How TO - Sidebar with Icons

Learn how to create a side navigation menu with icons, using CSS.

How To Create a Sidebar with Icons

Step 1) Add HTML:

Example

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css">


<div class="sidebar">
<a href="#home"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-home"></i> Home</a>
<a href="#services"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-wrench"></i> Services</a>
<a href="#clients"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-user"></i> Clients</a>
<a href="#contact"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-envelope"></i> Contact</a>
</div>

Step 2) Add CSS:

Example

/* Style the sidebar - fixed full height */
.sidebar {
height: 100%;
width: 160px;
position: fixed;
z-index: 1;
top: 0;
left: 0;
background-color: #111;
overflow-x: hidden;
padding-top: 16px;
}

/* Style sidebar links */
.sidebar a {
padding: 6px 8px 6px 16px;
text-decoration: none;
font-size: 20px;
color: #818181;
display: block;
}

/* Style links on mouse-over */
.sidebar a:hover {
color: #f1f1f1;
}

/* Style the main content */
.main {
margin-left: 160px; /* Same as the width of the sidenav */
padding: 0px 10px;
}

/* Add media queries for small screens (when the height of the screen is less than 450px, add a smaller padding and font-size) */
@media screen and (max-height: 450px) {
.sidebar {padding-top: 15px;}
.sidebar a {font-size: 18px;}
}

Try it Yourself »

Tip: Go to our CSS Navbar Tutorial to learn more about navigation bars.

Tip: If you want to create a navigation bar that only contains icons, read our How To - Icon Bar Tutorial.

❮ Previous Next ❯