Getting Started with .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer Control

Notice: After Volume 1 2025 (Mid of March 2025), feature enhancements for this control will no longer be available in the Syncfusion^® package. Please switch to the Syncfusion^® Toolkit for .NET MAUI for continued support. For a smooth transition, refer to this migration document.

24 Jul 202524 minutes to read

This section guides you through setting up and configuring a SfNavigationDrawer in your .NET MAUI application. Follow the steps below to add a basic Navigation Drawer to your project.

To quickly get started with the .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer, watch this video.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following are set up:

Install .NET 8 SDK or later.
Set up a .NET MAUI environment with Visual Studio 2022 (v17.3 or later).

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Go to File > New > Project and choose the .NET MAUI App template.
Name the project and choose a location. Then, click Next.
Select the .NET framework version and click Create.

In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
Search for Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer and install the latest version.
Ensure the necessary dependencies are installed correctly, and the project is restored.

Step 3: Register the handler

The Syncfusion.Maui.Core NuGet is a dependent package for all Syncfusion^® controls in .NET MAUI. In the MauiProgram.cs file, register the handler for Syncfusion^® core.

using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Syncfusion.Maui.Core.Hosting;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
    {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureSyncfusionCore()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

        return builder.Build();
        }      
    }
}

To initialize the control, import the Navigation Drawer namespace into your code.
Initialize SfNavigationDrawer.

XAML
C#
<ContentPage
    . . .    
    xmlns:navigationDrawer="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;assembly=Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
</ContentPage>
using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
    {
        public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
        {
            public MainPage()
            {
                InitializeComponent();           
                SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
                Grid grid = new Grid();
                navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
                this.Content = navigationDrawer; 
            }
        }   
    }

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following are set up:

Install .NET 8 SDK or later.
Set up a .NET MAUI environment with Visual Studio Code.
Ensure that the .NET MAUI extension is installed and configured as described here.

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P and type .NET:New Project and enter.
Choose the .NET MAUI App template.
Select the project location, type the project name and press Enter.
Then choose Create project.

Press Ctrl + ` (backtick) to open the integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code.
Ensure you’re in the project root directory where your .csproj file is located.
Run the command dotnet add package Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer to install the Syncfusion^® .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer package.
To ensure all dependencies are installed, run dotnet restore.

Step 3: Register the handler

The Syncfusion.Maui.Core NuGet is a dependent package for all Syncfusion^® controls of .NET MAUI. In the MauiProgram.cs file, register the handler for Syncfusion^® core.

using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Syncfusion.Maui.Core.Hosting;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
    {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureSyncfusionCore()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

        return builder.Build();
        }      
    }
}

To initialize the control, import the Navigation Drawer namespace into your code.
Initialize SfNavigationDrawer.

XAML
C#
<ContentPage
    . . .    
    xmlns:navigationDrawer="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;assembly=Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
</ContentPage>
using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
    {
        public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
        {
            public MainPage()
            {
                InitializeComponent();           
                SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
                Grid grid = new Grid();
                navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
                this.Content = navigationDrawer; 
            }
        }   
    }

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following are set up:

Ensure you have the latest version of JetBrains Rider.
Install .NET 8 SDK or later.
Make sure the MAUI workloads are installed and configured as described here.

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Go to File > New Solution, select .NET (C#) and choose the .NET MAUI App template.
Enter the Project Name, Solution Name, and Location.
Select the .NET framework version and click Create.

In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
Search for Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer and install the latest version.
Ensure the necessary dependencies are installed correctly, and the project is restored. If not, open the Terminal in Rider and manually run: dotnet restore.

Step 3: Register the handler

The Syncfusion.Maui.Core NuGet is a dependent package for all Syncfusion^® controls of .NET MAUI. In the MauiProgram.cs file, register the handler for Syncfusion^® core.

using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Syncfusion.Maui.Core.Hosting;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
    public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
    {
        var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
        builder
        .UseMauiApp<App>()
        .ConfigureSyncfusionCore()
        .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
        {
            fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
        });

        return builder.Build();
        }      
    }
}

To initialize the control, import the Navigation Drawer namespace into your code.
Initialize SfNavigationDrawer.

