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WordPress menu instructions depend on your active theme. With a classic or hybrid theme, use Appearance > Menus; with a block theme, use the Navigation block in Appearance > Editor > Navigation or in the header template. Both systems let you link pages, posts, categories and custom URLs, arrange them into dropdowns, and control where navigation appears.
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First identify which menu editor your theme uses
The theme, not the WordPress installation alone, determines the menu screen you see. Before changing anything, open the dashboard and check whether Appearance contains Menus or Editor.
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| Theme type | Editing surface | How navigation is placed | How new pages appear | Responsive and design controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic theme | Appearance > Menus | Assign the menu to a theme-registered display location, such as a header or footer | Add pages manually through the menu screen | Mostly controlled by the theme; menu structure is managed in the dashboard |
| Hybrid theme | Usually Appearance > Menus, although some theme areas may use blocks | Use the locations exposed by the theme | Usually manual additions | Depends on the theme and any block-based template parts it provides |
| Block theme | Appearance > Editor > Navigation, or a Navigation block in a header or template | The Navigation block is saved in a template or template part, commonly the header | A Page List can reflect published pages automatically; after conversion to individual links, additions are manual | Navigation block settings include typography, colors, layout, spacing, submenu behavior and a mobile overlay |
WordPress 5.9 was the last release in which the Appearance > Menus screen was included by default for every site. WordPress 6.3, released in 2023, expanded menu editing in the Site Editor for block themes. These version milestones explain why two otherwise current WordPress sites can show different instructions.
Creating a menu with a classic or hybrid theme
1. Open the menu manager and create a menu
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Appearance > Menus.
- Select Create a new menu.
- Enter a descriptive name, such as “Primary navigation” or “Footer links,” and select Create Menu.
The name is an internal label. Visitors do not see it unless your theme separately prints a menu title.
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2. Add pages, posts, categories or custom links
The left side of the menu screen contains panels for content types supported by your site. Select one or more published pages, posts or categories, then choose Add to Menu. To link to a destination that is not a WordPress item, open Custom Links, enter the complete URL, supply the text that should appear in the menu, and add it.
Use a custom link when you need to point to another site, a specific archive, a file, or an anchor URL. Check the address and label before saving; a typo in either field produces a menu that appears correctly but takes visitors to the wrong place.
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Menu items appear as draggable boxes. Drag an item up or down to change its position. To make a dropdown, drag the item slightly to the right beneath its intended parent until it becomes indented, then release it. The indented item is a child (submenu) item; the item above it is the parent.
You can nest a page under a category, a custom link under a page, or other combinations supported by the theme. Keep the hierarchy understandable: a parent that is only a label should still provide a useful path when selected, or be treated as a deliberate non-link parent if the theme supports that behavior.
4. Assign the menu to a display location
In Menu Settings > Display location, choose the location where visitors should see the menu, such as a header, primary navigation area or footer. Select Save Menu again after assigning the location.
Locations are supplied by the active theme. A menu can be perfectly configured yet remain invisible if it is not assigned, if the wrong location is selected, or if the theme does not register the location you expected. A theme may also display more than one menu location, so confirm which one controls the part of the site you are editing.
5. Edit or remove an item
Select the arrow on an item to open its settings. You can change its navigation label without changing the destination, edit a custom URL, or remove the item from the menu. Removing an item only removes the menu entry; it does not delete the underlying page, post or category.
Save after structural changes and test the visible menu in a new browser tab. Check both the parent item and every dropdown destination.
Creating and editing navigation in a block theme
Open the Navigation area
- In the dashboard, go to Appearance > Editor > Navigation to see the navigation menus available to the site.
- Open an existing menu to edit it, or select the Navigation block in the header or template part that controls the page you are viewing.
- If you are editing a template directly, open List View when necessary to select the correct Navigation block among other header elements.
A block theme can use different headers or templates for different parts of a site. Editing one Navigation block does not necessarily change every template, so identify the header or template assigned to the affected page.
Start with a Page List or an existing menu
A new Navigation block can begin with a Page List. The list reflects published pages and is useful when you want WordPress to assemble an initial navigation quickly. Select the Page List and choose Edit when you need to work with individual links.
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Add links and build a submenu
Within the Navigation block, add a page link, a custom URL or another supported link type. Select the submenu control to place one or more links beneath a parent. A submenu may contain page links, custom links and other blocks supported by the Navigation block.
Use the block’s move controls or List View to reorder items. List View is particularly useful when several items are nested because it exposes the parent-child structure without relying on precise dragging.
Configure appearance and mobile behavior
The Navigation block sidebar and toolbar provide controls for:
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- Typography, text and background colors.
- Horizontal or other layout choices and spacing.
- Whether submenus open on hover or on click.
- Whether submenu arrows are displayed.
- A collapsed mobile overlay for smaller screens.
Save the changes to the editor, then preview the site at desktop and narrow widths. Verify that the mobile toggle opens, that the overlay can be closed, and that submenu controls are usable without relying only on a hover action.
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Managing menus after they are published
Keep labels and destinations aligned
Menu text should tell visitors what they will find after selecting it. If a page title changes, update the navigation label when the old wording would mislead visitors. For custom links, periodically open the URL and confirm that it still resolves to the intended destination.
