A tabbed interface, or simply a tab, is a graphical control element one can use to contain multiple panels or documents onto a single window for users to access. Because of this, it is perfect for single page web pages and applications. It gives users a neat and organized UI and makes the navigation process much easier. So, if you own a text-heavy site or simply a content-packed website, then CSS tabs are the easiest way to appeal more to your users.
Keeping that in mind, we have listed the best possible options for our users today. Hand-picked and listed according to the styling elements and best design trends, we hope this list helps you get the perfect start. We have included options from animated to simple and complex to minimal.
Tabbed Content Section
The top of our list is this premium-like CSS tab design by Allen Brady. Simple, elegant, and efficient, this design is great for any type of website, whether professional or personal. It is complete with various creative icons animated to work as tabs. Each feature a designated area for contents and placeholder for media files. Using simple CSS, the creator has also added an efficient hover effect. And the best part here is that it does not rely on any JS, which means the overall template is pretty easy to understand and replicate.
Material Tabs & Pages
Following a more professional approach to the design, this next variation is created with all the small details in mind. However, unlike the previous option, this has its roots in the JS implementation alongside the CSS and HTML. It starts with a simple CSS tab with icons and text to depict each selection. The contents are displayed under the material-based card below the tab when clicked on anyone. For an even more engaging appeal, you will find vibrant color schemes changing with the tabs. Using simple CSS, various animations and transitions are implemented throughout. These are fully responsive and easily adjusted according to the device screens.
CSS Tab Selection
Depicting a folder-like structure, this is yet another simple, minimal, pure CSS tab design we have next in line. Based on just CSS and HTML for the overall structure and the animations implemented, we can say, it is quite easy to understand and replicate. The tabs are designed to look like folder tabs and just like with any folder, it switches the contents according to the tab selected. For that extra detail, you will also find a simple hover effect over the numeric icons on the tab. It also seems responsive, meaning the design easily adjusts to all the device frames.
Pure CSS Tabs
Let’s start off with something simple, elegant and clean. This Pure CSS tab is visually pleasing and works perfectly to display multiple posts or contents in a single screen. Calming purple and white color schemes are pretty appealing to look at. And using just the simple HTML and CSS structure to get the result is impressive. Like most tab examples, this also uses the horizontal view, showcasing the option to toggle between. A simple transition of the color shading uses the radio input. This means a darker shade of purple is used to highlight which section is clicked on. Creator of this design has kept it simple, however, below the demo, you can also find a link to the 3D version that uses JS.
Animated CSS Tabs
This animated CSS tabs is the perfect example of the 3D effect and a more advanced option to choose. Although animated subtly, this sure makes for an impressive result. And the best part is that all the codes are based on CSS and HTML. This ensures an easier implementation and understanding of the structure. Green and white on a navy blue background works amazingly. When hovering over each tab, it extends in a smooth animation, which changes the color scheme to highlight the selection.
Just Another CSS Tab
This is a more creative approach to a CSS tab as it is complete with animation, effects and innovative design structure. While most tabs are designed as a simple navigational element, this leans more towards a unique and engaging element for your users to enjoy. Instead of the traditional fonts or texts used on the tabs, the creator has replaced them with flat icons. Each is also designed to execute a stunning hover and click effect, transitioning the highlight to the selected tab. Even the contents appear in and out of view using the zoom-in and-out effect. Overall quite interesting, access their full structure following the link below.
Responsive CSS Tabs & Accordions
Now just because it is a tab doesn’t necessarily need to be horizontal. This responsive CSS tabs and accordion is the perfect example. It is versatile enough to be used as an accordion or a tab, but implementing it onto your site is also pretty easy. The simple blue and white structure is clean and professional looking. When clicked on, the tab expands vertically to showcase the content inside. Another added detail is the radio-button style effect, meaning only one tab can be opened simultaneously. All of the aspects are kept pretty minimal, which also leaves the users to add in their custom touch if they prefer.
Simple jQuery-CSS Tabbed Panel
Now, returning to a more practical and navigational purpose-based design, this simple jQuery CSS tabbed panel is another great example. The design is pretty straightforward, working to display the contents organizationally. Each of the tabs is determined with the tabbed panel on the top. When hovered over, these tabs change the color from white to blue, achieved with simple CSS. However, the transition of the content inside the tabbed panel is determined with the help of JS. This ensures a smoother and cleaner transition when fading in and out of view. The content inside the panel is also extremely versatile and holds placements for all, including textual content, images, and even links.
