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How to switch SharePoint site navigation from left vertical to top horizontal

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1–2 minutes

Until a recent update, SharePoint team sites always had a left side vertical navigation menu. Communication sites always had a top horizontal navigation menu that could be a cascading or mega menu style. Recently, Microsoft rolled out the ability to change a team site’s navigation from vertical (side) to horizontal (top).

Click to enlarge – Roadmap item for SharePoint Navigation Switcher.

Note: This change only applies to team site types. Communication sites are still top horizontal only.

Below are the steps to swap your team site’s navigation orientation. You must be a site owner to perform these steps.

How to change SharePoint team site navigation from left side to top

  1. Navigate to the team site for which you’d like to switch the navigation orientation.
  2. Click the settings wheel in the upper-right corner.
  3. Select Change the look.
  4. Select Navigation.
  5. Choose Horizontal and then choose either Mega menu or Cascading for menu style.
Click to enlarge – Navigation switcher options for a SharePoint team site.

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7 responses to “How to switch SharePoint site navigation from left vertical to top horizontal”

  1. Prasad Avatar
    Prasad

    Vertical navigation, Only i don’t see the page full labels, but i want to see full display name without hover. Any idea?

    Reply
  2. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    I think I created it as a communication site, not a team site. So that’ll likely explain it. I see no easy way to change it, apart from deleting and recreating.

    Thanks for your feedback. Appreciated.

    Reply
    1. Nate Chamberlain Avatar
      Nate Chamberlain

      That’s correct – there’s currently no way to switch a communication site to a team site. You could, however, create a new team site then at least move your files easily by using a “select all” and “move to” action in the document library. If you have access to a migration tool like ShareGate, that could help copy much more over as well. Good luck!

      Reply
  3. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    I don’t get the horizontal/vertical option 🙁
    Any thoughts?

    Reply
    1. Nate Chamberlain Avatar
      Nate Chamberlain

      Do you know if your site a team site or a communication site? Team sites will show you a number of members in the upper right corner of the site by the following option. If you don’t see a number of members, it’s a communication site and won’t have the ability to switch navigation orientation. Does that help?

      Reply
    2. ModMama Avatar
      ModMama

      If you by chance have “SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure” activated in the site collection features, you won’t get the horizontal/vertical option (append this to your SP site to check out: /_layouts/15/ManageFeatures.aspx?Scope=Site)

      Reply
      1. ModMama Avatar
        ModMama

        (If you have a Teams site that doesn’t show the Navigation options, I mean)

        Reply

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