Shadcn Combobox

Shadcn Combobox: Fast, Searchable Selection with Typeahead

The Shadcn Combobox combines an input and a dropdown list so users can search, filter, and select options efficiently. It's perfect for entity pickers (users, tags, projects), filter bars, and form fields that need quick lookup.

Our collection includes 12+ combobox variants for different UX patterns; basic styled and powered by React + Tailwind CSS making it a great fit for any React Combobox implementation.

What is Shadcn Combobox?

The Shadcn Combobox implements the ARIA combobox pattern: an editable input that controls a listbox of options. Typical parts include an input/trigger, a popover/list, and option items (single or multi-select). It supports async data, keyboard navigation, and custom rendering so you can match any design system while keeping it accessible and performant.

Why Use Shadcn Combobox?

• Typeahead Speed: Filter large datasets as users type, with debounced or instant queries.
• Accessible by Design: Adheres to WAI-ARIA roles/attributes (combobox, listbox, option, aria-activedescendant).
• Fully Customizable: Basic styled foundation; style sizes, densities, and states with Tailwind.
• Single or Multi-Select: Use tokens/tags for multiple values or a simple picker for one value.
• Async-Ready: Works with server search, pagination, and caching for big lists in React Combobox UIs.

Features

• 12+ Variants Included: Single, multi-select (tags), creatable ("add new"), async search, grouped sections, icons/avatars, checkbox options, inline (in-form), toolbar combobox, with badges, with descriptions, and compact/dense variant.
• Keyboard Support: Arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select, Esc to close, Tab to commit; Home/End jump support.
• Filtering Modes: Local fuzzy search or remote queries; optional client-side highlighting of matched text.
• Creatable Options: Let users add items not found in the list (e.g., new tag or label).
• Loading & Empty States: Spinners/skeleton rows, "No results" messages, and retry actions.
• Virtualized Lists: Plug in windowing for thousands of rows without jank.
• Controlled/Uncontrolled: Manage value and open state yourself or let the component do it.
• Clear/Reset & Badges: Quick clear button, removable chips for multi-select, and count badges.

Production Tips

• Debounce Remote Calls: 150–300ms debounce keeps typing smooth while reducing server load.
• Stabilize Option IDs: Use stable keys for aria-activedescendant and virtualization to avoid focus jumps.
• IME & Composition: Ensure you don't filter mid-composition; ignore events until compositionend.
• Mobile UX: Increase hit areas, consider full-screen popover on small screens, and keep the keyboard from hiding results.
• Empty & Error States: Provide helpful fallbacks ("Create 'Design Systems'"), and show a retry on network failures.
• Perf for Big Lists: Prefer server-side filtering or list virtualization; avoid rendering thousands of DOM nodes.
• Tags & Validation: When multi-selecting, validate max counts and show helpful messages via Shadcn Form helpers.
• Reduced Motion: Animate popover opacity/scale with motion-safe: and provide instant transitions for motion-reduce:.

Integration With Other Components

Pair Shadcn Combobox with Shadcn Popover for the floating panel and Shadcn Input as the trigger for a compact, form-friendly picker. Use Shadcn Badge or chips to display selected items (especially in multi-select).

In forms, integrate with Shadcn Form for validation and error messages; place apply/reset Shadcn Button actions nearby.

For dense toolbars, combine with Shadcn Tooltip to label icon-only triggers, and use Shadcn Card to host filter panels that include one or more comboboxes in your React Combobox flows.

This makes Shadcn Combobox a versatile shadcn/ui component for building responsive, interactive, and data-driven React interfaces.

FAQs