---
title: Navbar
description: Documentation and examples for Bootstrap’s powerful, responsive navigation header, the navbar. Includes support for branding, navigation, and more, including support for our collapse plugin.
toc: true
---
import { getConfig } from '@libs/config'
## How it works
Here’s what you need to know before getting started with the navbar:
- Navbars require a wrapping `.navbar` with `.navbar-expand{-sm|-md|-lg|-xl|-xxl}` for responsive collapsing and [color scheme](#color-schemes) classes.
- Navbars and their contents are fluid by default. Change the [container](#containers) to limit their horizontal width in different ways.
- Use our [spacing]([[docsref:/utilities/spacing]]) and [flex]([[docsref:/utilities/flex]]) utility classes for controlling spacing and alignment within navbars.
- Navbars are responsive by default, but you can easily modify them to change that. Responsive behavior depends on our Collapse JavaScript plugin.
- Ensure accessibility by using a ``} />
## Placement
Use our [position utilities]([[docsref:/utilities/position]]) to place navbars in non-static positions. Choose from fixed to the top, fixed to the bottom, stickied to the top (scrolls with the page until it reaches the top, then stays there), or stickied to the bottom (scrolls with the page until it reaches the bottom, then stays there).
Fixed navbars use `position: fixed`, meaning they’re pulled from the normal flow of the DOM and may require custom CSS (e.g., `padding-top` on the ``) to prevent overlap with other elements.
`} />
## Scrolling
Add `.navbar-nav-scroll` to a `.navbar-nav` (or other navbar sub-component) to enable vertical scrolling within the toggleable contents of a collapsed navbar. By default, scrolling kicks in at `75vh` (or 75% of the viewport height), but you can override that with the local CSS custom property `--bs-navbar-height` or custom styles. At larger viewports when the navbar is expanded, content will appear as it does in a default navbar.
Please note that this behavior comes with a potential drawback of `overflow`—when setting `overflow-y: auto` (required to scroll the content here), `overflow-x` is the equivalent of `auto`, which will crop some horizontal content.
Here’s an example navbar using `.navbar-nav-scroll` with `style="--bs-scroll-height: 100px;"`, with some extra margin utilities for optimum spacing.
`} />
## Responsive behaviors
Navbars can use `.navbar-toggler`, `.navbar-collapse`, and `.navbar-expand{-sm|-md|-lg|-xl|-xxl}` classes to determine when their content collapses behind a button. In combination with other utilities, you can easily choose when to show or hide particular elements.
For navbars that never collapse, add the `.navbar-expand` class on the navbar. For navbars that always collapse, don’t add any `.navbar-expand` class.
### Toggler
Navbar togglers are left-aligned by default, but should they follow a sibling element like a `.navbar-brand`, they’ll automatically be aligned to the far right. Reversing your markup will reverse the placement of the toggler. Below are examples of different toggle styles.
With no `.navbar-brand` shown at the smallest breakpoint:
`} />
### External content
Sometimes you want to use the collapse plugin to trigger a container element for content that structurally sits outside of the `.navbar` . Because our plugin works on the `id` and `data-bs-target` matching, that’s easily done!
Collapsed content
Toggleable via the navbar brand.
`} />
When you do this, we recommend including additional JavaScript to move the focus programmatically to the container when it is opened. Otherwise, keyboard users and users of assistive technologies will likely have a hard time finding the newly revealed content - particularly if the container that was opened comes *before* the toggler in the document’s structure. We also recommend making sure that the toggler has the `aria-controls` attribute, pointing to the `id` of the content container. In theory, this allows assistive technology users to jump directly from the toggler to the container it controls–but support for this is currently quite patchy.
### Offcanvas
Transform your expanding and collapsing navbar into an offcanvas drawer with the [offcanvas component]([[docsref:/components/offcanvas]]). We extend both the offcanvas default styles and use our `.navbar-expand-*` classes to create a dynamic and flexible navigation sidebar.
In the example below, to create an offcanvas navbar that is always collapsed across all breakpoints, omit the `.navbar-expand-*` class entirely.
`} />
To create an offcanvas navbar that expands into a normal navbar at a specific breakpoint like `lg`, use `.navbar-expand-lg`.
```html
```
When using offcanvas in a dark navbar, be aware that you may need to have a dark background on the offcanvas content to avoid the text becoming illegible. In the example below, we add `.navbar-dark` and `.bg-dark` to the `.navbar`, `.text-bg-dark` to the `.offcanvas`, `.dropdown-menu-dark` to `.dropdown-menu`, and `.btn-close-white` to `.btn-close` for proper styling with a dark offcanvas.
`} />
## CSS
### Variables
As part of Bootstrap’s evolving CSS variables approach, navbars now use local CSS variables on `.navbar` for enhanced real-time customization. Values for the CSS variables are set via Sass, so Sass customization is still supported, too.
Some additional CSS variables are also present on `.navbar-nav`:
Customization through CSS variables can be seen on the `.navbar-dark` class where we override specific values without adding duplicate CSS selectors.
### Sass variables
Variables for all navbars:
Variables for the [dark navbar](#color-schemes):
### Sass loops
[Responsive navbar expand/collapse classes](#responsive-behaviors) (e.g., `.navbar-expand-lg`) are combined with the `$breakpoints` map and generated through a loop in `scss/_navbar.scss`.