---
category: Navigation
created: '2019-11-30'
description: Create a circular navigation with CSS flexbox
keywords: css circular navigation, css flexbox
thumbnail: /assets/css-layout/thumbnails/circular-navigation.png
title: Circular navigation
---

## HTML

```html index.html
<div class="circular-navigation">
    <!-- The trigger element that will show all circles when user clicks it -->
    ...

    <!-- A circle menu item -->
    <div class="circular-navigation__circle">
        <!-- The content -->
        <div class="circular-navigation__content">...</div>
    </div>

    <!-- Repeat menu items -->
    ...
</div>
```

## CSS

```css styles.css
.circular-navigation {
    position: relative;
}

.circular-navigation__circle {
    /* Position */
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;

    /*
    3rem is the distance from the item to the trigger element.
    Replace 0deg with 60deg, 180deg, 240deg, 300deg for another item
    in case you want to have a total of 6 menu items.
    The formulation is 360 / numberOfItems * indexOfItem
    */
    transform: rotate(0deg) translateX(-3rem);

    /* Must have the same size as the trigger element */
    height: 2rem;
    width: 2rem;
}

.circular-navigation__content {
    /*
    Rotate it to make it displayed vertically
    Replace -0deg with -60deg, -180deg, -240deg, -300deg for another item
    in case you want to have a total of 6 menu items.
    The formulation is -(360 / numberOfItems * indexOfItem)
    */
    transform: rotate(-0deg);

    /* Center the content */
    align-items: center;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;

    /* Take full size */
    height: 100%;
    width: 100%;
}
```

<Playground>
```css styles.css hidden
body {
    align-items: center;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
}
.circular-navigation-container {
    /* Demo */
    align-items: center;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;

    height: 8rem;
    width: 8rem;
}

.circular-navigation {
    position: relative;
    height: 2rem;
    width: 2rem;
}

.circular-navigation__circle {
    /* Position */
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;

    /*
    3rem is the distance from the item to the trigger element.
    Replace 0deg with 60deg, 180deg, 240deg, 300deg for another item
    in case you want to have a total of 6 menu items.
    The formulation is 360 / numberOfItems * indexOfItem
    */
    transform: rotate(var(--circular-navigation__circle-degree)) translateX(-3rem);

    /* Must have the same size as the trigger element */
    height: 2rem;
    width: 2rem;

    /* Demo */
    background-color: #d1d5db;
    border-radius: 9999px;
}

.circular-navigation__content {
    /*
    Rotate it to make it displayed vertically
    Replace -0deg with -60deg, -180deg, -240deg, -300deg for another item
    in case you want to have a total of 6 menu items.
    The formulation is -(360 / numberOfItems * indexOfItem)
    */
    transform: rotate(var(--circular-navigation__content-degree));

    /* Center the content */
    align-items: center;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;

    /* Take full size */
    height: 100%;
    width: 100%;
}

.circular-navigation__circle--1 {
    --circular-navigation__circle-degree: 0deg;
    --circular-navigation__content-degree: -0deg;
}
.circular-navigation__circle--2 {
    --circular-navigation__circle-degree: 60deg;
    --circular-navigation__content-degree: -60deg;
}
.circular-navigation__circle--3 {
    --circular-navigation__circle-degree: 120deg;
    --circular-navigation__content-degree: -120deg;
}
.circular-navigation__circle--4 {
    --circular-navigation__circle-degree: 180deg;
    --circular-navigation__content-degree: -180deg;
}
.circular-navigation__circle--5 {
    --circular-navigation__circle-degree: 240deg;
    --circular-navigation__content-degree: -240deg;
}
.circular-navigation__circle--6 {
    --circular-navigation__circle-degree: 300deg;
    --circular-navigation__content-degree: -300deg;
}
```

```html index.html hidden
<div class="circular-navigation-container">
    <div class="circular-navigation">
        <div class="circular-navigation__circle circular-navigation__circle--1">
            <div class="circular-navigation__content">1</div>
        </div>
        <div class="circular-navigation__circle circular-navigation__circle--2">
            <div class="circular-navigation__content">2</div>
        </div>
        <div class="circular-navigation__circle circular-navigation__circle--3">
            <div class="circular-navigation__content">3</div>
        </div>
        <div class="circular-navigation__circle circular-navigation__circle--4">
            <div class="circular-navigation__content">4</div>
        </div>
        <div class="circular-navigation__circle circular-navigation__circle--5">
            <div class="circular-navigation__content">5</div>
        </div>
        <div class="circular-navigation__circle circular-navigation__circle--6">
            <div class="circular-navigation__content">6</div>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
```
</Playground>