# Custom Website Menu You can create a custom menu to replace the default menu provided to you for your website when you activated your **Website Service**. Your website menu is generally found as a sidebar on either side of the main content of the home page, or at the top of the page. The location of the menu depends on the layout you chose. You can customize this menu. We encourage you to start by reading the overview and making a plan (see below). Once you create the custom menu (see below), you will then need to fill it with [Add Menu Items to Custom Menu](/doc/96c640d3-794f-45e6-8c6d-38ec11da8239) and [activate it](/doc/activate-your-active-menu-awALjoRZYJ). The following sections guide you through that process. :::success **Where do I find it?** Find the [Menus](https://manage.rescuegroups.org/webmenus) page by going to **Website > Menus**. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/48da3d2a-9a3a-434b-824b-a6018154f31c/b10843b9-808e-4ba5-96b3-b98b558e7bfb/image2018-8-9_14-36-26.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261023%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261023T193000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=6b9df4b812ce75cd3b35da6348be404c6294eb496812b5896f39796f54fd242c&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =356x313") ::: ++++++++ __==Click here for information on permissions==__ The following actions are available for Web Site Menus with the specified service and user roles: | **Action** | **Description** | **Services** | **User Roles** | |--------|-------------|----------|------------| | View | Able to view the custom web site menus | Web Site | Content Admin | | Add | Able to add a custom web site menu | Web Site | Content Admin | ++++++++ # How-to Video: Create and activate your custom menu Here is a video that can walk you through the process of creating a basic custom menu.  [https://youtu.be/9TH7J2%5FPgPE?si=6yM4%5FI2m-kjfbsex](https://youtu.be/9TH7J2%5FPgPE?si=6yM4%5FI2m-kjfbsex) # Before working on a custom menu :::success **Before working on creating a custom menu** It's a good idea to create a document of what you want your links to be and what order. **Example 1:** Home Adopt Volunteer Donate Sponsor **Example 2:** Home Adopt * Puppies * Dogs * Kittens * Cats Donate Contact Us ::: :::info When you **Create a Menu**, you will be able to add items to the menu and reorder items so the menu has exactly the items you want your visitor to see.  When your website was created, a **default RescueGroups.org website menu** was set up for you with links to pages and website features. The default RescueGroups.org website menu will automatically add your custom web pages you create. However, If you switch to a custom menu, *you will need to add those pages to your custom menu.* ::: :::tip If you activate a custom menu you will need to update the menu manually if you need to make any changes, including removing menu items if you disable a web page. ::: # Create your custom menu To create your custom menu: 1. Click the **Add a Menu** button at the top of the page. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/48da3d2a-9a3a-434b-824b-a6018154f31c/e8e4dfc2-fbe0-47f7-9bfa-bb445891dd02/add_a_menu.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261023%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261023T193000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=c96ee80f6b89175e2e76fe1defcc65d9efa4b017576816624a3cd93f606d6c6a&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =80x44") 2. Enter a **name** for the new menu and click the **Save Web Menu** button at the bottom of the field. This new menu will be empty **[ Menu Items (0) ]** when you create it. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/48da3d2a-9a3a-434b-824b-a6018154f31c/abb0f4c3-daec-465f-997c-9b4fec18c70d/name_custom_menu.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261023%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261023T193000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=afa72e6a3d9ef87096037e67488047fbcfa7117d84b4719f8e83a44ab0e691d1&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =325x163") 3. You can, if you like, populate your new menu with the items from the default RescueGroups.org menu items by clicking the **Reset** button. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/48da3d2a-9a3a-434b-824b-a6018154f31c/4f07cbba-1e0b-49ca-8065-8d53e8f99bc2/custom_menu_reset.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261023%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261023T193000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=6f3680bbd1fb7b848ff10c7c3ba41f29d5476b3f842593834e8657ca0f40cc2a&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =233x177") 4. To add or edit the items in this new menu, click **Menu Items ( )** from the top of the page. If you added the default menu items, you will have a number next to **Menu Items** and if you did not, it will still read 0. Then click the **Edit** button at the bottom of the description of the menu. For details about adding menu items, see [Add Menu Items to Custom Menu](/doc/96c640d3-794f-45e6-8c6d-38ec11da8239). ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/48da3d2a-9a3a-434b-824b-a6018154f31c/efc788c1-e753-462c-97eb-3c31033aeed1/menu_items.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261023%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261023T193000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=b5aae9102118defbc374ea97e75591243a47e01f2338173bfd6e87dad0f41898&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =235x174") 5. You can Activate the new menu by clicking the **Activate** button. --- **Documents** - [Custom Menu Item](https://guides.rescuegroups.org/s/4a2c57ff-3678-4bc0-8cf0-d6d45df023da/doc/custom-menu-item-9K3tTMOdHR) - [Add Menu Items to Custom Menu](https://guides.rescuegroups.org/s/4a2c57ff-3678-4bc0-8cf0-d6d45df023da/doc/add-menu-items-to-custom-menu-2zlLebOvmI) - [Activate your Active Menu](https://guides.rescuegroups.org/s/4a2c57ff-3678-4bc0-8cf0-d6d45df023da/doc/activate-your-active-menu-awALjoRZYJ)