Drop-down menus let users click an icon, text field, or other component, and
then select from a list of options on a temporary surface. This guide describes
how to create both basic menus and more complex menus with dividers and icons.
![A dropdown menu with two options displayed. An icon with three vertical dots indicates that clicking it opens the menu.](https://developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/components/basicmenu1.png) **Figure 1.** A basic drop-down menu with two items listed.

## API surface

Use [`DropdownMenu`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#DropdownMenu(kotlin.Boolean,kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,androidx.compose.ui.unit.DpOffset,androidx.compose.foundation.ScrollState,androidx.compose.ui.window.PopupProperties,androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Shape,androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color,androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp,androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp,androidx.compose.foundation.BorderStroke,kotlin.Function1)), [`DropdownMenuItem`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#DropdownMenuItem(kotlin.Function0,kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,kotlin.Function0,kotlin.Function0,kotlin.Boolean,androidx.compose.material3.MenuItemColors,androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues,androidx.compose.foundation.interaction.MutableInteractionSource)), and the [`IconButton`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#IconButton(kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,kotlin.Boolean,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonColors,androidx.compose.foundation.interaction.MutableInteractionSource,androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Shape,kotlin.Function0))
components to implement a custom drop-down menu. The `DropdownMenu` and
`DropdownMenuItem` components are used to display the menu items, while the
`IconButton` is the trigger to display or hide the drop-down menu.

The key parameters for the `DropdownMenu` component include the following:

- `expanded`: Indicates whether the menu is visible.
- `onDismissRequest`: Used to handle menu dismissal.
- `content`: The composable content of the menu, typically containing `DropdownMenuItem` composables.

The key parameters for `DropdownMenuItem` include the following:

- `text`: Defines the content displayed in the menu item.
- `onClick`: Callback to handle interaction with the item in the menu.

## Create a basic drop-down menu

The following snippet demonstrates a minimal `DropdownMenu` implementation:


```kotlin
@Composable
fun MinimalDropdownMenu() {
    var expanded by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }
    Box(
        modifier = Modifier
            .padding(16.dp)
    ) {
        IconButton(onClick = { expanded = !expanded }) {
            Icon(Icons.Default.MoreVert, contentDescription = "More options")
        }
        DropdownMenu(
            expanded = expanded,
            onDismissRequest = { expanded = false }
        ) {
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("Option 1") },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("Option 2") },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )
        }
    }
}
```

<br />

### Key points about the code

- Defines a basic `DropdownMenu` containing two menu items.
- The `expanded` parameter controls the menu's visibility as expanded or collapsed.
- The `onDismissRequest` parameter defines a callback that executes when the user closes the menu.
- The `DropdownMenuItem` composable represents selectable items in the drop-down menu.
- An `IconButton` triggers the expansion and collapse of the menu.

### Result

![A dropdown menu triggered by an icon with three vertical dots. The menu displays two selectable options, Option 1 and Option 2.](https://developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/components/MinimalDropdownMenu.png) **Figure 2.** A minimal drop-down menu with only two options.

## Create a longer drop-down menu

`DropdownMenu` is scrollable by default if all the menu items can't be displayed
at once. The following snippet creates a longer, scrollable drop-down menu:


```kotlin
@Composable
fun LongBasicDropdownMenu() {
    var expanded by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }
    // Placeholder list of 100 strings for demonstration
    val menuItemData = List(100) { "Option ${it + 1}" }

    Box(
        modifier = Modifier
            .padding(16.dp)
    ) {
        IconButton(onClick = { expanded = !expanded }) {
            Icon(Icons.Default.MoreVert, contentDescription = "More options")
        }
        DropdownMenu(
            expanded = expanded,
            onDismissRequest = { expanded = false }
        ) {
            menuItemData.forEach { option ->
                DropdownMenuItem(
                    text = { Text(option) },
                    onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
                )
            }
        }
    }
}
```

<br />

### Key points about the code

- The `DropdownMenu` is scrollable when the total height of its content exceeds the available space. This code creates a scrollable `DropdownMenu` that displays 100 placeholder items.
- The `forEach` loop dynamically generates `DropdownMenuItem` composables. The items are not lazily created, which means that all 100 drop-down items are created and exist in the composition.
- The `IconButton` triggers the expansion and collapse of the `DropdownMenu` when clicked.
- The `onClick` lambda within each `DropdownMenuItem` lets you define the action performed when the user selects a menu item.

### Result

The preceding code snippet produces the following scrollable menu:
![A dropdown menu with many options, requiring scrolling to view all
items.](https://developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/components/LongBasicDropdownMenu.png) **Figure 3.** A long, scrollable drop-down menu.

## Create a longer drop-down menu with dividers

The following snippet shows a more advanced implementation of a drop-down menu.
In this snippet, leading and trailing icons are added to menu items, and
dividers separate groups of menu items.


```kotlin
@Composable
fun DropdownMenuWithDetails() {
    var expanded by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }

    Box(
        modifier = Modifier
            .fillMaxWidth()
            .padding(16.dp)
    ) {
        IconButton(onClick = { expanded = !expanded }) {
            Icon(Icons.Default.MoreVert, contentDescription = "More options")
        }
        DropdownMenu(
            expanded = expanded,
            onDismissRequest = { expanded = false }
        ) {
            // First section
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("Profile") },
                leadingIcon = { Icon(Icons.Outlined.Person, contentDescription = null) },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("Settings") },
                leadingIcon = { Icon(Icons.Outlined.Settings, contentDescription = null) },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )

            HorizontalDivider()

            // Second section
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("Send Feedback") },
                leadingIcon = { Icon(Icons.Outlined.Feedback, contentDescription = null) },
                trailingIcon = { Icon(Icons.AutoMirrored.Outlined.Send, contentDescription = null) },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )

            HorizontalDivider()

            // Third section
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("About") },
                leadingIcon = { Icon(Icons.Outlined.Info, contentDescription = null) },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )
            DropdownMenuItem(
                text = { Text("Help") },
                leadingIcon = { Icon(Icons.AutoMirrored.Outlined.Help, contentDescription = null) },
                trailingIcon = { Icon(Icons.AutoMirrored.Outlined.OpenInNew, contentDescription = null) },
                onClick = { /* Do something... */ }
            )
        }
    }
}
```

<br />

This code defines a `DropdownMenu` within a `Box`.

### Key points about the code

- The `leadingIcon` and `trailingIcon` parameters add icons to the start and end of a `DropdownMenuItem`.
- An `IconButton` triggers the menu's expansion.
- The `DropdownMenu` contains several `DropdownMenuItem` composables, each representing a selectable action.
- [`HorizontalDivider`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#HorizontalDivider(androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp,androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color)) composables insert a horizontal line to separate groups of menu items.

### Result

The preceding snippet produces a drop-down menu with icons and dividers:
![A dropdown menu with sections for Profile, Settings, Send Feedback, About, and Help. Each option has an icon, such as a person icon for Profile.](https://developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/components/DropdownMenuWithDetails.png) **Figure 4.** A drop-down menu divided into sections with leading and trailing icons.

## Additional resources

- Material Design: [Menus](https://m3.material.io/components/menus)