Shadcn Accordion: Collapsible Content Sections for React
The shadcn accordion is a vertically stacked set of headings that expand and collapse to reveal content, ideal for FAQs, settings panels, and long documentation pages. Styled entirely with Tailwind CSS and shipped as source code you own, this react accordion component gives you full control over spacing, icons, and animation without fighting a library's opinions.
This page collects copy-paste accordion examples ready for any Next.js or Vite project. Alongside the basic layout you will find plus icon triggers, icons on the left, items with subtext, and the stacked and bordered treatments, plus a multiple items variant that lets several sections stay open at once.
What is the Shadcn Accordion component?
An accordion condenses related content into headings the user can open one at a time, keeping pages scannable without hiding information behind extra routes. The official shadcn accordion wires up trigger, content, and animation for you, and every variant here builds on that same TypeScript API so you can drop the code straight into an existing design system.
Because the component ships as plain files rather than an npm dependency, changing the chevron, tightening the padding, or restyling the active state shown in the last example is just an edit to your own code.
Why use the Shadcn Accordion?
- Accessible by default: Keyboard navigation, focus management, and correct ARIA attributes come from the underlying primitive, so screen readers announce each section properly.
- Single or multiple mode: Switch between allowing one open panel or many with a single prop, as the multiple items example on this page demonstrates.
- Smooth height animation: Content animates open and closed with CSS, no measuring or JavaScript layout work required.
- Easy visual variation: The plus icon, left icon, subtext, stacked, and bordered examples all share one base, so restyling is a matter of Tailwind classes.
- SEO friendly content: Collapsed panels remain part of the DOM, so search engines can still index FAQ answers and long-form content.
Production tips
- Default the first item open: Landing a user on a fully collapsed accordion hides everything. Pass a defaultValue so the most important section is visible immediately.
- Keep triggers short: Trigger text should read like a question or label, not a sentence. Move detail into the panel or into a subtext line as in the subtext variants.
- Avoid nesting accordions: Two levels of collapse confuse users quickly. If content needs hierarchy, split it into tabs or separate pages instead.
- Mind icon rotation: If you swap the chevron for a plus icon, update the open-state rotation so the icon reads as a minus or an x when expanded.
Works well with other components
Accordions pair naturally with a card wrapper when you want each group boxed on a settings page, and with tabs when top-level categories split into collapsible detail. For a single toggle without the list semantics, the lighter collapsible is often the better fit.
Inside marketing pages, an accordion FAQ sits nicely below pricing content, and in dashboards it organizes filter panels next to a data table. You can see accordions used in context across our dashboard blocks.
Radix UI and Base UI support
Every example on this page runs on either the Radix UI Accordion or the Base UI Accordion, and the markup is written so the two are interchangeable. Both primitives handle roving focus, Home and End keys, and disabled items, which means the accessibility story does not change when you switch.
If your project has standardized on one primitive library, copy the matching version and keep your bundle consistent. The Tailwind CSS classes stay identical either way.