What’s the best pattern for a navbar that becomes offcanvas on mobile?

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What’s the best pattern for a navbar that becomes offcanvas on mobile?

Asked on May 11, 2025

Answer

To create a responsive navbar that transforms into an offcanvas menu on mobile, you can use Bootstrap's Navbar and Offcanvas components. This pattern ensures your navigation is accessible and user-friendly across all devices.

<!-- BEGIN COPY / PASTE -->
        <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
            <div class="container-fluid">
                <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Brand</a>
                <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="offcanvas" data-bs-target="#offcanvasNavbar" aria-controls="offcanvasNavbar">
                    <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
                </button>
                <div class="offcanvas offcanvas-end" tabindex="-1" id="offcanvasNavbar" aria-labelledby="offcanvasNavbarLabel">
                    <div class="offcanvas-header">
                        <h5 class="offcanvas-title" id="offcanvasNavbarLabel">Offcanvas</h5>
                        <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="offcanvas" aria-label="Close"></button>
                    </div>
                    <div class="offcanvas-body">
                        <ul class="navbar-nav justify-content-end flex-grow-1 pe-3">
                            <li class="nav-item">
                                <a class="nav-link active" aria-current="page" href="#">Home</a>
                            </li>
                            <li class="nav-item">
                                <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
                            </li>
                            <li class="nav-item dropdown">
                                <a class="nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" id="offcanvasNavbarDropdown" role="button" data-bs-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">
                                    Dropdown
                                </a>
                                <ul class="dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="offcanvasNavbarDropdown">
                                    <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Action</a></li>
                                    <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Another action</a></li>
                                    <li><hr class="dropdown-divider"></li>
                                    <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Something else here</a></li>
                                </ul>
                            </li>
                        </ul>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </div>
        </nav>
        <!-- END COPY / PASTE -->

Additional Comment:

The `navbar-toggler` button toggles the offcanvas menu on smaller screens.
The `offcanvas` component is placed inside the navbar for seamless integration.
Use `data-bs-toggle` and `data-bs-target` to control the offcanvas behavior.
Customize the navbar and offcanvas styles using Bootstrap's utility classes.

✅ Answered with Bootstrap 5 best practices.

Ask any question about Bootstrap here... and get an instant response.

What’s the best pattern for a navbar that becomes offcanvas on mobile?

Asked on May 11, 2025

Answer

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