Build Modern Accessible Circular Menus with Pure CSS – Radial Menu

It transforms traditional hamburger menu interactions into elegant circular layouts that expand from a central toggle button.

Each menu item positions itself along a perfect circle using CSS transforms and custom properties.

Features

• Fully responsive design: Adapts to different screen sizes automatically
• Smooth animations: Uses CSS transitions for fluid opening and closing effects
• Accessibility focused: Includes proper ARIA labels and keyboard navigation support
• Customizable styling: CSS custom properties for easy theming and sizing
• Performance optimized: Uses transform3d for hardware acceleration

How to use it:

1. Add the HTML structure to your page. The radial menu uses a checkbox input to control the menu state without JavaScript:

• input type="checkbox": This is the hidden state machine. Its :checked status determines if the menu is open or closed.
• <label for="toggle">: This is the visible hamburger menu button that controls the checkbox.
• ul.menu-list: The container for the menu items.
• <li style="--i: 0">: Each menu item needs an inline custom property --i that represents its index, starting from 0. This is critical for the CSS to position each item correctly around the circle.

<nav class="menu" aria-label="Main Menu">
  <input
    type="checkbox"
    id="toggle"
    name="cb"
    class="visually-hidden"
  />
  <label
    for="toggle"
    aria-controls="menu-list"
    aria-label="Open/Close Menu"
  >
    <span class="burger" aria-hidden="true">
      <span></span>
      <span></span>
      <span></span>
    </span>
  </label>
  <ul class="menu-list">
    <li style="--i: 0">
      <a href="#" aria-label="Home">
        <span class="icon">
          <img
            src="/path/to/icon.svg"
            alt=""
            aria-hidden="true"
          />
        </span>
      </a>
    </li>
    <li style="--i: 1">
      <a href="#" aria-label="Account">
        <span class="icon">
          <img
            src="/path/to/icon.svg"
            alt=""
            aria-hidden="true"
          />
        </span>
      </a>
    </li>
    <li style="--i: 2">
      <a href="#" aria-label="Like">
        <span class="icon">
          <img
            src="/path/to/icon.svg"
            alt=""
            aria-hidden="true"
          />
        </span>
      </a>
    </li>
    <li style="--i: 3">
      <a href="#" aria-label="Settings">
        <span class="icon">
          <img
            src="/path/to/icon.svg"
            alt=""
            aria-hidden="true"
          />
        </span>
      </a>
    </li>
    <li style="--i: 4">
      <a href="#" aria-label="Logout">
        <span class="icon">
          <img
            src="/path/to/icon.svg"
            alt=""
            aria-hidden="true"
          />
        </span>
      </a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</nav>

2. The main CSS styles for the radial menu. Here, you can quickly modify the menu’s appearance. For instance, if you need 7 menu items instead of 5, you just change --count: 5; to --count: 7; and add the corresponding <li> elements to your HTML. The CSS will handle the rest.

:root {
  --count: 5;
  --radius: 6rem;
  --toggle-size: 4rem;
  --item-size: 3.5rem;
  --gap: 0.4rem;
  --bg: #f4f5f7;
  --fg: #2c2f36;
  --muted: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
  --shadow: 0 6px 18px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
  --duration: 200ms;
  --offset: -0.25turn; 
}

nav.menu {
  position: relative;
  width: max(var(--toggle-size), var(--radius) * 2 + var(--item-size));
  height: max(var(--toggle-size), var(--radius) * 2 + var(--item-size));
  display: grid;
  place-content: center;
}

nav label {
  width: var(--toggle-size);
  aspect-ratio: 1;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  background-color: #fff;
  border-radius: 50%;
  box-shadow: var(--shadow);
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all var(--duration) ease;
  position: relative;
  z-index: 2;
  user-select: none;
}

nav label:active {
  transform: scale(0.94);
}

.burger {
  width: 40%;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  position: relative;
  gap: var(--gap);
}

