Overlays / The visual dictionary

Dropdown menu.

A list of actions opened from a menu button.

Also calledaction menumenu popup
01

See it in context

UI illustration

A dropdown menu keeps a group of actions behind a labeled trigger. Menu items perform commands rather than behaving like arbitrary form controls or a selected-value field.

When to use it

Use to group related secondary commands.

Know the difference

A dropdown menu offers commands; a select input chooses and stores a value.

WebiOSiPadOSAndroidmacOSWindowsLinuxvisionOS

iOS · iPadOS · macOS · visionOS

Use the native platform presentation and terminology; adapt density and interaction to touch, pointer, remote, or spatial input rather than copying a phone-sized view.

Web · Android · Windows · Linux

On the web, manage keyboard focus and dismissal explicitly. Android and desktop implementations should use the equivalent native surface when available.

Primary documentation for the pattern and its platform conventions.