>

I'm asking what could be possible with CSS only, with compatibility for IE9+, Firefox, and Chrome.

enter image description here

I want to style like this or as close as possible.

enter image description here

I tried here http://jsfiddle.net/jitendravyas/juwz3/3/, but Chrome doesn't show any styling except font color, while Firefox shows some more. How to get border and padding work in Chrome too?

Css Solutions


Solution 1 - Css

EDIT 2015 May

Disclaimer: I've taken the snippet from the answer linked below:

Important Update!

In addition to WebKit, as of Firefox 35 we'll be able to use the appearance property:

> Using -moz-appearance with the none value on a combobox now remove the > dropdown button

So now in order to hide the default styling, it's as easy as adding the following rules on our select element:

select {
   -webkit-appearance: none;
   -moz-appearance: none;
   appearance: none;
}

For IE 11 support, you can use [::-ms-expand][15].

select::-ms-expand { /* for IE 11 */
    display: none;
}

Old Answer

Unfortunately what you ask is not possible by using pure CSS. However, here is something similar that you can choose as a work around. Check the live code below.

div { 
  margin: 10px;
  padding: 10px; 
  border: 2px solid purple; 
  width: 200px;
  -webkit-border-radius: 5px;
  -moz-border-radius: 5px;
  border-radius: 5px;
}
div > ul { display: none; }
div:hover > ul {display: block; background: #f9f9f9; border-top: 1px solid purple;}
div:hover > ul > li { padding: 5px; border-bottom: 1px solid #4f4f4f;}
div:hover > ul > li:hover { background: white;}
div:hover > ul > li:hover > a { color: red; }

<div>
  Select
  <ul>
    <li><a href="#">Item 1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Item 2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Item 3</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>

EDIT

Here is the question that you asked some time ago. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1895476/how-to-style-select-dropdown-with-css-only-without-javascript As it tells there, only in Chrome and to some extent in Firefox you can achieve what you want. Otherwise, unfortunately, there is no cross browser pure CSS solution for styling a select.

Solution 2 - Css

There is no cross-browser way of styling option elements, certainly not to the extent of your second screenshot. You might be able to make them bold, and set the font-size, but that will be about it...

Solution 3 - Css

I've played around with select items before and without overriding the functionality with JavaScript, I don't think it's possible in Chrome. Whether you use a plugin or write your own code, CSS only is a no go for Chrome/Safari and as you said, Firefox is better at dealing with it.

Attributions

All content for this solution is sourced from the original question on Stackoverflow.

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Content TypeOriginal AuthorOriginal Content on Stackoverflow
QuestionJitendra VyasView Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - CssSavas VedovaView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - CssdanwellmanView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - CsscchanaView Answer on Stackoverflow