.burger span {
  display: block;
  height: 3px;
  border-radius: 2px;
  background: black;
  transition: all var(--duration) ease;
}

ul.menu-list {
  list-style: none;
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  transform: rotate(-90deg);
  transition: all calc(var(--duration) * 1.5) ease;
}

ul.menu-list li {
  position: absolute;
  top: 50%;
  left: 50%;
  width: var(--item-size);
  height: var(--item-size);
  aspect-ratio: 1;
  transform: translate(-50%, -50%)
  rotate(calc((var(--i) * 1turn / var(--count)) + var(--offset))) translate(0)
  rotate(calc(-1 * var(--i) * 1turn / var(--count)));
  transform-origin: center center;
  opacity: 0;
  transition: inherit;
}

ul.menu-list a {
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  background-color: #fff;
  border-radius: 50%;
  box-shadow: var(--shadow);
  text-decoration: none;
  color: inherit;
  outline: none;
  will-change: transform;
  transition: transform var(--duration) ease;
}

ul.menu-list a::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: -1px;
  padding: 10px;
  background: linear-gradient(
    to right bottom,
    var(--muted),
    transparent,
    var(--muted)
  );
  z-index: -1 !important;
  border-radius: 50%;
}

ul.menu-list a:focus-visible {
  box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.35), var(--shadow);
}

ul.menu-list a:hover {
  transform: scale(1.1);
  filter: brightness(1.03);
}

span.icon {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  aspect-ratio: 1;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
}

span.icon img {
  width: 50%;
  height: 50%;
}

#toggle:checked ~ ul.menu-list li {
  transform: translate(-50%, -50%)
  rotate(calc((var(--i) * 1turn / var(--count)) + var(--offset))) translate(var(--radius))
  rotate(calc(-1 * var(--i) * 1turn / var(--count)));
  opacity: 1;
}

#toggle:checked ~ ul.menu-list {
  transform: rotate(0);
}

#toggle:checked ~ ul.menu-list a {
  transform: rotate(.25turn);
}

#toggle:checked + label .burger span:nth-child(1) {
  transform: translateY(calc(var(--gap) + 100%)) rotate(.125turn);
}

#toggle:checked + label .burger span:nth-child(2) {
  opacity: 0;
}

#toggle:checked + label .burger span:nth-child(3) {
  transform: translateY(calc(-1 * var(--gap) - 100%))  rotate(-.125turn);
}

.visually-hidden {
  position: absolute !important;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  padding: 0;
  margin: -1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip: rect(0 0 0 0);
  white-space: nowrap;
  border: 0;
}

/* Reduces motion for users who are sensitive to animation */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  ul.menu-list li,
  label .burger span {
      transition: none !important;
  }
}

3. Customize the radial menu.

• Adjusting the radius: Change --radius to increase or decrease the menu’s spread. Larger values create more dramatic animations but require more screen space.
• Modifying item count: Update both --count and the number of <li> elements. The CSS automatically recalculates positioning for any number of items.
• Animation timing: Adjust --duration for faster or slower transitions. The menu list uses calc(var(--duration) * 1.5) for a slightly delayed effect that feels more natural.
• Color theming: Customize --bg, --fg, --muted, and --shadow variables to match your brand colors.

FAQs:

Q: How do I handle more than 8-10 menu items?
A: While technically possible, more than eight items creates crowded layouts and usability issues. Consider grouping related items into sub-menus or using alternative navigation patterns for complex menu structures.

Q: Does this work on mobile devices?
A: Yes, the library includes touch-friendly sizing and responsive design patterns. The aspect-ratio property and flexible units ensure proper scaling across different screen sizes. Test thoroughly on your target devices as touch targets may need adjustment.

Q: Can I customize the opening animation direction?
A: Modify the --offset variable to change the starting position. The default -0.25turn starts items from the top. Use 0turn to start from the right, 0.25turn for bottom, or 0.5turn for left positioning.

Q: Can I position the menu in a corner of the screen, like a real FAB?
A: Absolutely. You can wrap the nav.menu element in a container and apply position: fixed or position: absolute to it. Then use properties like bottom: 2rem; and right: 2rem; to place it wherever you need it.

Related Resources:

• 10 Best Circle(Radial) Menu Plugins In JavaScript & CSS

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