WordPress menu instructions depend on your active theme. Classic and many hybrid themes use Appearance > Menus; block themes use the Navigation block in Appearance > Editor > Navigation or inside the header/template that displays it. Identify the theme first, then add links, arrange them, create submenus, and place the navigation where visitors can see it.
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Which WordPress menu editor should you use?
The theme determines both the editing screen and how a menu reaches the page. A classic theme generally stores a menu in the dashboard and assigns it to a registered location such as a header or footer. A block theme places a Navigation block in a template or template part, commonly the site header, and you edit that block in the Site Editor.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | Appearance > Menus | Assign the menu to a theme-registered display location | Pages are added only when you choose them | Mostly controlled by the theme; menu-item options are available in the menu screen |
| Hybrid | Usually Appearance > Menus, although some areas may use blocks | Use the locations supplied by the theme | Depends on whether that area uses a classic menu or a Navigation block | Depends on the theme and the editing surface |
| Block | Appearance > Editor > Navigation, or a Navigation block in a template | The Navigation block is placed in a header, template, or template part | A Page List can reflect published pages; after converting it to individual links, new pages must be added manually | Navigation-block controls include typography, colors, layout, spacing, submenu behavior, arrows, and a mobile overlay |
If Appearance > Menus is absent, you are probably using a block theme. WordPress 5.9 was the last version whose documentation described the Appearance Menus screen as present by default for all sites. WordPress 6.3 introduced menu editing in the Site Editor for block themes, so current block-theme instructions use the Navigation block instead.
Before you edit: identify the theme and the menu location
- In the dashboard, look at the Appearance menu. If you see Menus, start with the classic workflow. If you see Editor and a Navigation area, start with the block workflow.
- Decide which navigation you are changing. A site may have separate primary, utility, social, or footer navigation, and a block theme may use different headers or templates for different page types.
- Keep the browser tab for the front end available. After saving, open a page that uses the affected header or location and verify the result on both a wide and narrow viewport.
The same menu name does not guarantee that it appears everywhere. In a classic theme, the selected display location controls placement. In a block theme, the specific Navigation block inside the template controls placement.
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How to create a menu in a classic or hybrid theme
1. Create the menu
- Open Appearance > Menus in the WordPress dashboard.
- Select Create a new menu.
- Enter a descriptive name, such as “Primary navigation” or “Footer links,” and create the menu.
The name is for administration; visitors do not normally see it. Use names that identify the menu’s purpose so you can distinguish several menus later.
2. Add pages, posts, categories, or custom links
The menu editor displays panels for content types supported by the site and theme. Select the pages, posts, categories, or other items you want, then add them to the menu. To link to a destination that is not a WordPress item, use Custom Links, enter its URL and the label visitors should read, and add it.
Only add destinations that are published and reachable by your intended audience. For a label, describe the destination rather than using an internal title that makes sense only to the site owner. A custom link can point to another site, a landing page, or a specific path on your own site.
3. Set the order and build dropdowns
Menu items are displayed in the order shown in the editor. Drag an item up or down to move it. To make a dropdown, drag an item to the right beneath the item that should act as its parent. The indented item becomes a child (submenu) item.
For example, “Services” can be the parent, with “Consulting” and “Training” indented below it. A child can itself have children when the theme supports deeper nesting, but keep the structure shallow enough to remain usable on touch screens.
4. Assign the menu to a display location
- In Menu Settings, find Display location.
- Choose the location supplied by the theme, such as a header or footer location.
- Save the menu again.
Display locations are theme-dependent. If the theme does not register a location, it cannot be selected here; if you assign the menu to the wrong location, it may be saved successfully but appear somewhere other than the expected navigation. Theme developers register locations with register_nav_menus() and output them with wp_nav_menu().
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5. Edit an item and save
Open a menu item to inspect its settings. Change its navigation label when the visible wording should differ from the page title, and verify the destination before saving. Remove an item only when you intend to stop linking to it; removing a menu item does not delete the underlying page or post.
Click Save Menu, then visit a page that uses the selected location. Check the parent link, each dropdown, and any custom URL. If you changed a menu used in a cached site, refresh the page after the change is saved.
How to edit navigation in a block theme
Open the Navigation area in the Site Editor
- Open Appearance > Editor > Navigation.
- Select the navigation you want to manage, or open the relevant header/template and select its Navigation block.
- Use the block toolbar, List View, and the settings sidebar to select the exact item or submenu you need to change.
The header or template matters: editing one Navigation block does not change a different header used by another template. If a menu appears on posts but not on a page, open the template that controls that page and inspect its Navigation block.
Understand Page List versus individual links
A new Navigation block can begin with a Page List. That list reflects published pages and is useful when you want a navigation that follows the site’s page structure. To edit individual items, select the Page List and choose Edit. WordPress converts the list into individually editable links.
After conversion, newly published pages are no longer inserted automatically. Add each new page to the Navigation block yourself when it should appear in the menu. This distinction explains why a recently published page may be visible on the site but absent from navigation.
