For a simple accordion that opens and closes without JavaScript, use HTML’s native <details> and <summary> elements, then style them with CSS. The browser manages each panel’s state; you can choose whether several panels may stay open or whether opening one closes the others.
Build a basic CSS-only accordion
Place each disclosure in a <details> element and make its first child a concise <summary> label. Content after the summary is the panel. This example lets visitors open multiple answers at once:
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<div class="accordion">
<details>
<summary>What is a pure CSS accordion?</summary>
<p>A group of collapsible content panels styled with CSS.</p>
</details>
<details>
<summary>Does it require JavaScript?</summary>
<p>This native disclosure version does not require JavaScript for toggling.</p>
</details>
</div>.accordion details {
border-block: 1px solid #c8c8c8;
}
.accordion summary {
cursor: pointer;
padding: 1rem;
font-weight: 600;
}
.accordion details[open] > summary {
border-bottom: 1px solid #c8c8c8;
}
.accordion details > :not(summary) {
margin: 0;
padding: 1rem;
}The open attribute reflects whether a <details> panel is expanded. The CSS selector details[open] lets you change its appearance without managing a separate state variable. See MDN’s details element reference for the element’s behavior and browser availability.
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Allow multiple panels to remain open
Leave the name attribute off each <details> element, as in the first example. Visitors can expand several items and keep their contents visible while reading.
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Keep only one panel open at a time
Give every disclosure in the group the same name value:
<details name="faq">
<summary>First question</summary>
<p>First answer.</p>
</details>
<details name="faq">
<summary>Second question</summary>
<p>Second answer.</p>
</details>In an exclusive group, opening one disclosure closes another in the same group. This behavior is defined by the HTML Standard’s interactive elements specification.
Make the accordion usable
- Keep
<summary>as the first child of each<details>, and use text that clearly identifies the content it reveals. - Make the summary area comfortably large to activate, and preserve a visible keyboard-focus indicator. Avoid removing the browser’s focus outline unless you replace it with a clear alternative.
- Check the finished design in the browsers and with the assistive technologies your audience uses. Native disclosure elements provide a useful baseline, but styling and behavior should be checked in the actual interface.
When native disclosure is not the right fit
A checkbox-and-label technique can expose a CSS state, but it requires careful label association, focus handling, keyboard behavior, and assistive-technology testing. For ordinary show-and-hide content, native disclosure is the more direct option.
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If the design requires a richer button-and-panel widget, the W3C’s accordion pattern describes a different approach using buttons, aria-expanded, and aria-controls. Its example includes JavaScript and CSS; it is not the same no-script native disclosure pattern shown here.
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