We know now how to create a navigation bar and dropdown menu. Now, we can learn how to create a responsive navigation bar with CSS and JavaScript. What does it mean responsive?
It means, mobile-friendly. So when your site is viewed on smaller screens – make sure it’s easy to navigate.

Step 1: Add HTML:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="topnav" id="myTopnav">
<a href="#home" class="active">Home</a>
<a href="#news">News</a>
<a href="#contact">Contact</a>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">Dropdown
<i class="fa fa-caret-down"></i>
</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#">Link 1</a>
<a href="#">Link 2</a>
<a href="#">Link 3</a>
</div>
</div>
<a href="#about">About</a>
<a href="javascript:void(0);" style="font-size:15px;" class="icon" onclick="myFunction()">☰</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Step 2: Add CSS:
body {margin:0;font-family:Arial}
.topnav {
overflow: hidden;
background-color: #264653;
}
.topnav a {
float: left;
display: block;
color: #fff;
text-align: center;
padding: 14px 16px;
text-decoration: none;
font-size: 17px;
}
.active {
background-color: #2a9d8f;
color: white;
}
.topnav .icon {
display: none;
}
.dropdown {
float: left;
overflow: hidden;
}
.dropdown .dropbtn {
font-size: 17px;
border: none;
outline: none;
color: white;
padding: 14px 16px;
background-color: inherit;
font-family: inherit;
margin: 0;
}
.dropdown-content {
display: none;
position: absolute;
background-color: #f9f9f9;
min-width: 160px;
box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
z-index: 1;
}
.dropdown-content a {
float: none;
color: black;
padding: 12px 16px;
text-decoration: none;
display: block;
text-align: left;
}
.topnav a:hover, .dropdown:hover .dropbtn {
background-color: #e9c46a;
color: white;
}
.dropdown-content a:hover {
background-color: #f4a261;
color: black;
}
.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {
display: block;
}
@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {
.topnav a:not(:first-child), .dropdown .dropbtn {
display: none;
}
.topnav a.icon {
float: right;
display: block;
}
}
@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {
.topnav.responsive {position: relative;}
.topnav.responsive .icon {
position: absolute;
right: 0;
top: 0;
}
.topnav.responsive a {
float: none;
display: block;
text-align: left;
}
.topnav.responsive .dropdown {float: none;}
.topnav.responsive .dropdown-content {position: relative;}
.topnav.responsive .dropdown .dropbtn {
display: block;
width: 100%;
text-align: left;
}
}
Step 3: Add JavaScript:
<script>
function myFunction() {
var x = document.getElementById("myTopnav");
if (x.className === "topnav") {
x.className += " responsive";
} else {
x.className = "topnav";
}
}
</script>
Output:
Resize the browser window to see how the responsive navigation works.
Enjoy coding!
Read also:
How to create a responsive zig-zag layout?