Add links and submenus
From the Navigation block, add a page link, a custom URL, or a submenu. A submenu can contain page links, custom links, or another supported block. Select an item and use the move controls or List View to change its position. Use indentation in List View to confirm which links belong under a parent.
Use a parent label that communicates whether it is a destination, a category, or simply a container for the dropdown. If the parent must open a page as well as reveal children, keep that behavior consistent with the rest of the site and test it on touch devices.
Configure design and mobile behavior
The Navigation block exposes controls that classic themes may leave to the theme’s stylesheet. Depending on the block and theme version, you can set typography, text and background colors, layout, spacing, submenu visibility on hover or click, and whether arrows are shown. The block also supports a collapsed mobile overlay so the full navigation does not occupy the entire small screen.
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After changing these settings, use the block’s preview or the front end at a narrow width. Confirm that the menu can be opened, that a submenu is distinguishable from its parent, and that the overlay can be closed without losing the page.
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Save the template change
When you edit a Navigation block inside a header, template, or template part, save the Site Editor changes. The change then applies wherever that template part is used. If you created a navigation in the standalone Navigation area but the visible header uses a different block, edit the block that is actually rendered on the affected page.
How to make a dropdown menu
Classic themes
In Appearance > Menus, add the parent and child items, then drag each child slightly to the right beneath its parent until WordPress shows it as a submenu. Save and test the dropdown at the assigned display location.
Block themes
In the Navigation block, insert a submenu or move links into the appropriate parent using List View and the block controls. Choose whether the submenu opens on hover or click when that option is available, decide whether arrows are displayed, and test the result in the mobile overlay.
A dropdown is a hierarchy, not merely a visual offset. Keep related links together, avoid burying important destinations several levels deep, and use labels that remain understandable when a visitor sees them without the surrounding page content.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a WordPress menu is not showing
The Appearance > Menus screen is missing
Check the theme type first. Block themes manage navigation through the Navigation block and Site Editor rather than the classic menu screen. Open Appearance > Editor > Navigation, or select the Navigation block in the header/template that controls the page.
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A classic-theme menu was saved but is invisible
- Return to Appearance > Menus and confirm the menu is assigned under Display location.
- Make sure you selected the location where the theme actually renders navigation, rather than a different header or footer location.
- If no suitable location is available, the theme may not have registered one. A developer must register a location with
register_nav_menus()and render it withwp_nav_menu(). - Open the front end after saving and check a page that uses the same theme layout; a location may not be present in every template.
A block-theme menu is missing on only some pages
Open the template or template part used by an affected page and select its Navigation block. A different header can be used for a different template, so changing another Navigation block will not affect this page.
A new page does not appear in navigation
Determine whether the block still contains a Page List or whether it was converted to individual links. A converted list requires manual additions for subsequently published pages. In a classic menu, pages are not added unless you select and save them in the menu editor.
A dropdown opens incorrectly or a link goes to the wrong place
- Check the item’s indentation and parent in the classic menu editor or Navigation block List View.
- Open the item and verify its label and destination, especially for custom URLs.
- For a Navigation block, inspect submenu visibility, arrow, and mobile-overlay settings in the block sidebar.
- Test the same menu at desktop and mobile widths; a layout that looks correct in one mode may be collapsed or hidden in the other.
Menu maintenance that prevents future problems
Use a clear information hierarchy
Put the destinations visitors need most at the top level. Group closely related pages under one parent, and avoid using a parent merely to add another visual line. If the parent is not a destination, make that clear in its label and test how the theme handles it.
Keep labels stable and specific
Navigation labels should remain recognizable when a visitor scans only the menu. Prefer “Contact,” “Documentation,” or a precise service name over vague labels such as “Click here.” When a page title changes, decide separately whether the menu label should change; the menu label is editable independently in classic menus and individual Navigation-block links.
Review links after structural changes
When you rename, unpublish, or move content, inspect every menu that points to it. This is especially important for custom URLs and for block navigation that has been converted from a Page List, because those links are maintained individually.
Test the navigation where visitors use it
- Open the primary menu on a desktop-sized display and a narrow mobile display.
- Open every submenu and follow at least one child link.
- Confirm the mobile overlay opens and closes and does not obscure the control needed to dismiss it.
- Check templates that use different headers, such as posts, pages, archives, or landing pages.
Classic menus and Navigation blocks: choosing the right approach
Neither interface is universally better; the theme decides which one is available. Classic menus are direct and predictable when a theme exposes well-named locations. Navigation blocks give block-theme users control over structure and design in the same editor used for templates, including mobile overlay and submenu settings. The key operational difference is placement: a classic menu is assigned to a registered location, while a block navigation is edited where it is inserted.
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WordPress.org documentation
Once you know whether the site is classic, hybrid, or block-based, menu work is a repeatable process: add only the destinations you want, establish the hierarchy, place the navigation in the correct location or template, save, and verify it at the sizes and page types your visitors use.
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