How Do I Add a Page to My Website Menu?

TL;DR

• Most themes: go to Appearance, then Menus. Add your page, drag it into place, and save.
• Newer block themes: use the Navigation block in the site editor.
• You need administrator access to change menus.
• Rather not do it yourself? Tell us the page and where it belongs, and we’ll add it.

How Do I Add a Page to My Menu?

In most themes, menus live under Appearance, then Menus:

1. Log into WordPress with an administrator account.
2. Go to Appearance, then Menus.
3. Pick the menu you want to change. If your site has more than one, like a main menu and a footer menu, choose it from the drop-down at the top.
4. Find your page in the Pages box on the left. Don’t see it? Click View All.
5. Check the box next to it and click Add to Menu.
6. Drag it into position in the menu list.
7. Click Save Menu.

How Do I Make a Page a Dropdown Item?

A dropdown, also called a submenu, is a list of links that appears when someone hovers over or taps a main menu item.

• Under Appearance, then Menus: drag the page just below its main item and slightly to the right, so it’s indented. Then click Save Menu.
• In a block theme: select the main item, then “Click Add submenu in the block toolbar,” as WordPress’s guide puts it.

What If My Theme Doesn’t Have a Menus Screen?

Newer block themes manage menus in the site editor instead:

1. Go to Appearance, then Editor.
2. Open Navigation, or click the menu in your site’s header.
3. “Click + (Add page)” and pick your page.
4. Click Save.

For more, see WordPress’s Navigation block guide.

Why Doesn’t My Menu Change Show Up?

• Your browser is showing a saved copy. Clear your browser’s cache and look again.
• Your site has a separate mobile menu. Some sites do. Check yours on a phone after any change.
• Your header was built with a page builder (a drag-and-drop design tool). The menu may be set there instead.
• Your site’s menu was built with a plugin instead of the native WordPress Menu option.

Rather Have Us Add It?

Tell us the page and where it belongs, like “under Services.” Here’s how it works on our Webmaster Retainer:

1. We publish the page and send you the link to review.
2. It stays out of the menu until you approve it.
3. We add it under the right heading, as a main item or in a dropdown.

If your menu is getting crowded, we’ll suggest changes first. As Beth asked one client, “Do I have your permission to rename and rearrange the menu so everything fits better?” The footer menu can help too. On one site, Beth reported, “I cleaned up the footer navigation to make it easier to find what a person is looking for.”

What Webmaster For Hire Recommends

• Review a new page before it goes in the menu.
• Check your menu on a phone after any change.
• Move pages without worry. Moving a page in the menu doesn’t change its address. See Why Do Links Break When I Rename Pages or Files?

:: Common Questions ::

Why Don’t My Edits Show on the Page in the Menu?

You may be editing a copy. On one site, there were two versions of the same page. As Beth told the client, “The page in the menu was not the page you were updating.” She set the old copy to draft, so only one version stayed live.

Does Every Page Have to Be in the Menu?

No. A published page works on its own, and anyone with the link can visit it. See How Do I Find the Link to a Page on My Website?

Need a Page Added?

See our Webmaster Retainer, or request a consultation.