Skip to content

How to check if a checkbox is checked using JavaScript?

New Course Coming Soon:

Get Really Good at Git

Find out how to check the state of a checkbox, looking if it is checked or not, using JavaScript

Inspect the checked property of the element.

Say you have this checkbox:

<input type="checkbox" class="checkbox" />

You can see if it’s checked using

document.querySelector('.checkbox').checked

You can also check if looking for .checkbox:checked does not return null:

document.querySelector('.checkbox:checked') !== null

but I think looking for .checked is cleaner.

Do NOT use getAttribute() looking for the checked attribute value, because that’s always true if the checkbox is checked by default in this way:

<input type="checkbox" checked />

Also don’t check for the value of a checkbox element. It’s always on, regardless whether the checkbox is checked or not.

Are you intimidated by Git? Can’t figure out merge vs rebase? Are you afraid of screwing up something any time you have to do something in Git? Do you rely on ChatGPT or random people’s answer on StackOverflow to fix your problems? Your coworkers are tired of explaining Git to you all the time? Git is something we all need to use, but few of us really master it. I created this course to improve your Git (and GitHub) knowledge at a radical level. A course that helps you feel less frustrated with Git. Launching Summer 2024. Join the waiting list!
→ Read my DOM Tutorial on The Valley of Code
→ Read my Browser Events Tutorial on The Valley of Code
→ Read my Browser APIs Tutorials on The Valley of Code

Here is how can I help you: