Base UI

A collection of links and menus for website navigation.

import * as React from 'react';
import { NavigationMenu } from '@base-ui-components/react/navigation-menu';
import styles from './index.module.css';

export default function ExampleNavigationMenu() {
  return (
    <NavigationMenu.Root className={styles.Root}>
      <NavigationMenu.List className={styles.List}>
        <NavigationMenu.Item>
          <NavigationMenu.Trigger className={styles.Trigger}>
            Overview
            <NavigationMenu.Icon className={styles.Icon}>
              <ChevronDownIcon />
            </NavigationMenu.Icon>
          </NavigationMenu.Trigger>
          <NavigationMenu.Content className={styles.Content}>
            <ul className={styles.GridLinkList}>
              {overviewLinks.map((item) => (
                <li key={item.href}>
                  <Link className={styles.LinkCard} href={item.href}>
                    <h3 className={styles.LinkTitle}>{item.title}</h3>
                    <p className={styles.LinkDescription}>{item.description}</p>
                  </Link>
                </li>
              ))}
            </ul>
          </NavigationMenu.Content>
        </NavigationMenu.Item>

        <NavigationMenu.Item>
          <NavigationMenu.Trigger className={styles.Trigger}>
            Handbook
            <NavigationMenu.Icon className={styles.Icon}>
              <ChevronDownIcon />
            </NavigationMenu.Icon>
          </NavigationMenu.Trigger>
          <NavigationMenu.Content className={styles.Content}>
            <ul className={styles.FlexLinkList}>
              {handbookLinks.map((item) => (
                <li key={item.href}>
                  <Link className={styles.LinkCard} href={item.href}>
                    <h3 className={styles.LinkTitle}>{item.title}</h3>
                    <p className={styles.LinkDescription}>{item.description}</p>
                  </Link>
                </li>
              ))}
            </ul>
          </NavigationMenu.Content>
        </NavigationMenu.Item>

        <NavigationMenu.Item>
          <Link className={styles.Trigger} href="https://github.com/mui/base-ui">
            GitHub
          </Link>
        </NavigationMenu.Item>
      </NavigationMenu.List>

      <NavigationMenu.Portal>
        <NavigationMenu.Positioner
          className={styles.Positioner}
          sideOffset={10}
          collisionPadding={{ top: 5, bottom: 5, left: 20, right: 20 }}
          collisionAvoidance={{ side: 'none' }}
        >
          <NavigationMenu.Popup className={styles.Popup}>
            <NavigationMenu.Arrow className={styles.Arrow}>
              <ArrowSvg />
            </NavigationMenu.Arrow>
            <NavigationMenu.Viewport className={styles.Viewport} />
          </NavigationMenu.Popup>
        </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      </NavigationMenu.Portal>
    </NavigationMenu.Root>
  );
}

function Link(props: NavigationMenu.Link.Props) {
  return (
    <NavigationMenu.Link
      render={
        // Use the `render` prop to render your framework's Link component
        // for client-side routing.
        // e.g. `<NextLink href={props.href} />` instead of `<a />`.
        <a />
      }
      {...props}
    />
  );
}

function ChevronDownIcon(props: React.ComponentProps<'svg'>) {
  return (
    <svg width="10" height="10" viewBox="0 0 10 10" fill="none" {...props}>
      <path d="M1 3.5L5 7.5L9 3.5" stroke="currentcolor" strokeWidth="1.5" />
    </svg>
  );
}

