To register a custom menu in WordPress, use the register_nav_menus() function inside your theme’s functions.php file. First, define one or more menu locations using an associative array where keys are internal names (slugs) and values are human-readable names. 1. Hook the function into 'after_setup_theme' to ensure it runs at the correct time. 2. Avoid spaces in slugs; use hyphens or underscores instead. 3. After registration, assign menus via Appearance > Menus in the admin. 4. Use wp_nav_menu() with the correct 'theme_location' parameter to display the menu in template files. 5. Wrap menus in
You can register a custom menu location in WordPress by using the register_nav_menus()
function. This allows you to define one or more specific areas in your theme where users can assign menus via the WordPress admin.
Why You’d Want to Register a Custom Menu
By default, many themes come with at least one menu location, like a primary navigation. But if you want to add another menu—like a footer menu, mobile-only nav, or sidebar menu—you’ll need to register a new menu location in your theme’s functions.php
file.
How to Register a New Menu Location
To set up a custom menu location, you'll use the register_nav_menus()
function inside your theme's functions.php
file.
Here's how it works:
- Use the function and pass an associative array of locations.
- Each key is the internal name (slug) for the menu.
- The value is the human-readable name shown in the admin.
Example:
function my_theme_register_menus() { register_nav_menus( array( 'header-menu' => __('Header Menu'), 'footer-menu' => __('Footer Menu') ) ); } add_action('after_setup_theme', 'my_theme_register_menus');
This code registers two menu locations: Header Menu and Footer Menu.
A few notes:
- Make sure this is hooked into
after_setup_theme
. - Avoid spaces in the slug; use hyphens or underscores instead.
- After adding this, go to Appearance > Menus and assign a menu to the new location.
How to Display the Custom Menu in Your Theme
Once you’ve registered the menu, you need to display it in the right place in your theme files.
Use wp_nav_menu()
with the correct theme location.
For example, to show the Footer Menu:
wp_nav_menu( array( 'theme_location' => 'footer-menu' ) );
Place that in the appropriate template file—like footer.php
for a footer menu.
Make sure to:
- Check if the menu exists before displaying it.
- Add fallbacks or defaults if needed.
- Wrap it in semantic tags like
<nav></nav>
for accessibility.
Best Practices When Adding Custom Menus
When working with custom menus, keep these points in mind to avoid issues:
- Always prefix your function names to prevent conflicts—especially if you're building a theme for public use.
- Test your changes in a child theme if possible.
- Don’t forget to update documentation or comments so other developers know what each menu location is for.
- If a user hasn’t assigned a menu to a location,
wp_nav_menu()
won’t output anything by default—so plan for that scenario.
That’s basically all there is to it. Once registered and placed correctly in your templates, users can manage those menus from the dashboard. It’s not hard, but it does require attention to detail when naming and placing the menus.
The above is the detailed content of How to register a custom menu location in WordPress. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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