Menu

<docs-decorative-header title="Menu"> </docs-decorative-header> <docs-pill-row> <docs-pill href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/menubar/" title="Menu ARIA pattern"/> <docs-pill href="/api/aria/menu/Menu" title="Menu API Reference"/> </docs-pill-row>

Overview

A menu offers a list of actions or options to users, typically appearing in response to a button click or right-click. Menus support keyboard navigation with arrow keys, submenus, checkboxes, radio buttons, and disabled items.

<docs-tab-group> <docs-tab label="Basic"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> <docs-tab label="Material"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/material/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/material/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/material/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/material/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> <docs-tab label="Retro"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/retro/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/retro/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/retro/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger/retro/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> </docs-tab-group>

Usage

Menus work well for presenting lists of actions or commands that users can choose from.

Use menus when:

Building application command menus (File, Edit, View)
Creating context menus (right-click actions)
Showing dropdown action lists
Implementing toolbar dropdowns
Organizing settings or options

Avoid menus when:

Building site navigation (use navigation landmarks instead)
Creating form selects (use the Select component)
Switching between content panels (use Tabs)
Showing collapsible content (use Accordion)

Features

Keyboard navigation - Arrow keys, Home/End, and character search for efficient navigation
Submenus - Nested menu support with automatic positioning
Menu types - Standalone menus, triggered menus, and menubars
Checkboxes and radios - Toggle and selection menu items
Disabled items - Soft or hard disabled states with focus management
Auto-close behavior - Configurable close on selection
RTL support - Right-to-left language navigation

Examples

Create a dropdown menu by pairing a trigger button with a menu. The trigger opens and closes the menu.

The menu automatically closes when a user selects an item or presses Escape.

Context menus appear at the cursor position when users right-click an element.

<docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-context/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-context/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-context/app/app.html"/> </docs-code-multifile>

Position the menu using the contextmenu event coordinates.

A standalone menu doesn't require a trigger and remains visible in the interface.

<docs-tab-group> <docs-tab label="Basic"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> <docs-tab label="Material"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/material/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/material/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/material/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/material/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> <docs-tab label="Retro"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/retro/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/retro/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/retro/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-standalone/retro/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> </docs-tab-group>

Standalone menus work well for always-visible action lists or navigation.

Disable specific menu items using the disabled input. Control focus behavior with softDisabled.

<docs-tab-group> <docs-tab label="Basic"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> <docs-tab label="Material"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/material/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/material/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/material/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/material/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> <docs-tab label="Retro"> <docs-code-multifile preview hideCode path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/retro/app/app.ts"> <docs-code header="app.ts" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/retro/app/app.ts"/> <docs-code header="app.html" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/retro/app/app.html"/> <docs-code header="app.css" path="adev/src/content/examples/aria/menu/src/menu-trigger-disabled/retro/app/app.css"/> </docs-code-multifile> </docs-tab> </docs-tab-group>

When [softDisabled]="true", disabled items can receive focus but cannot be activated. When [softDisabled]="false", disabled items are skipped during keyboard navigation.

Testing

Angular Aria provides component harnesses for testing menu components. Here is an example of how to use the harnesses in a component test:

typescript

import {ComponentFixture, TestBed} from '@angular/core/testing';
import {HarnessLoader} from '@angular/cdk/testing';
import {TestbedHarnessEnvironment} from '@angular/cdk/testing/testbed';
import {MenuHarness, MenuItemHarness} from '@angular/aria/menu/testing';
import {MyMenuComponent} from './my-menu'; // Your component

describe('MyMenuComponent', () => {
  let fixture: ComponentFixture<MyMenuComponent>;
  let loader: HarnessLoader;

  beforeEach(async () => {
    TestBed.configureTestingModule({
      imports: [MyMenuComponent],
    });

    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(MyMenuComponent);
    await fixture.whenStable();
    loader = TestbedHarnessEnvironment.loader(fixture);
  });

  it('should open menu and click item', async () => {
    // Load the menu harness by its trigger text
    const menu = await loader.getHarness(MenuHarness.with({triggerText: 'Open Menu'}));

    // Verify initial state
    expect(await menu.isOpen()).toBe(false);

    // Open the menu
    await menu.open();
    expect(await menu.isOpen()).toBe(true);

    // Get items
    const items = await menu.getItems();
    expect(items.length).toBe(3);
    expect(await items[0].getText()).toBe('Item 1');

    // Click first item
    await items[0].click();

    // Menu should close after selection (depending on your implementation)
    expect(await menu.isOpen()).toBe(false);
  });

  it('should interact with submenus', async () => {
    const menu = await loader.getHarness(MenuHarness.with({triggerText: 'Open Menu'}));
    await menu.open();

    // Get the item that triggers a submenu
    const subItem = await loader.getHarness(MenuItemHarness.with({text: 'Submenu'}));
    expect(await subItem.hasSubmenu()).toBe(true);

    // Open submenu
    await subItem.click();
    const submenu = await subItem.getSubmenu();
    expect(submenu).toBeTruthy();
    expect(await submenu!.isOpen()).toBe(true);

    // Interact with submenu items
    const subItems = await submenu!.getItems();
    expect(subItems.length).toBe(1);
  });
});

APIs

The container directive for menu items.

Inputs

Property	Type	Default	Description
`disabled`	`boolean`	`false`	Disables all items in the menu
`wrap`	`boolean`	`true`	Whether keyboard navigation wraps at edges
`softDisabled`	`boolean`	`true`	When `true`, disabled items are focusable but not interactive

Methods

Method	Parameters	Description
`close`	none	Closes the menu

MenuBar

A horizontal container for multiple menus.

Inputs

Property	Type	Default	Description
`disabled`	`boolean`	`false`	Disables the entire menubar
`wrap`	`boolean`	`true`	Whether keyboard navigation wraps at edges
`softDisabled`	`boolean`	`true`	When `true`, disabled items are focusable but not interactive

MenuItem

An individual item within a menu.

Inputs

Property	Type	Default	Description
`value`	`any`	—	Required. Value for this item
`role`	`'menuitem' \| 'menuitemcheckbox' \| 'menuitemradio'`	`'menuitem'`	The ARIA role for the menu item
`disabled`	`boolean`	`false`	Disables this menu item
`submenu`	`Menu`	—	Reference to a submenu
`searchTerm`	`string`	`''`	Search term for typeahead (supports two-way binding)

Signals

Property	Type	Description
`active`	`Signal<boolean>`	Whether the item currently has focus
`expanded`	`Signal<boolean>`	Whether the submenu is expanded
`hasPopup`	`Signal<boolean>`	Whether the item has an associated submenu

NOTE: MenuItem does not expose public methods. Use the submenu input to associate submenus with menu items.

MenuTrigger

A button or element that opens a menu.

Inputs

Property	Type	Default	Description
`menu`	`Menu`	—	Required. The menu to trigger
`disabled`	`boolean`	`false`	Disables the trigger
`softDisabled`	`boolean`	`true`	When `true`, disabled trigger is focusable

Signals

Property	Type	Description
`expanded`	`Signal<boolean>`	Whether the menu is currently open
`hasPopup`	`Signal<boolean>`	Whether the trigger has an associated menu

Methods

Method	Parameters	Description
`open`	none	Opens the menu
`close`	none	Closes the menu
`toggle`	none	Toggles the menu open/closed

Overview

Usage

Features

Examples

Menu with trigger

Context menu

Standalone menu

Disabled menu items

Testing

APIs

Menu

Inputs

Methods

MenuBar

Inputs

MenuItem

Inputs

Signals

MenuTrigger

Inputs

Signals

Methods