CSS Dropdown Menu Tutorial with HTML & Example Code

Dropdowns

A dropdown menu is a navigation pattern used to hide and show a list of links when a user hovers over a menu item. It is commonly used in websites to organize navigation in a compact way.

Basic Dropdown Structure

In HTML, we create dropdowns using nested <ul> and <li> elements.

Example:

<nav>
  <ul>
    <li class="Lev-1">
      <a href="#">Level-1</a>
      <ul>
        <li><a href="#">Link 1</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">Link 2</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">Link 3</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">Link 4</a></li>
      </ul>
    </li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Styling the Dropdown with CSS

Example: Here is a full working example with CSS to make the dropdown interactive on hover:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>CSS Dropdown Menu</title>
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      margin: 0;
      padding: 0;
      background-color: #f4f4f4;
    }

    .gfg {
      font-size: 40px;
      font-weight: bold;
      color: #009900;
      text-align: center;
      margin: 20px 0;
    }

    p {
      font-size: 20px;
      font-weight: bold;
      text-align: center;
    }

    nav {
      background: #333;
      padding: 10px 0;
    }

    nav>ul {
      list-style: none;
      margin: 0 auto;
      padding: 0;
      display: flex;
      justify-content: center;
    }

    nav ul li {
      position: relative;
      margin: 0 10px;
    }

    nav ul li a {
      display: block;
      padding: 10px 20px;
      background-color: #990;
      color: white;
      text-decoration: none;
      transition: background 0.3s;
    }

    nav ul li a:hover {
      background-color: #090;
    }

    /* Dropdown Styles */
    nav ul li ul {
      display: none;
      position: absolute;
      top: 100%;
      left: 0;
      background: #333;
      list-style: none;
      min-width: 150px;
    }

    nav ul li ul li {
      width: 100%;
    }

    nav ul li:hover>ul {
      display: block;
    }
  </style>
</head>

<body>

  <div class="gfg">Quipoin</div>
  <p>CSS Dropdown Navigation Menu</p>

  <nav>
    <ul>
      <li class="Lev-1">
        <a href="#">Level-1</a>
        <ul>
          <li><a href="#">Link 1</a></li>
          <li><a href="#">Link 2</a></li>
          <li><a href="#">Link 3</a></li>
          <li><a href="#">Link 4</a></li>
        </ul>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </nav>

</body>

</html>

Output:

Key Point

Hover-based interaction (no JavaScript required)

Simple and mobile-friendly layout

Easy to customize (colors, size, animation)