Pure CSS Tabs with indicator
As the name suggests, these Pure CSS Tabs with indicator are based purely on HTML and CSS. It includes a material design-based card that works as the base of the tab. Each tab is also represented with a creative icon and a title. The design is simple, but the animations are still quite impressive. Using simple CSS, the creator has managed to get a smooth content transition with each click. When selected, the tab title also changes the color and is underlined to highlight the selection. The coding structure is open to access, follow the link below.
CSS Tabs Revisited
This stunning example is CSS Tabs Revisited by Eric Sadowski, a darker version for those of you who are looking for it. The design is pretty impressive, based purely on HTML and CSS. Starting with a plain background, the creator has elevated it with all the stylings. On a darker shade of box, the tab is represented with a ribbon-like structure atop it all. Each tab has text and a creative icon to represent each section. Now, when clicking on the content inside, it uses slide up and slide down effect to get in and out of view. The tabs also change their color from gray to orange to display the selected item. Add in any type of content, whether you want to add in texts, links, or even images.
Simple CSS Tabs with Shadow
A minimal and material design based CSS tab design is perfectly minimal yet flexible. The design’s simplicity makes for the ideal base that adjusts to any type of theme or website. Adding shadows to create an almost 3D feel, the pure white color scheme also adds to the paper-like feel. The content area also adjusts the length and the width according to the content it holds inside. Another great thing about this design is that it is completely responsive and automatically adjusts to every design screen size with ease. When hovered over any of the tabs, the texts also come into view, executing a smooth fade-in effect. As it is based purely on CSS without additional JS, the whole structure is pretty easy to implement.
CSS Tabs Menu
This CSS tab has everything you might need for a more professional and purpose-focused design. Everything is well taken care of, from the tab design to the content holders to the smooth and clean animations and transitions. And even though the demo is just a dummy, it is ready to go Live with just a few tweaks here and there. The tabs using CSS effects highlight it when hovered over and completely change color schemes when clicked on. As you can see, anything is possible, whether you want texts, links, images, and even forms and CTA buttons. The result is pretty incredible, and the best part is that it is based entirely on CSS and HTML.
Folder Tabs
A more creative approach towards a CSS tab design, this style is based on the file and folders stacked together. The creator using a plain black background has made the colorful file-based tabs pop out more. Even the concept of revealing the content inside each tab is pretty unique. Unlike the traditional vertical design, this leans more towards the horizontal view. When a user clicks on any tab, it slides left or right to reveal the content inside. And if you are looking to add an engaging element on your site for your users to enjoy, then this is the ideal choice.
Pure CSS Tab Navigation
This pure CSS tab design by Izzy Skye is another innovative approach to a traditional design. The tab displays the content inside the animated box below using the classic toggle button. When clicked on either tabs, the content alongside the footer text slides in and out of view. And it is pretty impressive, considering that no excess JS codes are used.
The content also acts as a placeholder for images or titles and links. When hovered over, it reveals the smooth transition while displaying the animated button, leading to the full view of the content. This design is perfect for adding easier navigation for users. You can also implement this on text-heavy sites or blogs to categorize it. The color scheme of black, pink, and white is also flexible and versatile.
Tabs Widget
Another one on our list of CSS tabs is this clean and professional-looking design by Sitepoint. While the beauty here is focused on simplicity, the animations and the transitions are great. A simple white background with the navy blue tab section works amazingly together. It starts as a simple navigational tab that reveals the content inside when clicked on. The creators have also added the radio-button-like effect, ensuring that only one tab can be opened at a time. The selected tab is also highlighted with the color transition to a lighter shade. Another additional detail here is also the responsiveness it features. Automatically adjusting to any device screen size does not affect your site’s responsiveness.
CSS Tab by Chen Hui Jing
This Pure CSS Tab design by Chen Hui Jing is responsive, clean with looks, and innovative. The tab sections used here use creative icons instead of texts. In this case, it is fruits, but you can replace it with anything you like. The top of the tabs is also differentiated using different color schemes. But that’s pretty much all the color you get. Because all of the other sections are monochrome and depict more of a professional and neat look. Using simple CSS, the tabs also execute a hover effect, transitioning the color scheme to a darker color.
This practical and purpose-focused design leaves tons of area to add in the contents. Because of the simple structure and clean coding, you can get the same result on your site with minimal effort. Simply follow the link below to get the full access.
Tab Interface with 3D Cube
If material designs and 2D just don’t cut it out for you, then this 3D design is right up your alley. A design by Vavik, is a more complex and advanced design for a CSS tab. But be assured that the whole structure is based entirely on CSS and HTML. The tabs are represented by various cubes or squares differentiated with the color schemes and the texts. However, the twist is that the designer leveled it up instead of simple transitions and effects with a 3D flip! A full view of the content inside are displayed on the right-hand side on a larger square. So when users click on any specific tab, the displayed square does an entire back or front flip to display the content. Amazingly, something like a tab can also be animated this way, right?
