---
title: "Adding side navigation on a page"
canonical: "https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/603324920/Adding%20side%20navigation%20on%20a%20page"
format: markdown
---
The side nav is a menu component that is added to the right side of a web page to help users navigate a section of related pages. It is also known as the sidebar or section nav.

By default, the side nav doesn't show on landing pages but is automatically included on a standard pages and shows the parent and child page hierarchy. On both page types you can change the side nav settings.

---

## When to use the side nav

Use the side nav to:

- show the user where the page they are on fits within your content hierarchy
- help users find and navigate to highly related information across parent pages.

On mobile devices the side nav will collapse at the top of the web page.

### Do

- Add the side nav to landing page templates when the page is information-rich, like a standard page, rather than acting as a traditional wayfinding landing page.
- Always position the side nav on the right hand side of the page.
- Display only the most relevant context to users – unless there is a specific need to show more of the page hierarchy.

### Don't

- Hide the side nav on standard pages.
- Add the side nav for traditional landing pages that already use cards, link lists or other navigation components to allow rapid wayfinding.
- Add the side nav for landing pages without children and with a generic high-level topic parent.
- Set the side nav to display more links than is immediately useful for users. One level of parent and children is usually the most appropriate setting.
- Don't let side navs with lots of items run longer than the page body copy or overlap with elements, such as cards, that are lower on the page in full-width containers.

---

## How to add a side nav on a page

### Landing page

To add a side nav to a landing page:

1. Click **Add section**, select **Three Quarters / Quarter – Large gutter** and click the **Add section** button.
2. In the right-side quarter column click **Add block**.
3. Use the **Filter by block name** search field and type **side nav**, then select it from the search results.
4. You can leave the **Title** field with the default title – it’s only visible to editors.
5. Choose the **Starting level** you would like to display. The standard is to choose **1 level up**; this will display the page’s parent. You should not choose more than a maximum of 4 levels up.
6. Click the **Add block **button.

### Standard page

For standard pages, the side nav is automatically added when the page is created. Check out [navigation on standard pages](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/604111972/Creating+a+standard+page) for more guidance.

---

## Editing or removing the side nav

### On a landing page

On a landing page go to the **Layout** screen of your landing page. Click the edit pencil icon of your block and from the dropdown select:

- **Remove block** to completely remove it, or
- **Configure** to edit it. You will see the same options as when the side nav is first created, so follow steps 4 to 6 in [How to add a side nav](https://nsw-gov-au-help-hub.refined.site/space/HHK/603324920/Adding+side+navigation+on+a+page#Landing-page).

### On a standard page

To edit or remove a side nav on a standard page:

1. Go to the **Edit** screen of your standard page.
2. In the right side accordions, open the accordion **Advanced settings**.
3. From the **Sidebar nav** dropdown, select:
  - **Hidden** to remove the side nav from the page.
  - **Parent and children** to show the pages above and below (this is the recommended setting). If you choose this option, the **Starting level** dropdown box will appear. You can choose to show the direct parent and child pages by selecting **1**. This is the recommended setting. However, you can choose to show more pages within the section by selecting 2 or higher.
4. **Save** the page.

> ℹ️ ### For the most consistent colour contrast and accessibility, we recommend using this component on a white background.

---

## See side nav live on [http://nsw.gov.au](http://nsw.gov.au) 

Check out [side nav](https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/content-guidance/cms-components-guide/navigation/side-nav) to see how this works on a live page.