How to create navigation menus on WordPress

beginner 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Creating navigation menus in WordPress involves accessing the Appearance > Menus section in your dashboard, adding menu items, and assigning the menu to a theme location. You can add pages, posts, custom links, and categories to create a structured navigation system for your website.

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Prerequisites

WordPress admin access
Basic understanding of WordPress dashboard
Published pages or posts to link to
Active WordPress theme

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access the WordPress Menu Manager

Log into your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Menus. This will open the Menu Manager where you can create and customize your navigation menus.

If you're using a block theme, you might need to use the Site Editor instead by going to Appearance > Editor > Navigation.

Create a New Menu

Click on Create a new menu link at the top of the page. Enter a descriptive name for your menu in the Menu Name field (e.g., "Main Navigation" or "Header Menu") and click Create Menu.

Choose descriptive menu names to easily identify them if you create multiple menus for different sections of your site.

Add Menu Items

On the left side, you'll see boxes for Pages, Posts, Custom Links, and Categories. Check the boxes next to the items you want to add to your menu and click Add to Menu. The selected items will appear in the menu structure on the right side.

Use Custom Links to add external URLs or create dropdown separators for better menu organization.

Organize Menu Structure

Drag and drop menu items to reorder them. To create dropdown submenus, drag an item slightly to the right under another item until it becomes indented. You can also edit each menu item by clicking the dropdown arrow to change the Navigation Label or URL.

Keep your main navigation simple with 5-7 top-level items for better user experience and mobile compatibility.

Assign Menu to Theme Location

In the Menu Settings section at the bottom, check the box next to your desired theme location (such as Primary Menu or Header Menu). The available locations depend on your active theme.

Most themes offer multiple menu locations like header, footer, or sidebar menus - you can create different menus for each location.

Save Your Menu

Click the Save Menu button to save your navigation menu. Your menu will now appear on your website in the location you specified.

Preview and Test Your Menu

Visit your website's frontend to see how your menu appears to visitors. Test all menu links to ensure they work correctly and check how the menu displays on mobile devices by resizing your browser window.

Clear any caching plugins after making menu changes to see updates immediately on your live site.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Menu not appearing on the website

Ensure you've assigned the menu to a theme location in Menu Settings and clicked Save Menu. Some themes may require you to enable the menu location in Appearance > Customize.

Menu items not displaying in correct order

Go back to Appearance > Menus, select your menu, and drag items to reorder them. Make sure to click Save Menu after making changes.

Dropdown menus not working

Check that child menu items are properly indented under parent items in the menu structure. Also verify your theme supports dropdown menus and that JavaScript isn't being blocked by plugins.

Menu changes not visible on mobile

Clear your browser cache and any caching plugins. Some themes have separate mobile menu settings in Appearance > Customize that may need to be configured separately.

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