Gotcha: Difficulty Styling Native Inputs Extensively

Trying to significantly change the shape, size, or appearance of native checkboxes and radio buttons using only standard Tailwind utility classes (like `w-`, `h-`, `bg-`, `border-`) is often ineffective or yields inconsistent results. The `accent-*` classes only modify the color of the browser's default control.

1. Standard Checkbox (Unstyled)

2. Checkbox with `accent-red-600` (Color Change Only)

3. "Gotcha" - Attempting to Style Shape/Size Directly (Often Ineffective)

Applying classes like `w-8 h-8 rounded-full bg-yellow-200 border-2 border-yellow-500` to a native checkbox usually doesn't transform it into a large, yellow, circular checkbox. The browser's default rendering often overrides these.

The "Gotcha": As seen above, regular Tailwind utilities for size, background, and borders have limited effect on the visual style of the native checkbox's checkmark area. For comprehensive custom styling, you'd typically use:

  • The `@tailwindcss/forms` plugin (provides pre-styled, customizable form elements).
  • The `appearance-none` utility to remove default browser styling, then rebuild the control's look from scratch (more complex).