Tabs
Also called tab bar or tabbed interface
A row of labels that switches between panels of related content in the same spot, showing one panel at a time.
import { Tabs } from '@base-ui/react/tabs';
const TABS = [
{
value: 'overview',
label: 'Overview',
body: 'Status, owners, and the next milestone.'
},
{
value: 'activity',
label: 'Activity',
body: 'Every edit, comment, and deploy, newest first.'
},
{
value: 'settings',
label: 'Settings',
body: 'Name, visibility, and who can publish.'
}
];
// Base UI handles role='tablist', aria-selected, and the arrow keys.
export function ProjectTabs() {
return (
<Tabs.Root defaultValue='overview' className='w-96'>
<Tabs.List className='relative flex gap-5 border-b'>
{TABS.map((tab) => (
<Tabs.Tab
key={tab.value}
value={tab.value}
className='pb-2 text-sm font-medium text-muted-foreground outline-none hover:text-foreground focus-visible:text-foreground data-active:text-foreground'
>
{tab.label}
</Tabs.Tab>
))}
{/* The indicator reads the active tab's size and position from CSS variables. */}
<Tabs.Indicator className='absolute -bottom-px left-0 h-0.5 w-(--active-tab-width) translate-x-(--active-tab-left) bg-blue-600 transition-[width,translate] duration-300 ease-[cubic-bezier(0.23,1,0.32,1)]' />
</Tabs.List>
{/* Panels share one grid cell so the old one fades out under the new one. */}
<div className='grid'>
{TABS.map((tab) => (
<Tabs.Panel
key={tab.value}
value={tab.value}
className='col-start-1 row-start-1 py-4 text-sm transition-opacity duration-200 outline-none data-ending-style:opacity-0 data-starting-style:opacity-0'
>
{tab.body}
</Tabs.Panel>
))}
</div>
</Tabs.Root>
);
}Add Overview, Activity, and Settings tabs to the project page. Slide the active underline between tabs with a spring (stiffness 400, damping 35), crossfade the panels over 200ms, and support the Left and Right arrow keys with role='tablist', role='tab', and aria-selected. Keep the selected tab in the URL so a refresh keeps it.
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What is Tabs?
Tabs split related content into views that share one space, like Overview, Activity, and Settings on a project page. The active tab is marked with an underline or a pill that slides over to the new tab, and the panel below swaps, often with a quick crossfade.
Use tabs when people move between sections of the same thing and rarely need to see two at once. Keep the labels short, use between two and about six tabs, and keep their order fixed. To switch how one set of data is shown, such as Day, Week, and Month, a segmented control usually fits better.
A sliding indicator shows where you came from and where you landed. In code, the row uses role='tablist', each tab uses role='tab' with aria-selected, and the Left and Right arrow keys move between tabs.
Often confused with
- Segmented control
- A segmented control changes how the same content is shown, like Day or Week. Tabs move between different sections of content.
- Accordion
- An accordion stacks sections vertically and can open more than one. Tabs show one panel at a time in the same spot.
Related terms
All termsSegmented control
A compact row of two to five options in one pill-shaped track, where a sliding thumb marks the single selected option.
Layout animation
An animation that smoothly moves and resizes elements when the layout changes, such as list items gliding to new spots after a sort or filter.
Crossfade
A transition where the old content fades out while the new content fades in at the same spot, so the two briefly overlap.
Accordion
A vertical stack of headings that each expand to reveal their content when clicked, so long pages stay short and easy to scan.
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