> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mainwp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to add new menu entries to the MainWP Dashboard navigation

> Add custom menu entries to the MainWP Dashboard navigation sidebar using PHP filters and the mainwp_main_menu hook.

You can add custom menu entries to the MainWP Dashboard navigation sidebar using PHP filters. This lets you create shortcuts to frequently used pages or integrate external tools.

## What You'll Learn

* How to add custom menu items to the navigation
* How to control menu position
* How to customize menu icons

## Prerequisites

* MainWP Dashboard version 4.5 or newer
* [Custom Dashboard extension](/add-ons/development/mainwp-custom-dashboard-extension) (free) or access to your theme's functions.php

***

## Add a Custom Menu Entry

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Custom Dashboard">
    Navigate to the [Custom Dashboard extension](/add-ons/development/mainwp-custom-dashboard-extension) settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the PHP code">
    Go to the **PHP** tab and add the following code:

    ```php theme={null}
    add_filter( 'mainwp_main_menu', 'mycustom_mainwp_main_menu', 10, 1 );
    function mycustom_mainwp_main_menu( $left_menu ) {
        // Position of the menu item (0 = first, 1 = second, etc.)
        $index = 2;
        $sub_menu_after = array_splice( $left_menu['leftbar'], $index );

        $addition_item = array();

        $addition_item[] = 'Updates';                    // Menu item title
        $addition_item[] = 'custom_updates';             // Unique menu key
        $addition_item[] = 'admin.php?page=UpdatesManage'; // URL or page slug
        $addition_item[] = 'updates_custom_id';          // HTML ID attribute
        $addition_item[] = '<i class="sync icon"></i>';  // Icon HTML (optional)

        // Add the item to the leftbar array
        $left_menu['leftbar'][] = $addition_item;

        // Merge arrays to maintain menu order
        $left_menu['leftbar'] = array_merge( $left_menu['leftbar'], $sub_menu_after );

        return $left_menu;
    }
    ```

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/mainwp/4hVi87YDiCv3ZeGl/images/developers/add-menu-entry-result.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=4hVi87YDiCv3ZeGl&q=85&s=3627ca9f2bd5873fd91219866cc30584" alt="Custom Dashboard extension PHP tab for adding menu code" width="1439" height="1033" data-path="images/developers/add-menu-entry-result.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Customize the values">
    Modify the `$addition_item[]` values for your needs:

    | Value    | Description               | Example                            |
    | -------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
    | Title    | Text displayed in menu    | `'My Custom Page'`                 |
    | Menu key | Use a unique internal key | `'my_custom_page'`                 |
    | URL      | Page URL or admin slug    | `'admin.php?page=MyPage'`          |
    | ID       | HTML element ID           | `'my_custom_id'`                   |
    | Icon     | Fomantic UI icon HTML     | `'<i class="chart bar icon"></i>'` |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Change position (optional)">
    Modify the `$index` value to control where the menu item appears:

    * `0` = First position
    * `1` = Second position
    * `2` = Third position
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save changes">
    Click **Save Changes**. The new menu entry appears immediately.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/mainwp/HAFny0Nanby6rgrO/images/developers/add-menu-entry-code.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=HAFny0Nanby6rgrO&q=85&s=5566859db25d84cf533d3ab2c12c71fd" alt="MainWP navigation sidebar showing the new Updates menu entry" width="1438" height="1027" data-path="images/developers/add-menu-entry-code.png" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Add an Icon

To add an icon, pass the full icon HTML from the [Fomantic UI icon library](https://fomantic-ui.com/elements/icon.html):

```php theme={null}
$addition_item[] = '<i class="chart bar icon"></i>';  // Adds a bar chart icon
```

Common icon examples:

* `'<i class="home icon"></i>'` - Home icon
* `'<i class="cog icon"></i>'` - Settings gear
* `'<i class="chart bar icon"></i>'` - Bar chart
* `'<i class="user icon"></i>'` - User icon
* `'<i class="envelope icon"></i>'` - Email icon

<Note>
  If you use only the class name, such as `chart bar`, MainWP renders it as plain text instead of an icon.
</Note>

***

## Self-Check Checklist

* [ ] Custom Dashboard extension installed
* [ ] PHP code added to PHP tab
* [ ] Menu title and URL customized
* [ ] Position index set correctly
* [ ] Changes saved
* [ ] New menu entry visible in navigation

***

## Related Resources

* [Custom Dashboard Extension](/add-ons/development/mainwp-custom-dashboard-extension) - Extension documentation
* [Add WP Admin Button](/customization/how-to-add-wp-admin-button-to-the-main-navigation-bar) - Add admin link to navigation
* [Change Default Page After Login](/customization/how-to-change-the-default-page-after-logging-into-wordpress) - Customize landing page