Gravity Forms is a powerful form builder plugin for WordPress, and dropdown fields are one of its most commonly used elements. Often, you’ll want the first option in a dropdown list to be automatically selected by default. Here’s how to ensure that behavior in just a few steps.
Step-by-Step: Set First Dropdown Option as Default
- Access Your Form
- From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Forms.
- Click Edit on the form you wish to update.
- Edit the Dropdown Field
- Click on the dropdown field you want to modify.
- This will open the field settings on the right.
- Manage Choices
- You’ll see a list of options under the General tab.
- By default, the first choice in the list is used unless you specify otherwise.
- Ensure First Option is the Default
- Do not check the “Default” checkbox for any other options.
- If none are marked as default and the placeholder is disabled, the first option will be selected automatically.
- Optional: Use a Placeholder Instead
- If you want the dropdown to display a non-selectable option like “Please select…”, you can enable the Placeholder setting.
- Note: If the field is required and a placeholder is selected, users will have to actively choose a different option.
Quick Tips
- Avoid setting multiple default options—only one should be active at a time.
- Use placeholders when you don’t want a real selection to be auto-selected.
Conclusion
Setting the first option as the default in a Gravity Forms dropdown is straightforward. Just make sure that:
- No other options are explicitly marked as default.
- The placeholder is turned off (unless needed for UX reasons).
This ensures a clean, user-friendly experience and helps guide users to submit the correct information the first time.
