How TO - Split Buttons

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Learn how to create a split button dropdown with CSS.

Split Button Dropdowns

Hover over the arrow icon to open the dropdown menu:

Link 1 Link 2 Link 3

Try it Yourself »

How To Create a Split Button

Step 1) Add HTML:

Create a dropdown menu that appears when the user moves the mouse over an icon.

Example

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css">

<button class="btn">Button</button>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="btn" style="border-left:1px solid navy">
    <i class="fa fa-caret-down"></i>
</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
    <a href="#">Link 1</a>
    <a href="#">Link 2</a>
    <a href="#">Link 3</a>
</div>
</div>

Example Explained

Use any element to open the dropdown menu, e.g. a <button>, <a> or <p> element.

Use a container element (like <div>) to create the dropdown menu and add the dropdown links inside it.

Wrap a <div> element around the button and the <div> to position the dropdown menu correctly with CSS.

Step 2) Add CSS:

Example

/* Dropdown Button */
.btn {
background-color: #2196F3;
color: white;
padding: 16px;
font-size: 16px;
border: none;
outline: none;
}

/* The container <div> - needed to position the dropdown content */
.dropdown {
position: absolute;
display: inline-block;
}

/* Dropdown Content (Hidden by Default) */
.dropdown-content {
display: none;
position: absolute;
background-color: #f1f1f1;
min-width: 160px;
z-index: 1;
}

/* Links inside the dropdown */
.dropdown-content a {
color: black;
padding: 12px 16px;
text-decoration: none;
display: block;
}

/* Change color of dropdown links on hover */
.dropdown-content a:hover {background-color: #ddd}

/* Show the dropdown menu on hover */
.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {
display: block;
}

/* Change the background color of the dropdown button when the dropdown content is shown */
.btn:hover, .dropdown:hover .btn {
background-color: #0b7dda;
}

Try it Yourself »

Tip: Go to our CSS Dropdowns Tutorial to learn more about dropdowns.

Tip: Go to our Clickable Dropdowns to learn more about clickable dropdowns

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