XAML
C#
<ContentPage
    . . .    
    xmlns:navigationDrawer="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;assembly=Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
</ContentPage>
using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;
    namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted
    {
        public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
        {
            public MainPage()
            {
                InitializeComponent();           
                SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
                Grid grid = new Grid();
                navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
                this.Content = navigationDrawer; 
            }
        }   
    }

NOTE

It is mandatory to set ContentView for SfNavigationDrawer upon initializing.

Adjust drawer size

The default position of the navigation pane is on the left. Change the drawer width to 250 using the DrawerWidth property.

XAML
C#
<navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
        <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings DrawerWidth="250"/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
</navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
using Syncfusion.Maui.NavigationDrawer;

namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted;

public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
	public MainPage()
	{
		InitializeComponent();
        SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
        Grid grid = new Grid();
        navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;
        navigationDrawer.DrawerSettings = new DrawerSettings()
        {
            DrawerWidth = 250,
        };
        this.Content = navigationDrawer;
    }
}

NOTE

To change the side of the navigation pane, utilize the Position property. Adjust the drawer height in the Top and Bottom positions using the DrawerHeight property.

Create an ImageButton and set the required image to the Source property. Ensure the image is placed in the Resources/Images directory. Subscribe to the Clicked event of the button and invoke the ToggleDrawer() method to toggle the drawer. Properly align the layout of ContentView to position the hamburger icon at the top left, as demonstrated in the following code.

XAML
C#
<navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
        <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings DrawerWidth="250"/>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid x:Name="mainContentView" 
          BackgroundColor="White" RowDefinitions="Auto,*">
            <HorizontalStackLayout BackgroundColor="#6750A4" Spacing="10" Padding="5,0,0,0">
                <ImageButton x:Name="hamburgerButton"
                             HeightRequest="50"
                             WidthRequest="50"
                             HorizontalOptions="Start"
                             Source="hamburgericon.png"
                             BackgroundColor="#6750A4"
                             Clicked="hamburgerButton_Clicked"/>
                <Label x:Name="headerLabel" 
                   HeightRequest="50" 
                   HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" 
                   VerticalTextAlignment="Center" 
                   Text="Home" FontSize="16" 
                   TextColor="White" 
                   BackgroundColor="#6750A4"/>
            </HorizontalStackLayout>
            <Label Grid.Row="1" 
              x:Name="contentLabel" 
              VerticalOptions="Center" 
              HorizontalOptions="Center" 
              Text="Content View" 
              FontSize="14" 
              TextColor="Black"/>
        </Grid>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
</navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted;

public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer;
    Label contentLabel;
	public MainPage()
	{
		InitializeComponent();
        navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer();
        Grid grid = new Grid()
        {
            RowDefinitions =
            {
                new RowDefinition {Height=new GridLength(1,GridUnitType.Auto)},
                new RowDefinition(),
            },
            BackgroundColor = Colors.White,
        };

        HorizontalStackLayout layout = new HorizontalStackLayout()
        { 
            BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
            Spacing = 10,
            Padding = new Thickness(5,0,0,0),
        };

        var hamburgerButton = new ImageButton
        {
            HeightRequest = 50,
            WidthRequest = 50,
            HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Start,
            BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
            Source = "hamburgericon.png",
        };
        hamburgerButton.Clicked += hamburgerButton_Clicked;

        var label = new Label
        {
            HeightRequest = 50,
            HorizontalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center,
            VerticalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center,
            Text = "Home",
            FontSize = 16,
            TextColor = Colors.White,
            BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4")
        };
        layout.Children.Add(hamburgerButton);
        layout.Children.Add(label);

        contentLabel = new Label
        {
            HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center,
            VerticalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center,
            Text = "Content View",
            FontSize = 14,
            TextColor = Colors.Black
        };
        grid.SetRow(layout, 0);
        grid.SetRow(contentLabel, 1);
        grid.Children.Add(layout);
        grid.Children.Add(contentLabel);
        navigationDrawer.ContentView = grid;

        navigationDrawer.DrawerSettings = new DrawerSettings()
        {
            DrawerWidth = 250,
        };
        this.Content = navigationDrawer;
    }
}

