{"id":54213,"date":"2022-05-09T17:36:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T17:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"\/tutorials\/?p=54213"},"modified":"2026-03-10T09:29:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:29:02","slug":"wordpress-dropdown-menu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/ca\/tutorials\/wordpress-dropdown-menu\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create a WordPress drop-down menu and its best practices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drop-down menus are essential for many websites’ navigation systems, providing a user-friendly way to organize and access content. WordPress, with its intuitive interface, makes creating drop-down menus easy.<\/p>

This article will teach you three ways to make a drop-down menu. We’ll also explore best practices for designing drop-down menus that enhance user experience and optimize website navigation.<\/p>

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How to Create a WordPress Drop-Down Menu<\/h2>

Follow these steps to seamlessly integrate drop-down menus into your WordPress site<\/a> using the Site Editor, the Max Mega Menu plugin, and manually. Let’s begin with the Site Editor method.<\/p>

How to Add a WordPress Drop-Down Menu With Site Editor<\/h3>

The Navigation block in the Site Editor provides a drag-and-drop interface for creating and organizing all the menu items, making it easier to build drop-down menus. Note that this method is currently only compatible with block themes.<\/p>

Here’s how to create a drop-down menu using the Navigation block:<\/p>

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  1. Head to Appearance <\/strong>→ Editor <\/strong>from your WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Click the block inserter (+<\/strong>) icon in the top menu bar and search for the Navigation <\/strong>block. Drag and drop it anywhere in the editor interface.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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    1. In the Settings <\/strong>sidebar, drag an existing menu item to a lower level, turning it into a child menu nested inside the main menu item.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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      1. To create a drop-down menu with a new menu link, select Options <\/strong>→ Add submenu link<\/strong> next to the intended parent menu item.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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        1. Click on the block inserter (+<\/strong>) icon and pick a different block to create a submenu for another content type. Drag and drop it under its intended parent menu item.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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          1. Click on individual menu items to configure the menu settings, such as the label, URL, and description.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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            1. To create a new submenu under the same parent menu item, select the block inserter (+<\/strong>) icon under the existing child menu item.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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              1. The final result will look as follows:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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                How to Add a Drop-Down Menu in WordPress Using a Plugin<\/h3>

                Another way to create custom drop-down menus involves using a drop-down menu plugin. There are many excellent menu plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory. For this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to create a drop-down menu using Max Mega Menu<\/a>:<\/p>

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                1. Install and activate the WordPress plugin<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Navigate to Mega Menu<\/strong> from your dashboard. In the Menu Locations<\/strong> section, click on your primary menu and check the Enable Max Mega Menu for this menu location<\/strong> box to enable the drop-down functionality. Inside the same section, choose the event that triggers the submenu and the drop-down menu’s animation on desktop and mobile and select Save Changes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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                  1. The plugin will inherit your theme’s style by default. Open the Menu Themes<\/strong> tab if you want to tweak the menu’s style, animation, and size. Make sure the Select theme to edit<\/strong> option points to your primary menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Navigate to Appearance <\/strong>→ Menus<\/strong> and add items to the default or primary menu with the Max Mega Menu functionality enabled. Click Save Menu<\/strong> once you’re done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

                    How to Create Drop-Down Menus Manually<\/h3>

                    Creating a drop-down navigation menu in WordPress manually involves using the native features of a WordPress website. The upside of this method is that the drop-down menu will remain functional even after changing WordPress themes or installing new plugins.<\/p>

                    With this method, you can include pages, posts, categories, and custom links in your menu. However, ensure your theme supports drop-down menus by checking the theme’s documentation.<\/p>

                    Follow these steps to create a custom drop-down menu in WordPress manually:<\/p>

                    1. Create the Menu Items<\/strong><\/p>

                    First, we need to create a new menu. Navigate to Appearance <\/strong>→ Menus <\/strong>from your WordPress dashboard. Within the Edit Menus<\/strong> tab, you’ll see the Menu structure<\/strong> section where you can create a new menu.<\/p>

                    Keep in mind that the appearance of this section will depend on your theme.<\/p>

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                    Add the menu name to the textbox and select Create Menu<\/strong>. Then, switch to the Add menu items<\/strong> section and pick the desired elements for the new submenu. You can do so by checking the box next to a chosen item and clicking Add to Menu<\/strong>.<\/p>

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                    The supported items you can use for sub-items include pages, posts, and categories. You can also insert custom links as menu items, allowing you to redirect users to a specific page on your site.<\/p>

                    The selected menu items will appear under the Menu structure<\/strong> section. Simply drag and drop the items and sub-items in your preferred order.<\/p>

                    2. Style the Menu<\/strong><\/p>

                    WordPress drop-down menus are customizable using CSS. Enable this function by selecting the Screen Options<\/strong> menu at the top right corner of the Menus<\/strong> page and checking the CSS Classes<\/strong> box.<\/p>

                    If you expand a menu item, you’ll see a new text box labeled CSS Classes<\/strong>. This is where you can add WordPress CSS classes to customize the style of your new drop-down menu.<\/p>

                    Check out our complete CSS cheat sheet<\/a> to help you personalize the drop-down menu.<\/p>

                    3. Publish the Menu<\/strong><\/p>

                    To change the location of the new menu, you can choose from the available options under the Menu Settings<\/strong> section or the Manage Locations<\/strong> tab. Once again, the choice depends on your active WordPress theme.<\/p>

                    In this example, we will place the menu at the top:<\/p>

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                    Click the Save Menu <\/strong>button at the bottom right corner to save the changes and publish the drop-down menu.<\/p>

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                    \n Pro Tip <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

                    For a visual reference while changing menu locations, select the Manage with Live Preview<\/strong> button at the top of the page. This is especially helpful for creating complex multi-level drop-down menus. In the live preview mode, all changes made in the WordPress customizer are displayed in real time, allowing you to publish the drop-down menu directly from this mode.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n<\/p>

                    Benefits of a Drop-Down Menu for WordPress Sites<\/h2>

                    Drop-down menus offer numerous advantages for WordPress sites, enhancing both aesthetics and functionality. Key benefits include:<\/p>