The Mostly Painless Guide to WordPress Menu Editing (2025)

WordPress menus present themselves as straightforward until you dive beneath the surface and find yourself adrift in terminology and hidden settings that seem designed by committee during a power outage.

First, the basics: a WordPress menu is simply a collection of links that appears in various locations on your site:

1. Primary navigation (typically horizontal, near the top)
2. Secondary/footer navigation
3. Mobile menus (squished into hamburgers)
4. Sidebar navigation (for the navigationally insecure)

The first oddity you'll encounter is WordPress's philosophical decision to separate creating menus from displaying menus. This two-step process is rather like baking a cake and then, as an entirely separate life decision, contemplating which room might be most appropriate for its consumption. Perfectly logical to WordPress developers, utterly baffling to carbon-based life forms.

Despite WordPress's relentless march toward block-based everything, the classic menu editor refuses to go extinct with the stubbornness of a dodo bird that read the memo but decided to ignore it. Here's how to use this digital dinosaur:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. Navigate to Appearance > Menus (yes, it's hiding under 'Appearance', not 'Menus' or 'Navigation' as common sense might suggest)
3. You'll see two main panels staring back at you:

On the left: Available items you can add (your raw menu ingredients)
On the right: Your current menu structure (your culinary creation)

To create a new menu:

1. Click 'create a new menu' (not immediately obvious, is it?)
2. Name it something sensible like 'Main Menu' rather than 'Menu42XB'
3. Click 'Create Menu'

To add items, simply:

1. Select items from the left panels (Pages, Posts, Custom Links, etc.)
2. Check the boxes next to desired items
3. Click 'Add to Menu'

To organize your menu:

1. Drag items up/down to reorder (like organizing your sock drawer)
2. Drag slightly right to create dropdowns (indentation matters!)
3. Click arrows for additional options (they're hiding in plain sight)

Finally, under 'Menu Settings', check the locations where you want this menu to appear, then click 'Save Menu'. Forgetting this last step is a mistake of truly cosmic proportions – rather like planning an interstellar journey but forgetting to bring any oxygen. Many a WordPress user has stared blankly at their unchanged site wondering where their beautiful new menu has gone, only to realize they skipped this critical final step. According to WPBeginner's research, forgetting to save menu changes ranks among the top 5 WordPress frustrations.

With Full Site Editing, WordPress introduced block-based navigation that promises to revolutionize menu creation – much like digital watches once promised to revolutionize timekeeping before everyone just started using their phones.

If you're using a block theme (and you'll know if you are because everything feels slightly unfamiliar), here's the process:

1. Edit a page using the Block Editor
2. Add a 'Navigation' block (search for it in the block inserter)
3. Choose to create a new menu, use an existing one, or let WordPress auto-generate one based on existing pages (a decision fraught with existential implications)

The block navigation system offers:

Advantages:

• Visual editing directly on your page (what you see is roughly what you might get)
• More styling options without touching code (colors! fonts! spacing!)
• Built-in responsive controls (theoretically works on all devices)

Disadvantages:

• Less intuitive for managing multiple menus (where did they go?)
• Patchy compatibility with themes (works perfectly until it doesn't)
• Migration path from classic menus that feels designed by bureaucrats who enjoy paperwork for its own sake

Is it better? That depends entirely on your tolerance for puzzling through interfaces seemingly designed by UX designers who feed exclusively on user confusion and despair. Some find it brilliantly intuitive; others long for the relative simplicity of quantum mechanics. The WordPress Developer Resources offer technical details for those brave enough to venture deeper.

Once you've mastered basic menu creation, you might feel emboldened to venture into advanced territory – the menu equivalent of deciding to climb Everest after successfully navigating a small hill. Here are some options for the adventurous:

Custom CSS Classes:

1. Click 'Screen Options' at the top right (that inconspicuous tab you've never noticed)
2. Check 'CSS Classes'
3. Add custom classes to individual menu items (for those who speak the arcane language of CSS)

Menu Icons:
Icons make navigation more intuitive – much like how having pictures on bathroom doors prevents embarrassing mistakes that nobody wants to discuss afterwards:

1. Install a plugin like 'Menu Icons'
2. Select appropriately meaningful icons for menu items (a house for Home, not a banana)

Mega Menus:
For larger sites with complex navigation needs or those with an overwhelming desire to display everything at once:

1. Install a mega menu plugin like Max Mega Menu
2. Transform your existing menus into customizable mega menus
3. Add columns, images, and other content that may or may not improve user experience

Conditional Menus:
Show different menus to different users, because one size rarely fits all:

1. Install 'Conditional Menus' or similar
2. Create multiple menus tailored to different audiences
3. Set rules for when each appears (like a digital menu bouncer)

These customizations can transform a basic navigation system into something perfectly tailored to your site – assuming you don't get lost in the labyrinthine settings pages, never to return. Many a WordPress administrator has entered the realm of advanced menu customization only to emerge weeks later, changed, mumbling about nesting levels and CSS specificity.

With most web traffic now coming from mobile devices, your mobile navigation deserves special attention – ignoring it is like building a beautiful house but forgetting to install a front door, then wondering why nobody visits.

