Overview
Floating panel of actions triggered by a button. Supports checkbox, radio, search, avatar items and context menus.
Action menu
Group secondary record actions behind one clearly labelled trigger.
Use a dropdown menu for related actions that do not all need persistent visibility. Keep the most important action outside the menu.
Anatomy
- Root container and trigger area with popover boundary.
- Menu content blocks grouped by sections and optional search controls.
- Action rows with icons, shortcuts, and state indicators.
- Context menu fallback surface for right-click or touch-hold use cases.
When to use
- Choose DropdownMenu for command surfaces that open from one control.
- Use for dense action sets that need contextual visibility on demand.
- Use in lists, cards, and toolbars where actions share the same context.
When not to use
- Do not use only for decorative layout without interaction meaning.
- Avoid when actions are always visible and must not be hidden.
- Prefer tabs or segmented controls for primary navigation.
Variants
Common variants include icon-only triggers, dark theme, compact width control, and table/context-menu entry styles.
States
- Idle, focus, open, disabled items, and checked/selected states.
- Radio/checkbox states should preserve visual grouping and semantics.
- Destructive actions should be clearly marked with intent styling.
Behavior
Keep keyboard order natural and predictable. Right-click actions should mirror pointer interactions where possible.
Accessibility
- Use visible labels with sufficient contrast, especially in compact menus.
- Preserve focus ring and keyboard navigation order.
- Use
intent="danger"and ARIA labels for destructive actions.
Content guidelines
- Keep action labels concise and action-oriented.
- Use similar phrasing across menus for consistency.
- Limit nested content density so one menu remains easy to scan.
Examples
Basic
Standard action list with icon, keyboard shortcut and a destructive delete item
With groups
MenuGroup organises items under a label — useful for settings and filter menus
Checkbox items
MenuCheckboxItem shows a checked state and fires onCheckedChange
Dark theme
theme='dark' gives the menu panel a dark background
Context menu — right click
ContextMenu wraps any element and shows a menu on right-click
Profile menu
MenuHeader with search and action items
Radio and avatar selection
MenuRadioItem handles exclusive settings while MenuAvatarItem presents people pickers
Color and reaction inputs
MenuColorPicker and MenuEmojiReactions add rich inputs inside a menu
Props / API
Api Props
Props