function ArrowSvg(props: React.ComponentProps<'svg'>) {
  return (
    <svg width="20" height="10" viewBox="0 0 20 10" fill="none" {...props}>
      <path
        d="M9.66437 2.60207L4.80758 6.97318C4.07308 7.63423 3.11989 8 2.13172 8H0V10H20V8H18.5349C17.5468 8 16.5936 7.63423 15.8591 6.97318L11.0023 2.60207C10.622 2.2598 10.0447 2.25979 9.66437 2.60207Z"
        className={styles.ArrowFill}
      />
      <path
        d="M8.99542 1.85876C9.75604 1.17425 10.9106 1.17422 11.6713 1.85878L16.5281 6.22989C17.0789 6.72568 17.7938 7.00001 18.5349 7.00001L15.89 7L11.0023 2.60207C10.622 2.2598 10.0447 2.2598 9.66436 2.60207L4.77734 7L2.13171 7.00001C2.87284 7.00001 3.58774 6.72568 4.13861 6.22989L8.99542 1.85876Z"
        className={styles.ArrowOuterStroke}
      />
      <path
        d="M10.3333 3.34539L5.47654 7.71648C4.55842 8.54279 3.36693 9 2.13172 9H0V8H2.13172C3.11989 8 4.07308 7.63423 4.80758 6.97318L9.66437 2.60207C10.0447 2.25979 10.622 2.2598 11.0023 2.60207L15.8591 6.97318C16.5936 7.63423 17.5468 8 18.5349 8H20V9H18.5349C17.2998 9 16.1083 8.54278 15.1901 7.71648L10.3333 3.34539Z"
        className={styles.ArrowInnerStroke}
      />
    </svg>
  );
}

const overviewLinks = [
  {
    href: '/react/overview/quick-start',
    title: 'Quick Start',
    description: 'Install and assemble your first component.',
  },
  {
    href: '/react/overview/accessibility',
    title: 'Accessibility',
    description: 'Learn how we build accessible components.',
  },
  {
    href: '/react/overview/releases',
    title: 'Releases',
    description: 'See what’s new in the latest Base UI versions.',
  },
  {
    href: '/react/overview/about',
    title: 'About',
    description: 'Learn more about Base UI and our mission.',
  },
] as const;

const handbookLinks = [
  {
    href: '/react/handbook/styling',
    title: 'Styling',
    description:
      'Base UI components can be styled with plain CSS, Tailwind CSS, CSS-in-JS, or CSS Modules.',
  },
  {
    href: '/react/handbook/animation',
    title: 'Animation',
    description:
      'Base UI components can be animated with CSS transitions, CSS animations, or JavaScript libraries.',
  },
  {
    href: '/react/handbook/composition',
    title: 'Composition',
    description:
      'Base UI components can be replaced and composed with your own existing components.',
  },
] as const;

Anatomy

Import the component and assemble its parts:

Anatomy

import { NavigationMenu } from '@base-ui-components/react/navigation-menu';

<NavigationMenu.Root>
  <NavigationMenu.List>
    <NavigationMenu.Item>
      <NavigationMenu.Trigger>
        <NavigationMenu.Icon />
      </NavigationMenu.Trigger>
      <NavigationMenu.Content>
        <NavigationMenu.Link />
      </NavigationMenu.Content>
    </NavigationMenu.Item>
  </NavigationMenu.List>

  <NavigationMenu.Portal>
    <NavigationMenu.Backdrop />
    <NavigationMenu.Positioner>
      <NavigationMenu.Popup>
        <NavigationMenu.Arrow />
        <NavigationMenu.Viewport />
      </NavigationMenu.Popup>
    </NavigationMenu.Positioner>
  </NavigationMenu.Portal>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

API reference

Root

Groups all parts of the navigation menu. Renders a <nav> element at the root, or <div> element when nested.

defaultValue

any

(default:

null

)

Name: defaultValue
Description: The uncontrolled value of the item that should be initially selected.

To render a controlled navigation menu, use the value prop instead.
Type: any
Default: null

value

any

(default:

null

)

Name: value
Description: The controlled value of the navigation menu item that should be currently open. When non-nullish, the menu will be open. When nullish, the menu will be closed.