Clickable CSS Tabs
With a more monochrome black-and-white feel, this is a simple CSS based tab design by Ondřej Bárta. The overall style and the color schemes make for a pretty plain yet attractive result. The tabs work just as any traditional tab would work. Clicking on one reveals the content inside. For subtle detail, the creator has added the CSS hover effect. When hovered over each of the tabs, the shade turns a shade darker, and an arrow appears. Selecting the tab also changes the color to white to match the detail section. Simple to achieve, implement, and understand, you can also view the complete code snippet through the link below.
Materialize CSS Tab Menu
Taking inspiration from the classic Google Material design, this is a result of Alex. Although it is simple to look at, we love the details here. The tabs on full view look the most professional out of all the options we have listed today. Complete with all of the contents inside also makes for an appealing look. Blue-colored tabs alongside the hover and click effect are extra engaging. When hovered over, the tabs are highlighted with the color transition, and the underlined slides under the texts when clicked. However, this example is a combination of both CSS and JS.
Recipe Card with CSS Tabs
If you own a food blog or recipe-related website, this design is specially for the niche. Perfect for tabbed contents, especially with food recipes, you can even use this for anything. The whole structure is quite versatile, so to say. There are even two different variations that the creator has come up with. The first example uses the button expansion effect when clicked to adjust to the revealed content. The second option showcases a different transition where the tabs stay static while the content changes with each click.
Each of these, however, executes an excellent color transition hover effect. The color schemes with green and white also make the whole design pop up more.
CSS3 Tabs by Sorax
Using a patterned background and an engaging way to reveal the content on each tab, the creator of this example has ended up with a fabulous result. It uses a blue and white color scheme to keep the clean and professional look. The tabs and the texts are pretty simple, but the elevating factor is the effects on the tabbed box and the texts. Using CSS3 animations, the content box appears almost realistically when clicked on any tabs. Another small detail is the color transition from black to blue when hovering over the cursor.
Pure CSS3 Tabbed Content
Yet again, using the vertical design structure, this is a minimal and monochrome design by Colin Hall. The tabs appear horizontally, like a sidebar on a site. The content is revealed in the large area on the right when clicked on. The color palette is what makes this a clean and professional design. The designer has used creative icons instead of plain text to make things more interesting. The design is also responsive, which means it easily adjusts to every device’s screen size. The color transition from black to white and white to black on hover adds a creative touch.
jQuery and CSS Tabbed file folder
We have mentioned a similar design above, but this folder-based CSS tab design is plain and simpler. A design by Ian Glaude uses color and shadow play to make it a realistic depiction. It works just like any tab revealing content when clicked on. The creative touch here, however, is the smooth shadow play and the 3D pop-up-like effect. Considering that this design relies on JS as well, this might be a bit harder to achieve compared to the ones listed here. However, you get access to all of their structure to better understand. Just follow the link down below.
Tabs
Last but not least, this is another one in the blue and white colored CSS tab design. Based purely on CSS and HTML, this design is also completely responsive. Depending on the screen size, it transforms into a horizontal or vertical view of the tabs. Playing with the opacity of each tab, the hover effect is also quite stunning. Another engaging animation is used in the content section, which contracts and expands when changing from one to the other. The pale blue and white also work great together, giving it a more calm and clean touch. And because it is based on CSS and HTML, implementing this design onto your site is also easier.
UI/UX Example: Tab Switch Animation
This CSS tab design is certainly unique and out of the box. Creative and engaging, this particular example makes use of toggle-based design. It relies on HTML, CSS, and JS code structure to get a smooth-running interface. While the demo showcases only 2 tabs with options inside, the structure is flexible enough for you to add more. Sliding into view, left and right, according to the switch, this tab is a fantastic way to add that animated element to your site. A pretty straightforward design to get started with, you can replicate the whole structure onto your site with ease. Follow the link below to get a closer look at the lines of codes used and better understand how the result came to be.
CSS Tabs
If you want something more sophisticated and out of the box, this vertical CSS tab design is just for you. Created with the code structure using CSS, HTML, and JS, this design is unique and visually pleasing. It features a horizontal tab instead of the traditional vertical design, with all of the tabs represented by icons. The contents inside are designed to be displayed on the card-based design, and each fades in and out of display when the tabs are clicked on. Another small detail is the color transition effect on the icons of each tab when hovered over.
