How to Show Alert Dialog with Options on Button Click in Android

AlertDialogs are one of the most commonly used UI elements in Android apps. Whether you’re prompting the user for confirmation, presenting a decision, or showing information—Alert Dialogs with options make your app interactive and user-friendly.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to:

Create an AlertDialog
Show it when a button is clicked
Add options like Yes, No, Cancel
Handle each button click individually

🔧 Step-by-Step: Show Alert Dialog on Button Click

✅ Step 1: Create a Button in Your Layout

res/layout/activity_main.xml

<Button
    android:id="@+id/showDialogButton"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="Show Dialog"
    android:layout_gravity="center"/>

✅ Step 2: Show AlertDialog with Options (Java)

MainActivity.java

import android.app.AlertDialog;
import android.content.DialogInterface;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.Button;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        Button showDialogButton = findViewById(R.id.showDialogButton);

        showDialogButton.setOnClickListener(view -> {
            AlertDialog.Builder builder = new AlertDialog.Builder(MainActivity.this);
            builder.setTitle("Confirm Action");
            builder.setMessage("Do you want to proceed?");

            builder.setPositiveButton("Yes", (dialog, which) -> {
                // handle yes
            });

            builder.setNegativeButton("No", (dialog, which) -> {
                // handle no
            });

            builder.setNeutralButton("Cancel", (dialog, which) -> {
                // handle cancel
            });

            AlertDialog dialog = builder.create();
            dialog.show();
        });
    }
}

🚀 Kotlin Version

MainActivity.kt

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        val showDialogButton: Button = findViewById(R.id.showDialogButton)

        showDialogButton.setOnClickListener {
            val builder = AlertDialog.Builder(this)
            builder.setTitle("Confirm Action")
            builder.setMessage("Do you want to proceed?")
            builder.setPositiveButton("Yes") { _, _ ->
                // handle yes
            }
            builder.setNegativeButton("No") { _, _ ->
                // handle no
            }
            builder.setNeutralButton("Cancel") { _, _ ->
                // handle cancel
            }
            builder.create().show()
        }
    }
}

🧠 Bonus Tips

Use setCancelable(false) to make the dialog non-dismissable by tapping outside.
You can customize the button color, icon, or add checkboxes inside the dialog using a custom layout.

🧩 Use Cases for Alert Dialogs

Use Case	Benefit
Confirm Deletion	Avoid accidental data loss
Select User Preferences	Offer options before action
App Exit Confirmation	Improve user experience
Inform Users of Critical Info	Provide clear warnings or decisions

Adding a click-to-show Alert Dialog is one of the simplest and most effective ways to interact with users in an Android app. It helps you build intuitive UI, reduce user error, and offer better control over app decisions.

With this tutorial, you’re now ready to:

Trigger dialogs on any button
Handle user decisions cleanly
Create a modern Android experience 🎯

Did this help you add dialog functionality?
What are you building with it? Drop your thoughts, questions, or code tweaks in the comments! 💬👇