To render an uncontrolled navigation menu, use the defaultValue prop instead.
Type: any
Default: null

onValueChange

function

Name: onValueChange
Description: Callback fired when the value changes.
Type: ((value: any, event: Event | undefined, reason: BaseOpenChangeReason | undefined) => void)

actionsRef

RefObject<NavigationMenu.Root.Actions>

Name: actionsRef
Description: A ref to imperative actions.
Type: RefObject<NavigationMenu.Root.Actions>

onOpenChangeComplete

function

Name: onOpenChangeComplete
Description: Event handler called after any animations complete when the navigation menu is closed.
Type: ((open: boolean) => void)

delay

number

(default:

50

)

Name: delay
Description: How long to wait before opening the navigation menu. Specified in milliseconds.
Type: number
Default: 50

closeDelay

number

(default:

50

)

Name: closeDelay
Description: How long to wait before closing the navigation menu. Specified in milliseconds.
Type: number
Default: 50

orientation

'horizontal' | 'vertical'

(default:

'horizontal'

)

Name: orientation
Description: The orientation of the navigation menu.
Type: 'horizontal' | 'vertical'
Default: 'horizontal'

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Root.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Root.State) => ReactElement)

List

Contains a list of navigation menu items. Renders a <div> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.List.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.List.State) => ReactElement)

Item

An individual navigation menu item. Renders a <div> element.

value

any

Name: value
Description: A unique value that identifies this navigation menu item. If no value is provided, a unique ID will be generated automatically. Use when controlling the navigation menu programmatically.
Type: any

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Item.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Item.State) => ReactElement)

Trigger

Opens the navigation menu popup when hovered or clicked, revealing the associated content. Renders a <button> element.

nativeButton

boolean

(default:

true

)

Name: nativeButton
Description: Whether the component renders a native <button> element when replacing it via the render prop. Set to false if the rendered element is not a button (e.g. <div>).
Type: boolean
Default: true

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Trigger.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Trigger.State) => ReactElement)

data-popup-open

Present when the corresponding navigation menu is open.

data-pressed

Present when the trigger is pressed.

Attribute	Description
`data-popup-open`	Present when the corresponding navigation menu is open.
`data-pressed`	Present when the trigger is pressed.

Icon

An icon that indicates that the trigger button opens a menu.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Icon.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Icon.State) => ReactElement)

Content

A container for the content of the navigation menu item that is moved into the popup when the item is active. Renders a <div> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Content.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Content.State) => ReactElement)

data-open

Present when the popup is open.

data-closed

Present when the popup is closed.

data-activation-direction

Which direction another trigger was activated from.

data-starting-style

Present when the content is animating in.

data-ending-style

Present when the content is animating out.

Attribute	Description
`data-open`	Present when the popup is open.
`data-closed`	Present when the popup is closed.
`data-activation-direction`	Which direction another trigger was activated from.
`data-starting-style`	Present when the content is animating in.
`data-ending-style`	Present when the content is animating out.

Link

A link in the navigation menu that can be used to navigate to a different page or section. Renders an <a> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Link.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Link.State) => ReactElement)

Backdrop

A backdrop for the navigation menu popup. Renders a <div> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Backdrop.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Backdrop.State) => ReactElement)

data-open

Present when the popup is open.

data-closed

Present when the popup is closed.

data-starting-style

Present when the popup is animating in.

data-ending-style

Present when the popup is animating out.

Attribute	Description
`data-open`	Present when the popup is open.
`data-closed`	Present when the popup is closed.
`data-starting-style`	Present when the popup is animating in.
`data-ending-style`	Present when the popup is animating out.

Portal

A portal element that moves the popup to a different part of the DOM. By default, the portal element is appended to <body>.

container

Union

Name: container
Description: A parent element to render the portal element into.
Type: | HTMLElement | RefObject<HTMLElement | null> | null

children

ReactNode

Name: children
Type: ReactNode

keepMounted

boolean

(default:

false

)

Name: keepMounted
Description: Whether to keep the portal mounted in the DOM while the popup is hidden.
Type: boolean
Default: false

Positioner

Positions the navigation menu against the currently active trigger. Renders a <div> element.

collisionAvoidance

CollisionAvoidance

Name: collisionAvoidance
Description: Determines how to handle collisions when positioning the popup.
Type: CollisionAvoidance

align

Union

(default:

'center'

)

Name: align
Description: How to align the popup relative to the specified side.
Type: 'center' | 'start' | 'end'
Default: 'center'

alignOffset

number | OffsetFunction

(default:

0

)

Name: alignOffset
Description: Additional offset along the alignment axis in pixels. Also accepts a function that returns the offset to read the dimensions of the anchor and positioner elements, along with its side and alignment.

data.anchor: the dimensions of the anchor element with properties width and height.

data.positioner: the dimensions of the positioner element with properties width and height.

data.side: which side of the anchor element the positioner is aligned against.

data.align: how the positioner is aligned relative to the specified side.
Type: number | OffsetFunction
Default: 0

side

Side

(default:

'bottom'

)

Name: side
Description: Which side of the anchor element to align the popup against. May automatically change to avoid collisions.
Type: Side
Default: 'bottom'

sideOffset

number | OffsetFunction

(default:

0

)

Name: sideOffset
Description: Distance between the anchor and the popup in pixels. Also accepts a function that returns the distance to read the dimensions of the anchor and positioner elements, along with its side and alignment.

data.anchor: the dimensions of the anchor element with properties width and height.

data.positioner: the dimensions of the positioner element with properties width and height.

data.side: which side of the anchor element the positioner is aligned against.

data.align: how the positioner is aligned relative to the specified side.
Type: number | OffsetFunction
Default: 0

arrowPadding

number

(default:

5

)

Name: arrowPadding
Description: Minimum distance to maintain between the arrow and the edges of the popup.

Use it to prevent the arrow element from hanging out of the rounded corners of a popup.
Type: number
Default: 5

anchor

Union

Name: anchor
Description: An element to position the popup against. By default, the popup will be positioned against the trigger.
Type: | Element | RefObject<Element | null> | VirtualElement | (() => Element | VirtualElement | null) | null

collisionBoundary

Boundary

(default:

'clipping-ancestors'

)

Name: collisionBoundary
Description: An element or a rectangle that delimits the area that the popup is confined to.
Type: Boundary
Default: 'clipping-ancestors'

collisionPadding

Padding

(default:

5

)

Name: collisionPadding
Description: Additional space to maintain from the edge of the collision boundary.
Type: Padding
Default: 5

sticky

boolean

(default:

false

)

Name: sticky
Description: Whether to maintain the popup in the viewport after the anchor element was scrolled out of view.
Type: boolean
Default: false

positionMethod

'fixed' | 'absolute'

(default:

'absolute'

)

Name: positionMethod
Description: Determines which CSS position property to use.
Type: 'fixed' | 'absolute'
Default: 'absolute'

trackAnchor

boolean

(default:

true

)

Name: trackAnchor
Description: Whether the popup tracks any layout shift of its positioning anchor.
Type: boolean
Default: true

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Positioner.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Positioner.State) => ReactElement)

data-open

Present when the popup is open.

data-closed

Present when the popup is closed.

data-anchor-hidden

Present when the anchor is hidden.

data-align

Indicates how the popup is aligned relative to the specified side.

data-instant

Present if animations should be instant.

data-side

Indicates which side the popup is positioned relative to the trigger.

Attribute	Description
`data-open`	Present when the popup is open.
`data-closed`	Present when the popup is closed.
`data-anchor-hidden`	Present when the anchor is hidden.
`data-align`	Indicates how the popup is aligned relative to the specified side.
`data-instant`	Present if animations should be instant.
`data-side`	Indicates which side the popup is positioned relative to the trigger.

--anchor-height

The anchor's height.

--anchor-width

The anchor's width.

--available-height

The available height between the trigger and the edge of the viewport.

--available-width

The available width between the trigger and the edge of the viewport.

--positioner-height

The fixed height of the positioner element.

--positioner-width

The fixed width of the positioner element.

--transform-origin

The coordinates that this element is anchored to. Used for animations and transitions.