The gradient background is surely eye-catching, and the overall design is versatile enough to match any website. An animated call-to-action button is also available. It transforms its color and position on hover for a more engaging appeal. Julie Park created this CSS tab design, which deserves a mention on our list.
CSS Tab Bars
With more and more websites depending on creative ways to represent your menus and tabs, this certainly stands out. With a design similar to a filing folder, everything about this particular example is coded with great detailing. The creator has taken a simple concept and executed it with great effort. It starts as a single card with the number of the tab and the contents inside. There is a button on the bottom left that allows for the next tab to show.
Each tab follows the next while overlapping the one displaying until the last tab. The same effect applies when you click on the previous tabs. The contents slide in and out of display on click. Although the code looks pretty simple, it might be a bit sophisticated. So why not follow the link below to get a better and closer look at the code structure and a live preview?
Elastic Tabs
If you prefer to keep the design simple yet engaging using creative animations and effects, this elastic tab is one for you. The creator, Nenad Kaevik, has used a simple menu design and elevated it as a whole with just a few creative implementations of animations. It features a minimal header menu with the title and icon representing each tab. The selection is highlighted when clicked on and displays a color transition, including the icon and the text.
Depending on the selection, the selector is animated to slide left and right into position while depicting a more elastic-like movement. The whole structure is also designed to be responsive and effortlessly adjusts to all device screens. Every element is highly customizable, which means that you can easily personalize the colors, fonts, and even icons used to get exactly what you want.
Pure CSS Tabs With A Hint Of JS
This pretty straightforward design is the proper definition of CSS tab design. It features a pretty purpose-oriented interface that covers everything one expects from a tab design. It features a simplistic layout with the contents displayed under the functional tab menu. The color palette is also pretty eye-catching. When clicked on any specific tabs, the contents inside fade in and out of display with the help of CSS and JS codes. This template is customizable, meaning all elements can be changed according to their preference. Overall a pretty distinct and simple way to add in tabs or menus onto your site, the link below provides full access to the code structures and live previews.
Scroll For Tabs
Another one incorporating JS, CSS and HTML codes to get this outstanding result is Scroll for tabs by Praveen Kumar Gorakala. Responsive, attractive and vibrant with the color palette, this sure is designed with the visual aspect as the primary focus. It includes a simple setting with a card-based design with the tabs placed above as the header menu. With a fixed length of the menu bar, the titles also slide in and out of the scroll view. Even the contents change when scrolled on. The tabs also execute a hover effect that makes it even more appealing. Another great detail is that the box of contents also adjusts its size according to the contents expanding and contracting accordingly. The whole structure is responsive and fully adjusts to every device’s screen size with ease.
CSS Tabs
The last one we have for you is another awesome way to integrate CSS tabs onto your site. It works as a toggle switch to switch between the contents from one tab to the next using simple but attractive animations. Here, the demo showcases two tabs with different contents, which slide into the device screen left and right to exit or come into display. The tabs, as a whole, follow a pretty minimal style. And it showcases the selection with a simple animated underline below the title. The good thing, of course, is that the whole structure makes use of just CSS and HTML codes, which is not as complicated and sophisticated as it may look. Just go ahead and follow the link below to get a full view of all the elements used and to preview the demo.
Modern CSS Tab Design
This is a more custom and easy-to-work-with design of CSS tabs by Carlos Valereano. It features three different designs that differ in the shape and colors of the tabs. It is a user-friendly canvas you can use to get a head start. It features a simple hover-and-click effect that showcases the selection of the tabs as well. Here, you will also find multicolored and colored versions of the tabs.
For variations, you can choose from a range of options available there. Customize it however you prefer and easily add that extra touch of creativity. Find the in-depth details of all the code structures showcased above through the link below.
CSS Tabs For NDC
This is a more classic design of CSS tabs, which are designed in a simple file-like format. Designed with a professional sense of styling, it also features amazing responsiveness. The tabs are pretty easily customizable and can easily display a range of textual content. When clicked on any tabs, it slides down to display the contents and uses smooth transitions when switched from one to the other. The design is quite basic; however, the structure is clean and looks advanced. Plenty of HTML, CSS, and JS elements are implemented to ensure a smooth running result.
Basic Tabs
Lastly, we end our list of the best CSS tabs with this basic tab design based purely on HTML and CSS. Simple with the structure, it showcases 3 tabs represented by the tag atop the table. When clicked on any of these, the selection is highlighted with a simple hover and click effect. Both feature smooth color change and slide the contents into view when clicked on. Simple enough with the purposes, it is also easy to customize and add your custom touch. Get the full code snippet with the link below and get a head start on any future web design projects.