How to Add Main Menu in Shopify Step by Step for Beginners

A well-designed and intuitive menu can help customers easily find the right products, discover key collections, reduce bounce rates, improve the shopping experience, and ultimately increase revenue. In this guide on how to add main menu in Shopify, NextSky will walk you through adding and optimizing the main menu in Shopify to create efficient navigation for high-performing stores.

Why navigation menus matter for your Shopify store?

A well-designed navigation menu makes it easy for customers to find products, enhances user experience, supports SEO, and drives conversions. Poor navigation, on the other hand, disrupts the shopping journey and causes visitors to leave quickly.

Key benefits for your Shopify store:

• Improved user experience (UX): Intuitive navigation lets shoppers quickly find what they need, making their visit more enjoyable and encouraging more extended engagement.
• Higher conversion rates: Clear paths to products and categories reduce friction, leading more visitors to complete purchases.
• Reduced bounce rates: When customers can't find what they're looking for, they leave; good navigation keeps them exploring your site.
• Better SEO: Well-organized, keyword-rich navigation helps search engines better understand and rank your store.
• Enhanced product discovery: Structured menus help customers find new items, increasing average order value.

Read more: How to Edit Footer in Shopify to Enhance User Experience

How to add and edit menu items in Shopify (Basic)

Step 1: Log in to your Shopify admin > Content > Menus (or Content > Menus in updated interface).

Step 2: Click on the menu you want to edit (usually the Main menu).

Step 3: To add a new item:

• Click Add menu item.
• Enter the Name (the display name for customers, e.g., "Shop" or "Summer Collection").
• In Link, search/select:
  • Collections (product collections)
  • Products (specific products)
  • Pages (static pages like About Us, FAQ)
  • Blogs / Blog posts
  • Policies (store policies)
  • Home page
  • Search page
  • External URL (paste an external link, e.g., Instagram)

Step 4: Click Add, then click Save.

Step 5: To edit/reorder:

• Click Edit next to an item → update name/link → Apply changes.
• Click on ⋮⋮ to drag and drop to change the order.
• Delete using the trash icon.

Pro tip: Use descriptive, benefit-driven names (e.g., "Best Sellers" instead of just "Products") to boost click-through rates.

Read more: How to Edit Header in Shopify to Boost User Experience

How to add dropdown menus in Shopify

Dropdown (nested) menus let you organize categories and links hierarchically, presenting rich content while keeping the header tidy, intuitive, and user-friendly.

• Step 1: In Menus, select the Main menu to start configuring your navigation structure.

• Step 2: Create or select a parent item to serve as the dropdown header. If the parent item doesn't need to link anywhere, set its link to "#" as a placeholder.
• Step 3: Click Add menu item to add child items under the parent.

• Step 4: Name each child item (e.g., T-shirts, Jeans) and link to the appropriate collection or page.
• Step 5: Drag the child items slightly to the right under the parent. Shopify will automatically create the dropdown structure.

• Step 6: Click the Save menu to apply the new menu structure.

Read more: How to Delete a Theme on Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to add or customize the footer menu in Shopify

• Step 1: Log in to Shopify Admin, go to Online Store → Navigation → Footer menu to edit the footer menu.

• Step 2: Click Add menu item to add essential links such as Privacy Policy, Shipping, Returns, or Contact. You can also drag and drop to reorder items by priority.
• Step 3: Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize, scroll to the Footer section, and select the correct Footer menu you just created to ensure it displays on the storefront.
• Step 4: In Theme Customizer → Footer, enable options like Social icons or Payment icons (depending on your theme) to increase trust and professionalism.

Note: Legal and policy pages like Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, or Refund Policy should typically go in the footer to keep the main menu clean while still providing complete information to customers.

How to set up built-in mega menus in your theme

• Step 1: Access your Shopify admin, then go to Online Store > Themes. For your active theme, click Customize.
• Step 2: In the Theme Customizer interface, locate the Header section (usually in the left sidebar).
• Step 3: In the Header settings, look for the option to enable Mega menu for specific main menu items. Select the menu item you want to expand into a mega menu.
• Step 4: Configure the mega menu layout. Here, you can set the number of columns, link to featured collections or products, and add images or promotional banners for better visual impact.

Note: Mega menu features depend on your theme—many premium or newer themes (e.g., Dawn variants or paid themes) include built-in support, while basic ones may require apps or custom code.

Overview of menu types in Shopify

Shopify offers a flexible menu system to build straightforward, intuitive navigation tailored to user behaviour:

• Main menu (Header): The primary navigation is displayed across the entire site. On desktop, it's usually a horizontal bar; on mobile, it collapses into a hamburger menu for space efficiency.
• Footer menu: Supplementary links for policy pages, About, Contact, etc., reinforcing trust and professionalism.
• Dropdown menu: Child menus that expand from a parent item on hover/click, enabling tiered product categories. Shopify supports basic multi-level nesting natively.
• Mega menu: An expanded, multi-column layout that can include images, banners, or featured products to enhance discovery.
• Sidebar / Menu drawer: A sliding menu from the screen edge, especially common on mobile and minimalist themes, providing a clean, easy-to-use navigation experience.

Best practices for Shopify menus

To make your Shopify menu both user-friendly and business-goal oriented, follow these principles:

• Limit top-level items to 5–7: A clean structure helps users orient quickly and avoids overwhelming them at first glance.
• Use clear, benefit-focused labels: Prefer value-driven names like "Summer Styles" over just "Summer" to increase clicks.
• Prioritize revenue-driving items: Place high-impact links such as Best Sellers, Sales, or New Arrivals in prominent positions (e.g., the left side or featured spots).
• Design mobile-first: Always test on mobile—ensure the hamburger menu and submenus are smooth and easy to tap.
• Improve accessibility: Add ARIA labels and other accessibility attributes for users with disabilities (via app updates or code edits, as needed).
• Keep the structure as flat as possible: Avoid deep nesting (too many levels) as it reduces discoverability and frustrates users.
• Review and refresh seasonally: Regularly update the menu to promote current collections, campaigns, or trends, keeping it dynamic and sales-focused.

A well-crafted Shopify menu can turn browsers into buyers. If you're building or optimizing a high-performance Shopify store, consider exploring premium themes optimized for speed, SEO, and advanced customization—they often include powerful menu features out of the box. Wishing you successful sales!