What is the recommended way to create multi-level dropdowns in a Bootstrap 5 navbar?

Asked on Jun 05, 2025

1 Answer

In Bootstrap 5, creating multi-level dropdowns in a navbar involves using nested dropdown menus. This can be achieved by nesting `

<!-- BEGIN COPY / PASTE -->
        <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
            <div class="container-fluid">
                <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Brand</a>
                <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#navbarNav" aria-controls="navbarNav" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
                    <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
                </button>
                <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarNav">
                    <ul class="navbar-nav">
                        <li class="nav-item dropdown">
                            <a class="nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" id="navbarDropdown" role="button" data-bs-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">
                                Dropdown
                            </a>
                            <ul class="dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="navbarDropdown">
                                <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Action</a></li>
                                <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Another action</a></li>
                                <li class="dropdown-submenu">
                                    <a class="dropdown-item dropdown-toggle" href="#">Submenu</a>
                                    <ul class="dropdown-menu">
                                        <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Submenu action</a></li>
                                        <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Another submenu action</a></li>
                                    </ul>
                                </li>
                            </ul>
                        </li>
                    </ul>
                </div>
            </div>
        </nav>
        <!-- END COPY / PASTE -->

Additional Comment:

This example uses Bootstrap's built-in classes to create a responsive navbar with a multi-level dropdown.
The `dropdown-submenu` class is a custom class you may need to define in your CSS to handle styling and positioning.
Ensure you include Bootstrap's JavaScript for dropdown functionality.
The `aria-expanded` attribute helps with accessibility, indicating the dropdown state.

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