To add a hamburger menu to WordPress, install the free MenuVerse plugin, enable the Mobile Menu module and choose one of your existing menus. Place the menu button with automatic insertion, the MenuVerse block or the [menuverse_mobile_menu] shortcode, and set the breakpoint where your desktop menu should take over. Submenus open as an accordion, with keyboard focus handled for you.
When you need one
- Your theme's mobile menu is missing, broken or hard to tap.
- Your block theme's Navigation block doesn't behave the way you want on phones.
- You want a cleaner, branded panel with a logo bar.
Set it up
- Install and activate MenuVerse.
- Open MenuVerse and enable Mobile Menu.
- Pick a menu — a classic menu or a block Navigation menu.
- Choose the side — left or right — and the trigger icon (bars or dots, with a squeeze animation).
- Optionally turn on the top bar with your logo or site title.
- Set the breakpoint to the width where your desktop menu stops fitting.
- Place it:
- Automatic insertion (off by default), or
- the MenuVerse Mobile Menu block in your header template part, or
[menuverse_mobile_menu], ormenuverse_the_mobile_menu()in a theme template.
- Save and test on a phone.
Built-in behaviour
| Behaviour | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Accordion submenus that open at the branch the visitor is on | Visitors see where they are |
| Body scroll lock | The page doesn't scroll behind the menu |
| Focus trap and focus return | Keyboard and screen-reader users stay in the menu and get back to the button |
| Reduced motion | Animations calm down for visitors who ask |
| RTL | Logical CSS properties work in both directions |
| Tiny and self-hosted | Under 6 KB gzipped, vanilla JavaScript, no CDN |
Free vs Pro
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Slide from left or right, overlay | Yes | Plus full-screen and push |
| Trigger icons | Bars, dots | Plus spin and arrow |
| Top bar with logo or title | Yes | Custom wording, sticky, hide on scroll |
| Accordion submenus, scroll lock, focus trap | Yes | Yes |
| Search field, social links, free text | — | Yes |
| Swipe to close | — | Yes |
| Page visibility rules | — | Yes |
| Hide the theme's own menu on small screens | — | Yes |
MenuVerse Pro starts at $19.99 a year.
Add a bottom bar too
A hamburger menu holds your full navigation; a bottom navigation bar keeps the top four actions in thumb reach. MenuVerse runs both from the same dashboard.
On a block theme and can't find Appearance → Menus? See how to fix missing Menus on block themes. Comparing plugins? Read our mobile menu plugin round-up.
Common Questions
Install the free MenuVerse plugin, enable the Mobile Menu module and pick one of your existing menus. Turn on automatic insertion or place the MenuVerse Mobile Menu block or [menuverse_mobile_menu] shortcode where the button should appear, then set the breakpoint.
Yes. A plugin like MenuVerse renders its own off-canvas menu from your WordPress menu. Set the breakpoint to match when your theme's desktop menu should take over; hiding the theme's own mobile menu is a MenuVerse Pro option.
Use the width where your desktop menu stops fitting — often around 960–1024 pixels. Resize the browser and note where the desktop links start wrapping.
No. MenuVerse uses the menus you already have — classic menus under Appearance → Menus and block Navigation menus — and never copies them.
It should be. MenuVerse locks page scrolling while open, traps keyboard focus inside the panel, returns focus to the button when closed and respects reduced motion.
In MenuVerse Pro, yes — a search field, a row of social profile links and free text inside the panel, plus swipe-to-close.