C#
private void hamburgerButton_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        navigationDrawer.ToggleDrawer();
    }

CustomView

Set CollectionView as DrawerContentView

Create a CollectionView with items and set it as DrawerContentView.

XAML
C#
<navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer x:Name="navigationDrawer">
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
        <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings DrawerWidth="250"
                                 DrawerHeaderHeight="160">
            <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerHeaderView>
                <Grid BackgroundColor="#6750A4" RowDefinitions="120,40">
                    <Image Source="user.png"
                   HeightRequest="110"
                   Margin="0,10,0,0"
                   BackgroundColor="#6750A4"
                   VerticalOptions="Center"
                   HorizontalOptions="Center"/>
                    <Label Text="James Pollock"
                   Grid.Row="1"
                   HorizontalTextAlignment="Center"
                   HorizontalOptions="Center"
                   FontSize="20"
                   TextColor="White"/>
                </Grid>
            </navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerHeaderView>
            <navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerContentView>
                <CollectionView x:Name="collectionView" SelectionMode="Single"
                  SelectionChanged="collectionView_SelectionChanged">
                    <CollectionView.ItemsSource>
                        <x:Array Type="{x:Type x:String}">
                            <x:String>Home</x:String>
                            <x:String>Profile</x:String>
                            <x:String>Inbox</x:String>
                            <x:String>Outbox</x:String>
                            <x:String>Sent</x:String>
                            <x:String>Draft</x:String>
                        </x:Array>
                    </CollectionView.ItemsSource>
                    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
                        <DataTemplate>
                            <VerticalStackLayout HeightRequest="40">
                                <Label Margin="10,7,0,0"
                                   Text="{Binding}"
                                   FontSize="16"
                                   TextColor="Black"/>
                            </VerticalStackLayout>
                        </DataTemplate>
                    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
                </CollectionView>
            </navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings.DrawerContentView>
        </navigationDrawer:DrawerSettings>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.DrawerSettings>
    <navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
        <Grid x:Name="mainContentView" 
  BackgroundColor="White" RowDefinitions="Auto,*">
            <HorizontalStackLayout BackgroundColor="#6750A4" Spacing="10" Padding="5,0,0,0">
                <ImageButton x:Name="hamburgerButton"
                     HeightRequest="50"
                     WidthRequest="50"
                     HorizontalOptions="Start"
                     Source="hamburgericon.png"
                     BackgroundColor="#6750A4"
                     Clicked="hamburgerButton_Clicked"/>
                <Label x:Name="headerLabel" 
           HeightRequest="50" 
           HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" 
           VerticalTextAlignment="Center" 
           Text="Home" FontSize="16" 
           TextColor="White" 
           BackgroundColor="#6750A4"/>
            </HorizontalStackLayout>
            <Label Grid.Row="1" 
      x:Name="contentLabel" 
      VerticalOptions="Center" 
      HorizontalOptions="Center" 
      Text="Content View" 
      FontSize="14" 
      TextColor="Black"/>
        </Grid>
    </navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer.ContentView>
</navigationDrawer:SfNavigationDrawer>
namespace NavigationDrawerGettingStarted;

    public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
    {

        SfNavigationDrawer navigationDrawer;
        Label headerLabel;
        Label contentLabel;
        CollectionView collectionView;

        public MainPage()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            // Drawer Header View
            var drawerHeader = new Grid
            {
                BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
                RowDefinitions = new RowDefinitionCollection
                {
                    new RowDefinition { Height = 120 },
                    new RowDefinition { Height = 40 }
                }
            };

            drawerHeader.Add(new Image
            {
                Source = "user.png",
                HeightRequest = 110,
                Margin = new Thickness(0, 10, 0, 0),
                BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
                VerticalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center,
                HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center
            });

            drawerHeader.Add(new Label
            {
                Text = "James Pollock",
                FontSize = 20,
                TextColor = Colors.White,
                HorizontalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center,
                HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center
            }, 0, 1);

