Pages & navigation explained
Understand how Squarespace organizes pages, dropdowns, and navigation menus, and how they work together to structure your website.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Your Squarespace website is made up of pages. The Pages panel is where you see all of them and control how they're organized. This guide explains how pages and navigation work together.
Quick summary
In Squarespace, pages are organized in the Pages panel. Pages in the "Main Navigation" area appear in your site's navigation menu, usually at the top of every page. Pages in "Not linked" exist but aren't in any menu. You can add, rearrange, and hide pages at any time.
The Pages panel
In the main menu on the left, click Website, then Pages. You'll see a list of all your pages organized into groups:
- Main Navigation: the pages shown in your site's main navigation menu
- Not linked: pages that exist on your site but aren't linked in any menu (anyone with the direct link can still open them, and search engines can still list them)
- Deleted Pages, Marketing Tools, System Pages, and Custom Code: tools at the bottom of the panel
Older version 7.0 sites may also have Footer Navigation or Secondary Navigation sections, depending on the template. On version 7.1 sites, you edit the footer on the page itself instead: click Edit, hover over the footer, and click Edit footer.
Types of pages
Squarespace has several types of pages. The ones you'll use most often are:
| Type | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Regular page | Any standard page — About, Services, Contact, etc. |
| Blog page | A blog with multiple posts |
| Store page | A product catalog (available on every current plan) |
| Portfolio page | A gallery of projects (version 7.1) |
| Events page | Your upcoming events |
| Cover page | A single bold page, often used as a "coming soon" (version 7.0 only) |
| Link | An item in the nav that links to an external URL, email address, phone number, or file |
| Dropdown | A group of pages shown as a dropdown menu (previously called a folder) |
How page order works
Pages appear in your navigation menu in the order they appear in the Pages panel. To change the order, drag a page up or down in the panel. The change goes live as soon as a visitor refreshes the page. If you don't see it on your own screen, refresh your browser.
Dragging pages
When dragging pages in the Pages panel, go slowly. If you accidentally drop a page inside a dropdown instead of next to it, it will become part of that dropdown menu. You can always drag it back out.
Folders and subpages (dropdowns)
If you want a dropdown menu on your navigation, use a Dropdown. Squarespace used to call these folders. A dropdown has a title (which appears in the menu) and contains pages (which appear when a visitor hovers over the title). A dropdown isn't a page itself, so it can't hold content, and you can't put one dropdown inside another.
To add a dropdown:
Click the + button next to Main Navigation.
Choose Dropdown.
Name the dropdown (this becomes the menu label).
Drag existing pages into the space below the dropdown, or click Add Page under it.
Hiding a page from navigation
To have a page on your site without showing it in the menu, drag it to the Not linked section. The page still exists and can be found with its direct URL, or through search engines. It just won't appear in your menus.
Deleting a page
Hover over the page name in the Pages panel.
Click the trash can icon that appears. (Or click the gear icon to open the page settings, then click Delete.)
Click Confirm (for a dropdown, the button says Delete). If you're deleting a dropdown, the pages inside it are deleted too.
You have 30 days to change your mind
Squarespace keeps a deleted page for 30 days. To get one back, click Deleted Pages at the bottom of the Pages panel, then Restore; it returns in the Not linked section. After 30 days it's gone for good. If you're not sure, move the page to Not linked instead of deleting it. More on what can and can't be restored: Squarespace settings to leave alone.
Common questions
Can I have more than one navigation menu?
On version 7.1, the Pages panel has no separate footer or secondary navigation. Your menu comes from Main Navigation, usually shown at the top of every page. To add links to your footer, edit the footer on the page (Edit, then hover over the footer and click Edit footer). Some older version 7.0 templates also have a secondary or footer navigation.
How do I add an external link to my navigation?
Click the + button next to Main Navigation and choose Link. Enter the label under Link Title and the web address under Link, then click Save. This lets you put a link to another site (like your social media profile) directly in your menu.
Can visitors find pages in the Not linked section?
Yes, if they have the link. Not linked pages don't appear in your menus, but they're public by default: anyone who has or guesses the URL can open them, and search engines can list them in results. They're not truly private. To keep one private, add a page password or disable the page. To keep it out of search results but open to visitors, turn on Hide Page from Search Results in the SEO tab of its page settings.
Related guides
- How to edit a page
- Editing your navigation menu
- A tour of the Squarespace dashboard
- Troubleshooting Squarespace problems
Need a hand?
Learn more
Last updated
Squarespace settings to leave alone
The handful of Squarespace settings that can break your whole site, take it offline, or cut off your email, and what to do instead when one needs changing.
How to edit a page
Step-by-step instructions for opening the Squarespace editor, making changes to a page, and saving or publishing your work.