Your navigation bar can make or break user experience before visitors even scroll down.
Bootstrap menu examples show you exactly how to build responsive navigation that actually works across devices. Whether you need a simple horizontal navbar, a collapsible mobile menu, or a complex mega menu with dropdowns, Bootstrap’s framework handles the heavy lifting.
Most developers waste hours wrestling with custom CSS when Bootstrap already solved the core navigation problems. The real challenge isn’t building a menu (Bootstrap does that). It’s choosing the right pattern for your specific project and customizing it without breaking responsiveness.
This guide walks through practical Bootstrap navigation patterns you can implement immediately. You’ll see working examples of dropdown menus, hamburger icons, sticky headers, and sidebar layouts. Plus, you’ll learn which patterns work best for different site types and how to avoid common responsive navbar mistakes that frustrate mobile users.
Bootstrap Menus
Bootstrap Menu Examples For Apps
Mobile Menu Concept
Author: Kyle Lavery
This is a beautiful quick menu concept for mobile applications. The hamburger-styled navigation bar is located at the bottom of the screen which makes it a thumb-friendly design.
Bootstrap navbar center
Author: Lala
This navbar has a minimal design with centered nav item headers.
Multi-level Bootstrap Menu on hover (no jquery) Bootstrap3
Author: Vaibhav
This option has a minimalistic design with a drop-down menu that activates when hovered over. Here is an excerpt of the dropdown menu code:
<li><a href="#">Level 1</a></li> <li class="dropdown-submenu"> <a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">Level 1</a> <!-- Level 2 --> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li><a href="#">Level 2</a></li>
Accordian Menu
Author: Siddharth Panchal
A minimal Bootstrap menu that is suitable for mobile apps.
Pull Menu – Menu Interaction Concept
Author: Fabrizio Bianchi
This design is perfect for mobile apps. It functions with a ‘pull’ menu that transitions to the next category with each pull. You can edit the code to add as many categories as your clients want. A ‘pull’ menu is a unique approach and substitute for a sliding list.
Bootstrap Menu Examples For Apps And Websites
Bootstrap Flex Nav Menu Responsive Brand Logo Image
Author: Bryan Willis
This navbar consists of nine responsive Bootstrap menu examples. Each example contains a logo with navbar contents that can be repositioned with a few simple adjustments to the code.
Mega menu with on mouse hover sub-menu
Author: anil0495
This option is great for a website design project. It includes a dropdown item bar and a hover animation effect on the navbar text. Here is a brief excerpt of the code:
<div class="container"> <nav class="navbar navbar-inverse"> <div class="container-fluid">
For mobile display:
<div class="navbar-header"> <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#bs-example-navbar-collapse-1" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span> <span class="icon-bar">
Bootstrap 4 mega menu navigation bar with icons
Author: Omkar Bailkeri
This menu features clickable dropdown item menus.
1 Bootstrap Navbar
Author: Zachary Kahl
This Bootstrap nav item bar can be adjusted using the onscreen customization options. It has a clean navbar design with ample space between the nav icons.
Bootstrap 4 Dropdown Megamenu
Author: BBBootstrap Team
This design is a hamburger-styled menu that is suitable for an app or website. Here is a snippet of the HTML code used in the design:
<div id="navbarContent" class="collapse navbar-collapse"> <ul class="navbar-nav mx-auto"> <li class="nav-item dropdown megamenu"><a id="megamneu" href="" data-toggle="dropdown"
Side Menu (Responsive)
Author: Siddharth Panchal
Here is a responsive hamburger-styled side menu suitable for designing the UI of an app or website.
Gooey Menu
Author: Lucas Bebber
This Bootstrap hamburger nav item bar was built with the CSS and SVG filter. There are 4 versions of this design. Choose a version for a website or app based on your client’s taste.
iOS style sliding menu
Author: Jason Howmans
This Bootstrap design is specifically for iOs users, but it is accessible on other operating systems. This menu is especially great for apps but it can be used for a website.
Bootstrap Menu Examples For Websites
Bootstrap 4 NavBar Variations
Author: Nikola Seke
In this Bootstrap 4 navbar template, the author has assembled two vertical hamburger demos and five horizontal menus. With so many options to choose from, your clients will appreciate the freedom of choice.
