[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #64312: Confusing & Unsafe Menu Behavior in WordPress Admin (Especially on Mobile)

[WordPress Trac]

#64312: Confusing & Unsafe Menu Behavior in WordPress Admin (Especially on Mobile)
----------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  franzmortensen  |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement     |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Menus           |     Version:  6.8.3
 Severity:  major           |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                  |     Focuses:  administration
----------------------------+------------------------------
Changes (by sabernhardt):

 * focuses:   => administration
 * component:  Administration => Menus


Old description:

> Dear WordPress Core Team,
> I’m a long-time WordPress/WooCommerce admin (multiple sites, some with
> Storefront, some with other themes), and I’ve run into menu behavior that
> feels confusing and unsafe for normal, non-technical site owners.
> In the Admin (Appearance → Menus), it looks like:
> “This is your menu. Add/remove items here and that’s what visitors will
> see.”
> But in reality, that’s not what happens:
> •I can remove pages from a menu (or have no items at all),
> •The menu appears empty in the Admin,
> •Yet on the live site — especially on mobile — those pages still show up
> in the navigation.
> In many cases, themes use separate desktop and mobile menu locations, and
> where no menu is configured, WordPress or the theme will automatically
> show a list of pages. From an admin’s perspective, this means:
> “I didn’t add this page to any menu… but WordPress is still putting it in
> front of my visitors.”
> This can expose pages that were supposed to be hidden or retired. It’s
> not just a UX annoyance; it’s a real trust and privacy risk.
> From a WordPress admin’s point of view, here’s what would make this safe
> and predictable:
> 1.If I clear a menu or remove all its items, nothing should appear there
> for visitors.
> If a menu is assigned to a location and ends up empty, the output should
> be empty — not an automatic list of pages.
> 2.Clearly show desktop vs mobile menus in Admin.
> Make it obvious when a theme uses separate menu locations (e.g., “Desktop
> Header” vs “Mobile Header”) and which menu is assigned to each.
> 3.Warn me when WordPress will “invent” navigation I didn’t configure.
> If a location will show a page list when no menu is set, the Admin should
> clearly say so and ideally give me a simple switch to turn that behavior
> off — without needing custom code.
> Right now, the Menus screen suggests a simple, WYSIWYG model, but the
> live behavior (especially on phones) doesn’t match. I’m asking that
> either:
> •The actual behavior be brought in line with what the Admin UI suggests,
> or
> •The Admin clearly explain when and where automatic/fallback navigation
> will appear, and give non-technical users an easy way to control it.
> Thank you for considering this.
> Sincerely,
> Franz Mortensen

New description:

 Dear WordPress Core Team,

 I’m a long-time WordPress/WooCommerce admin (multiple sites, some with
 Storefront, some with other themes), and I’ve run into menu behavior that
 feels confusing and unsafe for normal, non-technical site owners.

 In the Admin (Appearance → Menus), it looks like:
 “This is your menu. Add/remove items here and that’s what visitors will
 see.”

 But in reality, that’s not what happens:
 - I can remove pages from a menu (or have no items at all),
 - The menu appears empty in the Admin,
 - Yet on the live site — especially on mobile — those pages still show up
 in the navigation.

 In many cases, themes use separate desktop and mobile menu locations, and
 where no menu is configured, WordPress or the theme will automatically
 show a list of pages. From an admin’s perspective, this means:
 “I didn’t add this page to any menu… but WordPress is still putting it in
 front of my visitors.”

 This can expose pages that were supposed to be hidden or retired. It’s not
 just a UX annoyance; it’s a real trust and privacy risk.

 From a WordPress admin’s point of view, here’s what would make this safe
 and predictable:
 1. If I clear a menu or remove all its items, nothing should appear there
 for visitors. \\
   If a menu is assigned to a location and ends up empty, the output should
 be empty — not an automatic list of pages.
 2. Clearly show desktop vs mobile menus in Admin. \\
   Make it obvious when a theme uses separate menu locations (e.g.,
 “Desktop Header” vs “Mobile Header”) and which menu is assigned to each.
 3. Warn me when WordPress will “invent” navigation I didn’t configure. \\
   If a location will show a page list when no menu is set, the Admin
 should clearly say so and ideally give me a simple switch to turn that
 behavior off — without needing custom code.

 Right now, the Menus screen suggests a simple, WYSIWYG model, but the live
 behavior (especially on phones) doesn’t match. I’m asking that either:
 - The actual behavior be brought in line with what the Admin UI suggests,
 or
 - The Admin clearly explain when and where automatic/fallback navigation
 will appear, and give non-technical users an easy way to control it.

 Thank you for considering this.
 Sincerely,
 Franz Mortensen

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64312#comment:1>
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