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Components

Combo Box

Use with caution: candidate English, Spanish Web
A combo box helps users select an item from a large list of options.

Examples

Default

View va-combo-box default in Storybook

With default value

View va-combo-box with default value in Storybook

With error

View va-combo-box with error in Storybook

Required

View va-combo-box required in Storybook

With placeholder text

View va-combo-box with placeholder text in Storybook

With hint text

View va-combo-box with hint text in Storybook

With message aria described by

View uswds-va-combo-box with message aria described by in Storybook

Usage

Choosing the right component for the task

When deciding which component to use, consider the number of options available to the user. The total number of options will determine which component is right for the task:

  • 2 - 5 options: Use Radio button when there are only a few options that can all be exposed at once.
  • 6 - 15 options: Use Select for a limited number of options.
  • 16 - 100 options: Use Combo box, which combines a select with typeahead functionality for easier selection.
  • 101+ options: Use Search Input with typeahead to help users quickly find the right option from a large set.

Exceptions to consider when choosing a component

In some cases, there are common outliers and exceptions to account for:

  • When the options are known and memorable. Options like months, days, states, countries, and other familiar data groupings can be considered exceptions to choosing the right component. For example, the Combo box works well for Countries or States that benefit from both scrolling or typing to find the selection. Consider your user and evaluate if typing or comparing options would be a better user experience when finalizing the component choice.
  • When the radio button labels are long or radio tiles contain descriptive text. Long labels within a dropdown might make it difficult to read and select an option. Radio tiles often include descriptive text that cannot be used in a dropdown. In these cases, Radio button may be the better choice.
  • When the task is to sort a set of results. Use the dedicated Sort component, which utilizes a Select component as its foundation.

Contact the Design System team via #platform-design-system for help if you have other use cases that may be considered exceptions.

When the task requires multiple selections

The components above are for single-selection tasks. For multiple selections, use Checkbox. The same count thresholds may not apply. However, consider breaking long checkbox lists into grouped categories or using a different interaction pattern if the list exceeds 15 options.

Errors

Hint text

Code usage

Accessibility considerations

Use labels and hint text instead of placeholder text

Use the label to identify the field and hint text to provide additional instructions. Don’t use placeholder text to convey instructions or important information because placeholder text disappears when the user interacts with the combo box.

Labels and hint text persist after interaction, ensuring that instructions remain visible while the user makes a selection. See the hint text example for how to provide persistent instructional text.

Privacy guidance

When Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Protected Health Information (PHI) is an option in a selection list, selections can’t be tracked in analytics or passed into other page elements that may be tracked.

  • Analytics tracking for this component must remain off if the options contain PII or PHI.
  • Selections can’t be utilized in elements on follow-on or related pages, such as a parameter or title tag.

Example: A form application asks the user to select a health condition from a dropdown list. Details about a person’s health conditions are considered PHI. The option selected can be stored in our data systems, but the selection can’t be tracked in analytics or utilized as part of the title tag in the next page.

Learn more about PII/PHI on the VA Platform website

Component checklist

Web Platform

70%

7 of 10 complete

Maturity

Guidance

Web

Examples, usage, code usage, content considerations, and accessibility considerations are all complete.

Research

Web

VFS team conducted research on this component which is linked from this page.

Stability

Web

Component has been in production for more than 3 months with no significant issues found.

Adoption

Web

Multiple teams have adopted this component.

Accessibility

While this component has been previously tested against older criteria, it has not yet been audited with the updated testing criteria.

Code assets

Variations

Web

Storybook includes all variations (style, size, orientation, optional iconography, selection, error state, etc.)

Responsive

Web

Component depicted in all responsive breakpoints.

Interactive states

Web

Includes all interactive states that are applicable (hover, active, focus, keyboard focus, disabled).

Tokens

N/A Web

All design attributes (color, typography, layout, etc.) are available as tokens.

Internationalization

N/A Web

Describes i18n attributes.

Visual assets

Variations

Web

Figma library includes all variations (style, size, orientation, optional iconography, selection, error state, etc.)

Responsive

Web

Component designed to work in all responsive breakpoints.

Interactive states

Web

Includes all interactive states that are applicable (hover, active, focus, keyboard focus, disabled).

Tokens

N/A Web

All design attributes (color, typography, layout, etc.) are available as tokens.

Legend:

  • Complete
  • Incomplete
  • N/A Not applicable

Provide feedback

Share your feedback, report issues, or suggest improvements for the Combo Box component. Your input helps us make the design system better for everyone.

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Last updated: May 19, 2026