CSS3/Javascript Pure Dropdown Menu
Author: Pedro Nauck
This Bootstrap navigation menu is minimal and natural. The menu bar is located in the center of the UI and activates or hides navbar contents when clicked.
Responsive Animated Nav!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Author: Scott Marshall
This is a responsive navigation menu that activates when hovered over. Copy and paste the code and you’re on your way. Here is an excerpt of the code used to build this template:
<nav class="navbar navbar-inverse navbar-fixed-top" role="navigation"> <div class="container"> <div class="navbar-header"> <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data- toggle="collapse" data-target="#bs-example-navbar-collapse-1"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
Responsive and Mega menu
Author: Arjun Amgain
This menu is transparent and easy to navigate. It includes a dropdown item menu that activates when hovered over.
HTML5/CSS3 Horizontal Menu
Author: Dhanush Badge
This Bootstrap menu does not have a hamburger design but it includes a dropdown toggle design that is similar. Edit the code to delete the default text and add the client’s nav item text to the menu sections.
menu with awesome hover
Author: Swarup Kumar Kuila
This menu features a hexagonal design with a nav item animation that activates when hovered over.
Bootstrap Resume Landing Page/Website
Author: Marina Marques
This navigation bar featured a simple hamburger-styled dropdown menu with animated navbar text. This option is built with javaScript and includes jQuery for the page scrolling feature. Here is an excerpt of the code used to build this template:
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse navbar-right" id="ResponsiveNav"> <ul class="nav navbar-nav">
Fixed Navigation Sidebar
Author: Boomer
This menu features a sidebar design.
Sticky Slide Out Navigation Menu
Author: Julie Park
This is a hamburger-styled menu. A nav item is highlighted when the cursor points on it. The navbar is made sticky, so it does not move when users scroll down the page.
Love Style Header Menu Effect
Author: Nemra1
This hamburger menu features an animated transition to the navbar text when the hamburger icon is clicked. Here is an excerpt of the code used:
<div class="nav-modal"> <div class="blob"></div> <nav> <ul> <li><a ref="#">HOME</a> <ul> <li><a href="#">STUFF</a></li> <li><a href="#">STUFF</a></li> <li><a href="#">STUFF</a></li>
Responsive Side Navigation Menu Bar
Author: aniketDev
This design is located at the left of the UI with dropdown items that activate when clicked.
Draggable Bootstrap Menu (navbar)
Author: Wade
This is a draggable Bootstrap menu. The dropdown menu overflows the main menu with the same background color.
Mega menu slide down on hover with carousel
Author: Maridlcrmn
This menu has a nice nav item dropdown design. This option is well suited for an eCommerce website. Here is an excerpt of the li class code used to make this template:
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse js-navbar-collapse"> <ul class="nav navbar-nav"> <li class="dropdown mega-dropdown"> <a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">Men <span class="caret"></span></a>
Bootstrap NavBar with Logo and Text
Author: Linh
This navbar template contains a logo with responsive navigation menus.
A Pen by Oskar Borowski
Author: Oskar Borowski
This navigation bar uses a hover feature to activate the navbar text animation and dropdown menu.
bootstrap 4 navbar
Author: Piyush
This navbar design features a dropdown menu with a sticky effect.
Bootstrap Mega Menu
Author: AtiqUrRehman
This Bootstrap menu template is a great design for an eCommerce website.
Bootstrap menu + submenu
Author: Raian de Andrades
This design features three menu headers and two dropdown menu options.
Responsive Bootstrap 4 menu – light/dark
Author: Ivan Grozdic
This navbar is designed with two dropdown menu headers and features a dark and light mode toggle button. Here is an excerpt of the button class, navbar-toggler- type button data:
<button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbarSupportedContent" aria-controls="navbarSupportedContent" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
Bootstrap responsive hover navbar
Author: Tristan Cottam Meulemans
A simple Bootstrap menu design that is suitable for an eCommerce website.
BetterNav
Author: Georgi Demirev
This Bootstrap menu is a fixed navbar with an animated dropdown menu.