CSS Variable	Description
`--anchor-height`	The anchor's height.
`--anchor-width`	The anchor's width.
`--available-height`	The available height between the trigger and the edge of the viewport.
`--available-width`	The available width between the trigger and the edge of the viewport.
`--positioner-height`	The fixed height of the positioner element.
`--positioner-width`	The fixed width of the positioner element.
`--transform-origin`	The coordinates that this element is anchored to. Used for animations and transitions.

A container for the navigation menu contents. Renders a <nav> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Popup.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Popup.State) => ReactElement)

data-open

Present when the popup is open.

data-closed

Present when the popup is closed.

data-align

Indicates how the popup is aligned relative to the specified side.

data-side

Indicates which side the popup is positioned relative to the trigger.

data-starting-style

Present when the popup is animating in.

data-ending-style

Present when the popup is animating out.

Attribute	Description
`data-open`	Present when the popup is open.
`data-closed`	Present when the popup is closed.
`data-align`	Indicates how the popup is aligned relative to the specified side.
`data-side`	Indicates which side the popup is positioned relative to the trigger.
`data-starting-style`	Present when the popup is animating in.
`data-ending-style`	Present when the popup is animating out.

--popup-height

The fixed height of the popup element.

--popup-width

The fixed width of the popup element.

CSS Variable	Description
`--popup-height`	The fixed height of the popup element.
`--popup-width`	The fixed width of the popup element.

Viewport

The clipping viewport of the navigation menu's current content. Renders a <div> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Viewport.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Viewport.State) => ReactElement)

Arrow

Displays an element pointing toward the navigation menu's current anchor. Renders a <div> element.

className

string | function

Name: className
Description: CSS class applied to the element, or a function that returns a class based on the component’s state.
Type: | string | ((state: NavigationMenu.Arrow.State) => string)

render

ReactElement | function

Name: render
Description: Allows you to replace the component’s HTML element with a different tag, or compose it with another component.

Accepts a ReactElement or a function that returns the element to render.
Type: | ReactElement | ((props: HTMLProps, state: NavigationMenu.Arrow.State) => ReactElement)

data-open

Present when the popup is open.

data-closed

Present when the popup is closed.

data-uncentered

Present when the popup arrow is uncentered.

data-align

Indicates how the popup is aligned relative to specified side.

data-side

Indicates which side the popup is positioned relative to the trigger.

Attribute	Description
`data-open`	Present when the popup is open.
`data-closed`	Present when the popup is closed.
`data-uncentered`	Present when the popup arrow is uncentered.
`data-align`	Indicates how the popup is aligned relative to specified side.
`data-side`	Indicates which side the popup is positioned relative to the trigger.

Examples

Nested submenus

A NavigationMenu.Root component can be nested within a higher-level NavigationMenu.Content part to create a multi-level navigation menu.

Custom links

The NavigationMenu.Link part can be customized to render the link from your framework using the render prop to enable client-side routing.

Next.js example

import NextLink from 'next/link';
import { NavigationMenu } from '@base-ui-components/react/navigation-menu';

function Link(props: NavigationMenu.Link.Props) {
  return (
    <NavigationMenu.Link
      render={<NextLink href={props.href} />}
      {...props}
    />
  );
}

Large menus

When you have large menu content that doesn’t fit in the viewport in some cases, you usually have two choices:

Compress the navigation menu content

You can change the layout of the navigation menu to render less content or be more compact by reducing the space it takes up. If your content is flexible, you can use the max-height property on Popup to limit the height of the navigation menu to let it compress itself while preventing overflow.

Compact layout

.Content,
.Popup {
  max-height: var(--available-height);
}

Make the navigation menu scrollable

Scrollable layout

.Content,
.Popup {
  max-height: var(--available-height);
}

.Content {
  overflow-y: auto;
}

Native scrollbars will be visible while transitioning content, so we recommend using our Scroll Area component instead of native scrollbars to keep them hidden, which will also allow the Arrow to be centered correctly.

Navigation Menu