            // Drawer Content View
            collectionView = new CollectionView
            {
                SelectionMode = SelectionMode.Single,
                ItemsSource = new string[] { "Home", "Profile", "Inbox", "Outbox", "Sent", "Draft" },
                ItemTemplate = new DataTemplate(() =>
                {

                    var label = new Label
                    {
                        Margin = new Thickness(10, 7, 0, 0),
                        FontSize = 16,
                        TextColor = Colors.Black
                    };
                    label.SetBinding(Label.TextProperty, ".");

                    return new VerticalStackLayout
                    {
                        HeightRequest = 40,
                        Children = { label }
                    };

                })
            };

            collectionView.SelectionChanged += collectionView_SelectionChanged;

            var drawerSettings = new DrawerSettings
            {
                DrawerWidth = 250,
                DrawerHeaderHeight = 160,
                DrawerHeaderView = drawerHeader,
                DrawerContentView = collectionView
            };

            // Main Content View
            headerLabel = new Label
            {
                Text = "Home",
                FontSize = 16,
                TextColor = Colors.White,
                BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
                HeightRequest = 50,
                HorizontalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center,
                VerticalTextAlignment = TextAlignment.Center
            };

            contentLabel = new Label
            {
                Text = "Content View",
                FontSize = 14,
                TextColor = Colors.Black,
                VerticalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center,
                HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center
            };

            var hamburgerButton = new ImageButton
            {
                Source = "hamburgericon.png",
                HeightRequest = 50,
                WidthRequest = 50,
                BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
                HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Start
            };
            hamburgerButton.Clicked += hamburgerButton_Clicked;

            var topBar = new HorizontalStackLayout
            {
                BackgroundColor = Color.FromArgb("#6750A4"),
                Spacing = 10,
                Padding = new Thickness(5, 0, 0, 0),
                Children = { hamburgerButton, headerLabel }
            };

            var mainContent = new Grid
            {
                BackgroundColor = Colors.White,
                RowDefinitions = new RowDefinitionCollection
                {
                    new RowDefinition { Height = GridLength.Auto },
                    new RowDefinition { Height = GridLength.Star }
                }
            };
            mainContent.Add(topBar);
            mainContent.Add(contentLabel, 0, 1);

            // Navigation Drawer
            navigationDrawer = new SfNavigationDrawer
            {
                DrawerSettings = drawerSettings,
                ContentView = mainContent
            };

            Content = navigationDrawer;
        }
    }

C#
private void hamburgerButton_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            navigationDrawer.ToggleDrawer();
        }

        private void collectionView_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.CurrentSelection.FirstOrDefault() is string selectedItem)
            {
                headerLabel.Text = selectedItem;
                contentLabel.Text = $"{selectedItem} Content";
                navigationDrawer.ToggleDrawer();
            }
        }

.NET MAUI Navigation Drawer

You can find the getting started sample from the GitHub link.

Getting Started with .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion^® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 3: Register the handler

Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion^® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 3: Register the handler

Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion^® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 3: Register the handler

Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

Adjust drawer size

Add hamburger menu for toggling drawer

Set CollectionView as DrawerContentView

Getting Started with .NET MAUI Navigation Drawer

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 3: Register the handler

Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 3: Register the handler

Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a new .NET MAUI project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 3: Register the handler

Step 4: Add a basic Navigation Drawer

Adjust drawer size

Add hamburger menu for toggling drawer

Set CollectionView as DrawerContentView

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion^® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion^® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion^® MAUI Navigation Drawer NuGet package