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A menu designed for website navigation, with support for nested menus and hover interactions. Navigation menus are ideal for site navigation bars and complex navigation patterns.

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Import

import * as NavigationMenu from '@base-ui/react/NavigationMenu';

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Basic Usage

<NavigationMenu.Root>
  <NavigationMenu.List>
    <NavigationMenu.Item value="products">
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>Products</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
          <NavigationMenu.Popup>
            <NavigationMenu.Content>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/product-a">Product A</NavigationMenu.Link>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/product-b">Product B</NavigationMenu.Link>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/product-c">Product C</NavigationMenu.Link>
            </NavigationMenu.Content>
          </NavigationMenu.Popup>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
    
    <NavigationMenu.Item value="about">
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>About</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
          <NavigationMenu.Popup>
            <NavigationMenu.Content>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/team">Team</NavigationMenu.Link>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/careers">Careers</NavigationMenu.Link>
            </NavigationMenu.Content>
          </NavigationMenu.Popup>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
  </NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

​
Key Components

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NavigationMenu.Root

Groups all parts of the navigation menu. Renders a <nav> element at the root, or <div> element when nested. Key Props:
  • value: any - The controlled value of the navigation menu item that should be currently open
  • defaultValue: any - The uncontrolled value of the item that should be initially selected (default: null)
  • onValueChange: (value: any, eventDetails: ChangeEventDetails) => void - Callback fired when the value changes
  • orientation: 'horizontal' | 'vertical' - The orientation of the navigation menu (default: 'horizontal')
  • delay: number - How long to wait before opening the navigation menu, in milliseconds (default: 50)
  • closeDelay: number - How long to wait before closing the navigation menu, in milliseconds (default: 50)
  • onOpenChangeComplete: (open: boolean) => void - Event handler called after any animations complete when the navigation menu is closed
State:
  • data-open: Present when the popup is open
  • data-nested: Present when the navigation menu is nested

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NavigationMenu.List

Contains the navigation menu items. Renders a <div> element.

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NavigationMenu.Item

Wraps a trigger and content pair. Renders a <div> element. Key Props:
  • value: any - The unique value for this navigation item (required)

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NavigationMenu.Trigger

A button that opens the navigation menu content. Renders a <button> element. State:
  • data-open: Present when the associated content is open
  • data-disabled: Present when the trigger is disabled

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NavigationMenu.Popup

A container for the navigation content. Renders a <div> element. State:
  • data-open: Present when the popup is open
  • data-side: The side of the anchor element where the popup is positioned
  • data-align: The alignment of the popup relative to the anchor

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NavigationMenu.Content

The content area of the navigation menu. Renders a <div> element.

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NavigationMenu.Link

A link item within the navigation menu. Renders an <a> element. Key Props:
  • href: string - The URL the link points to
  • active: boolean - Whether the link represents the current page
State:
  • data-active: Present when the link is active

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NavigationMenu.Viewport

An optional viewport for animating content transitions. Renders a <div> element.

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Features

  • Hover-based navigation with configurable delays
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Nested menu support
  • Active link indication
  • Flexible positioning with NavigationMenu.Positioner
  • Optional backdrop with NavigationMenu.Backdrop
  • Portal rendering with NavigationMenu.Portal
  • Smooth transitions with NavigationMenu.Viewport
  • Accessible ARIA attributes

​
Styling Example

.NavigationMenuList {
  display: flex;
  gap: 4px;
  list-style: none;
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0;
}

.NavigationMenuTrigger {
  padding: 8px 16px;
  border: none;
  background: transparent;
  cursor: pointer;
  border-radius: 4px;
}

.NavigationMenuTrigger:hover,
.NavigationMenuTrigger[data-open] {
  background: #f0f0f0;
}

.NavigationMenuPopup {
  background: white;
  border: 1px solid #ddd;
  border-radius: 8px;
  box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
  padding: 16px;
}

.NavigationMenuLink {
  display: block;
  padding: 8px 12px;
  text-decoration: none;
  color: inherit;
  border-radius: 4px;
}

.NavigationMenuLink:hover {
  background: #f5f5f5;
}

.NavigationMenuLink[data-active] {
  background: #e0f0ff;
  color: #0066cc;
}

​
Common Patterns

​
Controlled Navigation Menu

const [value, setValue] = React.useState(null);

<NavigationMenu.Root value={value} onValueChange={setValue}>
  <NavigationMenu.List>
    <NavigationMenu.Item value="products">
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>Products</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
          <NavigationMenu.Popup>
            <NavigationMenu.Content>
              {/* Content */}
            </NavigationMenu.Content>
          </NavigationMenu.Popup>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
  </NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

​
With Viewport Transitions

<NavigationMenu.Root>
  <NavigationMenu.List>
    <NavigationMenu.Item value="features">
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>Features</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
          <NavigationMenu.Viewport>
            <NavigationMenu.Popup>
              <NavigationMenu.Content>
                <NavigationMenu.Link href="/feature-1">Feature 1</NavigationMenu.Link>
                <NavigationMenu.Link href="/feature-2">Feature 2</NavigationMenu.Link>
              </NavigationMenu.Content>
            </NavigationMenu.Popup>
          </NavigationMenu.Viewport>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
  </NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

​
Rich Content Navigation

<NavigationMenu.Root>
  <NavigationMenu.List>
    <NavigationMenu.Item value="products">
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>Products</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
          <NavigationMenu.Popup>
            <NavigationMenu.Content>
              <div className="ProductGrid">
                <div className="ProductCard">
                  <img src="/product-a.jpg" alt="Product A" />
                  <NavigationMenu.Link href="/product-a">
                    <h3>Product A</h3>
                    <p>Description of product A</p>
                  </NavigationMenu.Link>
                </div>
                <div className="ProductCard">
                  <img src="/product-b.jpg" alt="Product B" />
                  <NavigationMenu.Link href="/product-b">
                    <h3>Product B</h3>
                    <p>Description of product B</p>
                  </NavigationMenu.Link>
                </div>
              </div>
            </NavigationMenu.Content>
          </NavigationMenu.Popup>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
  </NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

​
Vertical Navigation

<NavigationMenu.Root orientation="vertical">
  <NavigationMenu.List>
    <NavigationMenu.Item value="docs">
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>Documentation</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
          <NavigationMenu.Popup>
            <NavigationMenu.Content>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/docs/getting-started">Getting Started</NavigationMenu.Link>
              <NavigationMenu.Link href="/docs/api">API Reference</NavigationMenu.Link>
            </NavigationMenu.Content>
          </NavigationMenu.Popup>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
  </NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

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