How to Add a Navigation Menu in WordPress

A clear navigation menu helps your visitors find what they're looking for quickly. WordPress includes a built-in menu management system that lets you create menus and assign them to locations defined by your theme - like the primary header menu or a footer menu.

Creating a Navigation Menu

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Menus.
2. Click create a new menu at the top of the page.
3. Give your menu a name (e.g., Main Menu) and click Create Menu.

Adding Items to Your Menu

1. On the left side of the Menus screen, you'll see panels for Pages, Posts, Custom Links, and Categories.
2. Check the box next to the Pages or items you want to add, then click Add to Menu.
3. Your items will appear on the right side of the screen. Drag and drop them to reorder them.
4. To create a dropdown submenu, drag a menu item slightly to the right and below another item - it will become a child of that parent item.

Assigning Your Menu to a Location

1. At the bottom of the menu editor, under Menu Settings, you'll see Display location checkboxes.
2. Check the location you want to assign this menu to (e.g., Primary Menu).
3. Click Save Menu.

Custom Links in Your Menu

You can add any URL to your menu using the Custom Links panel. This is useful for linking to external sites or specific sections of a page using anchor links.

After saving, visit your site's front end to confirm the menu is showing correctly. If your theme uses the Full Site Editor instead of the classic Menus screen, the process is slightly different - contact our support team if you need a hand.