Use parent items deliberately
A dropdown parent can link to an overview page while its children link to specific sections. That arrangement gives keyboard and touch users a useful destination even when they do not open the submenu. Avoid creating a parent that contains only a long, ungrouped list; divide large collections into clear categories.
Remember that menus and content are separate
Changing, reordering or removing a menu item does not move or delete the page, post or category it references. Conversely, deleting a page does not guarantee that every custom menu entry pointing to its old URL has been removed. Review menu links when content is retired or its URL changes.
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Why a menu is not showing
Work through the branch that matches your theme rather than applying classic-theme instructions to a block theme.
Classic or hybrid theme checklist
- Confirm that you are editing the menu shown in Appearance > Menus.
- Under Menu Settings > Display location, select the location used by the site’s header, footer or other navigation area, then save.
- Check whether the active theme actually registers that location. A location belongs to the theme; a similarly named location from a previous theme may no longer exist.
- Open the menu item and verify its URL and navigation label.
- Clear any page or browser cache only after confirming the assignment; caching cannot correct an unassigned menu.
Block-theme checklist
- Go to Appearance > Editor > Navigation and confirm that the menu contains the expected links.
- Open the header or template used by the affected page and select its Navigation block. A different template may contain a different navigation block.
- If the menu began as a Page List, determine whether it was converted to individual links. Converted lists require manual additions for newly published pages.
- Inspect custom URLs, labels, nesting and the block sidebar’s submenu and mobile-overlay settings.
- Use List View to check that an item is inside the intended submenu rather than outside it or nested under the wrong parent.
When the menu appears on one page but not another
This usually indicates a template or template-part difference. In a block theme, compare the headers or templates assigned to the two pages and edit the Navigation block in the one that controls the missing page. In a classic theme, compare the theme location and any page-specific layout settings supplied by the theme.
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How themes place menus technically
Classic themes expose named locations for administrators to select. In theme code, developers register those locations with register_nav_menus() and output a selected menu with wp_nav_menu(). If a developer has not registered a location, it cannot appear as a selectable destination in the menu screen. This is why changing a menu’s name or order cannot create a new header location.
Block themes use the Navigation block inside a template or template part instead of relying on the classic location workflow. The block itself carries the menu structure and design settings, while the template determines where that navigation appears.
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| Need | Classic or hybrid approach | Block-theme approach |
|---|---|---|
| Find the editor | Appearance > Menus | Appearance > Editor > Navigation or a Navigation block in the relevant template |
| Place the menu | Choose a registered display location | Insert or edit the Navigation block in a template or template part |
| Build a dropdown | Indent an item beneath a parent by dragging it right | Add a submenu and place links inside it; use move controls or List View |
| Automatic page additions | Not part of the standard menu workflow; add pages through the menu screen | Available while using a Page List; conversion to individual links ends automatic additions |
| Style and responsive controls | Primarily determined by the theme, with menu structure managed in the dashboard | Navigation block controls include typography, colors, spacing, submenu activation, arrows and a mobile overlay |
Practical menu design checks
- Use a short, specific label. “Support” or “Account” is easier to scan than a sentence-length page title.
- Keep hierarchy predictable. Place related child links under one parent and avoid mixing unrelated destinations in the same dropdown.
- Test touch and keyboard use. A hover-only submenu can be difficult on phones; a click behavior or mobile overlay is often more dependable.
- Check every breakpoint. Desktop navigation can look correct while a mobile overlay, collapsed toggle or deeply nested submenu is unusable.
- Review after theme changes. Classic display locations belong to the active theme, and block templates can change when a different header or template part is selected.
Version and interface notes
If a tutorial tells you to open Appearance > Menus but your site uses a block theme, the instruction is not necessarily wrong; it may describe the classic workflow. WordPress 5.9 documentation marked the Appearance Menus screen as no longer the default for all sites, while WordPress 6.3 documentation identified Site Editor navigation editing for block themes. Follow the interface presented by your current theme and WordPress installation rather than forcing a menu screen that is not available.
The Navigation block’s purpose is broader than adding links: WordPress documentation describes it as the tool for editing a site’s navigation menu, including its structure and design. That distinction matters when troubleshooting. In a classic theme, a missing menu is often an unassigned location; in a block theme, it is often the wrong template, an incomplete Navigation block or a Page List that stopped updating after conversion.
A reliable publish-and-test routine
- Identify the theme type and open the matching editor.
- Create or select the menu, then add only the destinations visitors need.
- Arrange top-level items and indent child items to form the intended hierarchy.
- Assign a classic menu to the correct display location, or place the Navigation block in the header or template that controls the target pages.
- Save the menu or editor changes.
- Open the public site in a new tab and test every top-level item, dropdown, custom URL and mobile control.
- If a newly published page is missing, check whether the navigation still uses a Page List or has been converted to individually editable links.
Once these distinctions are clear, creating a WordPress menu is a repeatable process: select the editor supplied by the theme, build the hierarchy, place it in the correct location or template, and test both desktop and mobile behavior.
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