How to set up Shopify navigation menus

To set up Shopify navigation menus, go to Content > Menus in your admin, open the main menu or footer menu, and add a link for each page shoppers need. Drag items under another item to create a drop-down, click Save menu, then test every link on a phone and on a computer.

Before you start: plan the menus on paper

Your store has two default menus that display on every page. The main menu starts with Home and Catalog. The footer menu is where shoppers usually look for policies and contact details.

Not sure what to link? Start from the list of pages a Shopify store needs, and create those pages first.

Step 1: add items to the main menu

These steps follow Shopify’s menu guide, as checked in November 2026.

1. Go to Content > Menus and click the name of the menu.
2. Click Add menu item and enter a short name.
3. Click the Search or paste a link field and select a destination.
4. Click Add.
5. Repeat for each item, then click Save menu.

Pick pages from the list instead of pasting their address, which helps you avoid 404 errors. To reorder, drag the handle beside an item. Items appear on your store in the order listed.

Step 2: create a drop-down

A drop-down helps when you have more collections than fit in a line. Shopify’s drop-down guide works like this.

1. Open your main menu and choose the item that will be the header, such as Shop.
2. If the header should not link anywhere, enter # in its link field.
3. Add the items that go inside it.
4. Drag each one under the header until it is indented.
5. Click Save menu.

You can go three levels deep in total, if your theme supports it. For a small store, one level of drop-down is usually easier to use, especially on a phone.

Step 3: fill the footer

Open the footer menu and link your policies and your Contact page. Shopify links policies in the checkout footer on its own, and adding them to a store menu lets shoppers find them earlier.

Step 4: test it

• Click every link and look for demo pages or empty collections.
• Open the store on your phone and try every drop-down.
• Check that each name says what is behind it. “Shop” and “Contact” beat clever labels.

This is also an item on our launch checklist.

Why does my menu not update or display correctly?

Menus that come with the store

Forgefont connects a header menu on desktop, a side menu on mobile and a footer menu to every page it creates. They get a new name, so your existing menus are not changed, and you keep control of them in your Shopify admin. Configure your store to see the price with your options.