Navs

Documentation and examples for how to use Bootstrap’s included navigation components.

Bootstrap 4 documentation
Base nav

Navigation available in Bootstrap share general markup and styles, from the base .nav class to the active and disabled states. Swap modifier classes to switch between each style.

The base .nav component is built with flexbox and provide a strong foundation for building all types of navigation components. It includes some style overrides (for working with lists), some link padding for larger hit areas, and basic disabled styling.

                                                        
<ul class="nav">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    

Classes are used throughout, so your markup can be super flexible. Use <ul>s like above, or roll your own with say a <nav> element. Because the .nav uses display: flex, the nav links behave the same as nav items would, but without the extra markup.

                                                        
<nav class="nav">
    <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#">Disabled</a>
</nav>
                                                        
                                                    
Available styles

Change the style of .navs component with modifiers and utilities. Mix and match as needed, or build your own.

Horizontal alignment

Change the horizontal alignment of your nav with flexbox utilities. By default, navs are left-aligned, but you can easily change them to center or right aligned.

Centered with .justify-content-center:

                                                        
<ul class="nav justify-content-center">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    

Right-aligned with .justify-content-end:

                                                        
<ul class="nav justify-content-end">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    
Vertical

Stack your navigation by changing the flex item direction with the .flex-column utility. Need to stack them on some viewports but not others? Use the responsive versions (e.g., .flex-sm-column).

                                                        
<ul class="nav flex-column">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    

As always, vertical navigation is possible without <ul>s, too.

                                                        
<nav class="nav flex-column">
    <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#">Disabled</a>
</nav>
                                                        
                                                    
Tabs

Takes the basic nav from above and adds the .nav-tabs class to generate a tabbed interface.

                                                        
<ul class="nav nav-tabs">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Active</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Link</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    

Pills

Take that same HTML, but use .navs instead:

                                                        
<ul class="nav nav-pills">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Profile</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Settings</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Messages</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    
Round pills
                                                        
<ul class="nav nav-pills rounded">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Profile</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Settings</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Messages</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    
Fill and justify

Force your .nav’s contents to extend the full available width one of two modifier classes. To proportionately fill all available space with your .nav-items, use .nav-fill. Notice that all horizontal space is occupied, but not every nav item has the same width.

                                                        
<ul class="nav nav-pills nav-fill">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Profile</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Settings</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Messages</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    

When using a <nav>-based navigation, be sure to include .nav-item on the anchors.

                                                        
<nav class="nav nav-pills nav-fill">
    <a class="nav-item nav-link active" href="#">Profile</a>
    <a class="nav-item nav-link" href="#">Settings</a>
    <a class="nav-item nav-link" href="#">Messages</a>
    <a class="nav-item nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
</nav>
                                                        
                                                    

For equal-width elements, use .nav-justified. All horizontal space will be occupied by nav links, but unlike the .nav-fill above, every nav item will be the same width.

                                                        
<ul class="nav nav-pills nav-justified">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Profile</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Settings</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">Messages</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link disabled" href="#" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="true">Disabled</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                        
                                                    
Working with flex utilities

If you need responsive nav variations, consider using a series of flexbox utilities. While more verbose, these utilities offer greater customization across responsive breakpoints. In the example below, our nav will be stacked on the lowest breakpoint, then adapt to a horizontal layout that fills the available width starting from the small breakpoint.

                                                    
<ul class="nav nav-pills nav-fill flex-column flex-sm-row">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center active" href="#">Home</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center" href="#">Profile</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center" href="#">Settings</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center" href="#">Messages</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                    
                                                
Pills with icons

You cand use icons in your navigation pill

                                                
<ul class="nav nav-pills nav-fill flex-column flex-sm-row">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center active" href="#"><i class="far fa-user-circle"></i>Profile</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center" href="#"><i class="far fa-sun"></i>Settings</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center" href="#"><i class="far fa-comments"></i>Messages</a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link flex-sm-fill text-sm-center" href="#"><i class="fas fa-signature"></i>Stats</a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                
                                            

Only icon

Circle pills
                                                    
<ul class="nav nav-pills nav-pill-circle flex-column flex-sm-row">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-user"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-lightbulb"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-sun"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-paper-plane"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-comments"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
</ul>
                                                    
                                                
Square pills
                                                    
<ul class="nav nav-pills nav-pill-square flex-column flex-sm-row">
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link active" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-user"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-lightbulb"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-sun"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-paper-plane"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
    <li class="nav-item">
        <a class="nav-link" href="#">
            <span class="nav-link-icon d-block"><i class="far fa-comments"></i></span>
        </a>
    </li>
</ul>