Bootstrap menu with Smooth border transition
Author: Rajesh Kr. Das
Here is a Bootstrap menu with a beautiful background color and a simple design.
Bootstrap Menu Underline Effect
Author: Trish Recuero
This option is a simple nav item bar developed by Trish Recuero. It includes CSS, HTML and JavaScript Here is an excerpt from the HTML code:
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarSupportedContent"> <ul class="navbar-nav mr-auto"> <li class="nav-item"> <a class="nav-link" href="#">Home <span class="sr-only">(current)</span></a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a> </li> <li class="nav-item">
CodePen Challenge – August 2019 [week 2]
Author: ItsMeNatalie
In this option, the dropdown sub-components activate to overlay the main navbar menu. The author included symbols to show users which option they are seeing and how to return to the main menu.
Bootstrap 4 Navbar with Icon Top
Author: tam710562
The Bootstrap 4 Navbar template is great for building an email system. It features three kinds of visual elements. These include:
- Icons atop navbar text
- A search bar
- A dropdown menu
Hamburger Menu – HTML, CSS & jQuery
Author: Glenn Smith
This burger-styled Bootstrap menu is located in the upper right corner of the UI. It includes a white background and up to five menu categories.
Quick Tip: How to Make Bootstrap’s Dropdown Work on Hover
Author: Envato Tuts+
This navbar is a fully responsive design for a website. It includes dropdown menus that turn white when hovered over. Here is an excerpt of the HTML code:
<div class="dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="navbarDropdown2"> <a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Action</a> <a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Another action</a> <div class="dropdown-divider"></div>
MainMenu #CodePenChallenge
Author: Mohamed Ayman
This Bootstrap nav item bar activates with the hover effect. It is a colorful navbar design with cool animation effects for each dropdown item. This design incorporates both icons and text labels so that the user can easily navigate the website.
Pure CSS Fullscreen Navigation Menu
Author: Brendan Palmer
As the name suggests, this Bootstrap navigation menu consumes the entire page when it expands. Be sure to groups all critical functions of the website in the appropriate nav item menus.
Expanding Menu
Author: Gerry
This Bootstrap nav item bar uses a hamburger-styled expanding animation. The menu unfolds and refolds quickly and smoothly.
Bootstrap NavBar Menu Dropdowns
Author: Fontenele
This navigation bar was built with Bootstrap 4.1.1. It shows navbars contents using a dropdown menu with nested layers (gradient descent method).
bs-navbar-login-signup
Author: John Smith
This Bootstrap template incorporates the login and registration buttons into the navigation bar. It also includes nav link items and a dropdown function that activates when clicked. Here is an excerpt of the code used in this design:
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="bs-example-navbar-collapse-1"> <ul class="nav navbar-nav"> <li class="active"><a href="#">Link</a></li> <li><a href="#">Link</a
Another menu concept
Author: Rune Sejer Hoffmann
This Bootstrap nav item design uses hover and line effects to highlight the selected menu items. It is a hamburger-styled demo concept that requires a bit of code adjustment to be fully functional.
Bootstrap 4 navbar dropdowns not overlapping the viewport
Author: Gilles MIgliori
This Bootstrap navigation bar is a great option for a website. This design features a long drop-down list with clickable buttons. The drop-down lists can be aligned to the left, right, or center of the UI.
Bootstrap Menu for OnePage web
Author: Harun Kocaman
This is a Bootstrap + jQuery smooth-scroll effect menu. With this navbar design, the menu items are fixed to the UI. When menu items are clicked the screen transitions to reveal related content.
Bootstrap 4 Navbar – Display Submenu on Hover
Author: ReeZh Design
The Bootstrap 4 Navbar template is a great option that activates when hovered over.
Menu cpc-menus #CodePenChallenge
Author: Vincent Durand
This example uses swift hover and clicking animation effects. All of these fluid animations are made using the CSS3 script.
FAQs about Bootstrap menus
What is a Bootstrap navbar?
A Bootstrap navbar is a responsive navigation component built using Bootstrap’s CSS framework and JavaScript. It automatically collapses into a hamburger menu on mobile devices and expands into a horizontal menu on larger screens.
The navbar includes classes for branding, navigation links, dropdown menus, and search forms that work together without custom code.