Common Mobile Menu Problems:

• Menus longer than the complete works of Shakespeare
• Dropdowns requiring the precision of a neurosurgeon
• Text sized for people with microscope-grade eyesight

Mobile Menu Solutions:

1. Check Theme Settings:

• Look for mobile menu options in your theme customizer (they're probably hiding somewhere)
• Adjust hamburger style, animations, and breakpoints to suit your aesthetic sensibilities

2. Consider Responsive Menu Plugins:

• 'Responsive Menu' or 'WP Mobile Menu'
• Customize specifically for those tiny screens that somehow consume most of our digital lives

3. Create a Dedicated Mobile Menu:

• Simplified with essential items only (brutally cut the fluff)
• Assign to the mobile menu location (a different menu for a different context)

When testing, don't just resize your browser window and call it a day – test on actual mobile devices. What looks perfectly usable on your enormous monitor might induce rage-quitting on a smartphone. According to Nielsen Norman Group, nearly 50% of users abandon mobile sites due to poor navigation. Always remember that angry mobile users are just one tap away from the digital equivalent of hitchhiking to your competitor's website.

Creating a technically functional menu is one accomplishment; designing an effective navigation system that doesn't bewilder your visitors is quite another. It's the difference between building a vehicle that moves and building one someone actually wants to drive.

Clarity Over Cleverness:

• Use straightforward labels ('About Us', not 'Our Journey Through The Cosmic Void')
• Avoid jargon unless your audience consists exclusively of people who understand that jargon
• Put important pages in prominent positions (not buried like treasure)

Keep It Simple:

• Limit top-level items to 7 or fewer (the human brain can only juggle so many concepts at once)
• Avoid nested dropdowns deeper than three levels
• Ensure adequate spacing between items for those of us with human-sized fingers

Visual Guidance:

• Use hover effects to signal interactivity (but nothing that induces seizures)
• Implement active states so users know their location (digital breadcrumbs)
• Consider icons for important items (universal symbols transcend language)

Accessibility:

• Ensure sufficient color contrast (not everyone has eagle vision)
• Make clickable areas generously sized (tiny targets are frustrating)
• Test with keyboard navigation (not everyone uses a mouse)

The perfect navigation is like a perfect butler – it gets you what you need without drawing attention to itself or making a fuss. Users should reach their destination without consciously thinking about the menu structure, much like how you don't consciously think about breathing until someone mention's it. (Sorry about that.)

Even with careful planning, WordPress menus occasionally decide to misbehave with all the predictability of a quantum particle or a toddler in a candy store. Here are solutions to common problems that might have you questioning your career choices:

Menu Vanishing Act:

• Check that your menu is assigned to the correct location (seems obvious, but we all miss this)
• Verify your theme actually supports that location (not all themes are created equal)
• Ensure the theme is properly displaying menu locations (through template inspection)

Dropdown Defiance:

• Check for JavaScript errors in your browser console (the cryptic messages might help)
• Test in different browsers (what works in Chrome might not work in Safari)
• Disable plugins to check for conflicts (plugins can be temperamental roommates)

Missing Menu Items:

• Confirm you clicked 'Save Menu' (the most common and embarrassing oversight)
• Check responsive settings (items might be hidden on certain devices)
• Verify user permissions (content restrictions can affect menu visibility)

Custom Links Leading Nowhere:

• Ensure URLs include 'https://' or 'http://' (protocols matter)
• Check for typos in your URLs (a single character can lead to digital oblivion)
• Verify the destination actually exists (links to the void rarely work)

Changes Not Appearing:

• Clear browser cache (the digital equivalent of 'have you tried turning it off and on again?')
• Purge caching plugins (they're holding onto outdated versions)
• Check CDN settings (content delivery networks need updating too)

When troubleshooting, remember the immortal wisdom: Don't Panic. Most menu issues have straightforward solutions, even if WordPress seems to have maliciously hidden them from you out of some perverse digital enjoyment. The WordPress Support Documentation offers additional troubleshooting guidance.

WordPress evolves faster than fruit flies in a biology experiment, and navigation systems are constantly changing. To ensure your menus survive updates without disintegrating into digital dust:

1. Stay Informed:

• Follow WordPress news sources like WP Tavern
• Test major updates on a staging site first (never experiment on your live site unless you enjoy adrenaline rushes)

2. Avoid Theme Dependency:

• Don't rely heavily on theme-specific menu features that might vanish in the night
• Consider how menus might migrate between systems when the time comes

3. Document Your Setup:

• Keep notes on custom classes and settings (your future self will thank you)
• Take screenshots for reference (pictures speak a thousand confused words)

4. Backup Regularly:

• Ensure backups include your database where menu structures live
• Know how to restore if needed (practice this before disaster strikes)

Like a paranoid time-traveler carrying spare parts for their temporal displacement device, always prepare for unexpected changes. The WordPress universe will continue expanding and transforming, but with proper preparation, your navigation won't leave visitors stranded in a confusing interface wilderness wondering which way is up and considering whether to just give up and watch cat videos instead.

Before wrapping up, let me share a criminally underutilized feature: Menu Item Description fields. This is the menu equivalent of discovering your car had a secret compartment all along, possibly containing snacks.

1. In the classic menu editor, click 'Screen Options' at the top right (yes, that tab again)
2. Check the 'Description' box
3. Add helpful descriptions to your menu items

These descriptions can:

• Appear on hover as tooltips (mysterious information bubbles)
• Display beneath menu items for additional context
• Improve accessibility for screen readers (making your site more inclusive)

While not all themes display descriptions by default, a bit of CSS or a plugin can make them visible. The WordPress experts at Kinsta provide excellent tutorials on enhancing menu functionality.

This feature is particularly helpful for sites with specialized terminology or similar-sounding sections that might confuse visitors. It's like having a friendly guide whispering helpful context in your visitors' ears, rather than staring blankly at them when they ask what 'Platform Integration Synergies' actually means.