You can add pages and dropdowns to a WordPress menu by editing the Navigation block in your block theme’s header. A top-level link gives a page its own place in the menu, while a dropdown groups related destinations beneath an existing link. This guide follows WordPress 7.1 and includes the separate link-selection and save confirmations that can otherwise be easy to miss.
Begin with a small plan for the menu. Write down the pages a visitor needs most often and which ones belong together. For example, an information page and a contact page may deserve their own links, while several related pages can sit beneath a broader destination. Use the menu to explain the site’s organization.
Steps to add pages and dropdowns to a WordPress menu
1. Check the destination pages
Open Pages → All Pages and identify the pages you want visitors to reach. Read their titles so you can recognize them in link search results later. If a destination has not been written yet, finish that page before adding a link that you cannot meaningfully test.
The earlier guide to adding a page covers drafting, previewing and publishing the content. Keep the intended menu organization separate from the order in which you happened to create those pages. The visitor needs a useful route through the site, even when the pages were written at different times.
2. Find the header’s Navigation block
Open Appearance → Editor to reach the Site Editor. Its left panel includes Identity, Styles, Pages, Navigation, Patterns and Templates. For the header route used here, open Patterns → Header and locate the Navigation block inside the Header template part. The Navigation item in the left panel also lists the site’s menus.
A block theme generally does not provide the classic Appearance → Menus screen. Use the Site Editor for this task. The navigation may initially list pages automatically; when editing turns it into a saved menu, WordPress reports “Navigation Menu successfully created”. That message indicates the menu now exists as a saved navigation choice.
3. Add a top-level page
Use the add button inside the Navigation block and choose the page you want to include. For a different address, use a custom link. Keep these two cases clear: selecting an existing page identifies a destination on your site, while a custom link lets you provide another address.
Read the resulting link text in the context of its neighbors. A short, descriptive label makes the menu easier to understand than wording that only makes sense after opening the destination. You can rename a link by clicking its text and typing. Treat that text as the visitor’s description of where the link leads.
4. Add a submenu
Select the link that should have the dropdown beneath it. Its toolbar includes Add submenu. Click that button to create the new empty link, then select the empty link itself. In WordPress 7.1, creating the submenu does not automatically open the link search, so there is another action to complete.
Click the Link button, type part of the destination page’s name and choose the page from the results. You can choose a category in the same way when the destination should be a group of posts. The parent link then shows a small arrow and a dropdown containing the nested destination.
5. Arrange the links
Review the top-level links and the pages beneath each dropdown. You can reorder links by dragging them in List View or by using the block toolbar’s move controls. Move one item at a time and inspect the resulting structure so you can see whether it remains at the intended level.
Keep related pages together and choose a sequence that follows the visitor’s likely questions. A dropdown can shorten the top of the menu while retaining access to every page. It is still worth checking whether each nested destination belongs under its parent, rather than using the dropdown simply to hide a long collection of unrelated links.
6. Review mobile behavior and save
Use the Mobile preview to inspect the menu at a small screen size. The navigation collapses into a menu button there. Review the Navigation block’s settings for how submenus open and when the mobile overlay menu is used. Make those choices according to how you want readers to move through the menu.
Click Save when the structure is ready. The “Are you ready to save?” panel lists the navigation menu; review it and click Save again. This confirmation is part of saving the menu change, so complete it before leaving the Site Editor to check the public pages.
7. Test the public links and dropdowns
Visit the site and open every link you changed. Confirm that a page link reaches the intended page and that a category link leads to the intended category. Look at the actual destination rather than judging the link solely from the wording you entered in the header.
Check the dropdowns and the small-screen menu as well. Use a real phone alongside the editor preview when reviewing the finished site. If you correct a destination or rearrange a link, return to the Navigation block, save through the confirmation panel and repeat the affected link check. The final test is whether someone can reach the right content.
Common problems
Empty submenu link
Select the empty link and click Link. The search does not open automatically after Add submenu in WordPress 7.1, so type part of the page name and choose the result to finish the destination.
Correct menu wording with the wrong destination
The visible link text and its destination need to agree. Review the selected destination in the Navigation block, choose the intended page and test the public link after saving.
Saved changes missing after leaving the editor
Check that you completed both Save actions. The first opens the confirmation panel, where the navigation menu is listed; the second confirms the save.
FAQ
Do I use the Navigation block to add pages and dropdowns to a WordPress menu?
Yes, a block theme uses the Navigation block for its menu. You can reach it through the Header template part in the Site Editor.
Can a dropdown link lead to a category?
The link search can select a category as well as a page. Choose the category that matches the group of posts you want readers to browse.
Can I shorten the wording of a menu link?
Click the link’s text and type the wording you want visitors to see. Check its destination separately so the shorter label still describes the page accurately.
Summary
Choose the destinations first, locate the header’s Navigation block and add the top-level links before grouping related pages into dropdowns. Complete the Link selection for each new submenu item, save through the confirmation panel and test the public navigation at a small screen size.
For the surrounding setup tasks, return to the WordPress website creation guide.