How do I make a Bootstrap menu responsive?
Bootstrap menus are responsive by default when you use the correct navbar classes and collapse component. Add navbar-expand-lg (or similar breakpoint classes) to control when the menu switches between mobile and desktop layouts.
The navbar collapse feature handles the toggle behavior automatically. Just include the proper data attributes on your hamburger button and collapsible div.
What’s the difference between navbar-light and navbar-dark?
These classes control the color scheme of your navigation text and icons. navbar-light uses dark text for light backgrounds, while navbar-dark uses light text for dark backgrounds.
Pick the one that provides better contrast with your navbar’s background color. You’ll typically combine these with Bootstrap’s background utility classes.
How do I add dropdown menus to Bootstrap navbar?
Insert a nav-item dropdown inside your navbar, then nest an unordered list with the dropdown-menu class. Use dropdown-toggle on the parent link with proper data attributes.
Bootstrap’s JavaScript handles the click interactions and positioning automatically. No custom code needed for basic dropdown functionality.
Can I create a vertical Bootstrap menu?
Yes. Remove the navbar classes and use Bootstrap’s nav component with flex-column utility class instead. This creates a stacked vertical layout perfect for sidebar menus.
Vertical menus work well in dashboard layouts or as secondary navigation. You can still add dropdowns and active states using standard nav classes.
How do I make a sticky Bootstrap navbar?
Add the fixed-top or sticky-top class to your navbar element. fixed-top keeps the navbar visible during all scrolling, while sticky-top only sticks after scrolling past it.
Remember to add padding to your body content so the fixed navigation doesn’t overlap your content. Sticky headers improve navigation UX by keeping menu items accessible.
What is navbar-expand in Bootstrap?
The navbar-expand-* classes (like navbar-expand-lg) define the breakpoint where your menu switches from collapsed mobile mode to expanded desktop mode. The asterisk represents screen sizes: sm, md, lg, xl, or xxl.
Choose based on your menu’s width needs. More menu items require larger breakpoints to prevent crowding.
How do I customize Bootstrap menu colors?
Override Bootstrap’s default navbar variables using custom CSS or modify the Sass variables before compilation. Target specific classes like .navbar, .nav-link, and .dropdown-menu with your color values.
You can also use Bootstrap’s background and text utility classes for quick customization without writing CSS. This approach maintains responsiveness while matching your brand.
Can Bootstrap menus include search forms?
Absolutely. Add a form element with d-flex class inside your navbar. Include an input with form-control and a button with btn classes.
Bootstrap positions the search form automatically within the navbar layout. It collapses with other navigation elements on mobile devices unless you specify otherwise with utility classes.
What are mega menus in Bootstrap?
Mega menus are large dropdown panels that display multiple columns of links, often with images and descriptions. Bootstrap doesn’t include mega menu styling by default, but you can build them using the grid system inside dropdown menus.
These work well for ecommerce sites with many categories. Just nest Bootstrap grid columns within your dropdown-menu container for a multi-column layout.
Conclusion
Bootstrap menu examples give you a solid foundation for building navigation that works across all devices without wrestling with custom breakpoints or mobile collapse logic. The framework handles the responsive behavior, so you can focus on customization and content structure.
Pick the navbar pattern that fits your project needs. Simple horizontal navigation works for most sites. Complex layouts with multiple dropdown levels or mega menu structures need more planning but still use the same core Bootstrap classes.
Test your menu on actual devices, not just browser resizing. Mobile navigation behaves differently in real conditions, and touch interactions reveal issues you won’t catch on desktop.
The best Bootstrap navbar is one users never think about. It just works. When your navigation component fades into the background and people find what they need instantly, you’ve done it right.
Start with Bootstrap’s default navbar structure, then customize colors and spacing to match your brand. Don’t rebuild what already functions well.
If you liked this article about Bootstrap menus, you should check out this article about Bootstrap sidebars.
There are also similar articles discussing Bootstrap profiles, Bootstrap carousels, Bootstrap timelines, and Bootstrap search box.
And let’s not forget about articles on Bootstrap footers, Bootstrap testimonial sliders, Bootstrap galleries, and Bootstrap login forms.
