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What's the best way to make a Bootstrap navbar switch to an offcanvas menu on smaller screens?

Asked on Nov 16, 2025

Answer

To create a Bootstrap navbar that switches to an offcanvas menu on smaller screens, you can use the offcanvas component integrated with the navbar. This approach ensures a responsive design that adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes.

<!-- 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:

This example uses a navbar with an offcanvas component that appears from the end (right side) of the screen.
The `navbar-toggler` button toggles the offcanvas menu on smaller screens.
The `offcanvas` component is placed inside the `navbar-expand-lg` container, ensuring it only appears when the navbar is collapsed.
Customize the links and dropdown items as needed for your application.

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What's the best way to make a Bootstrap navbar switch to an offcanvas menu on smaller screens?

Asked on Nov 16, 2025

Answer

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