WordPress Menu Search Field
Search Engine Optimization

How To Automatically Add A Search Field To Your WordPress Menu

By Sean Doyle · · 1 min read

[Normal_Box]Add a search field to WordPress menu

Many WordPress themes do not include the option to add a search field to the WordPress menu automatically. In themes which do, the option is accessible most of the time through additional widget spaces. But what if your WordPress theme does not provide the widget space to include a search field in your navigational menu?

Below is a snippet which will generate an automatic search field based on your themes search settings in the navigational menu for any WordPress website.

[/Normal_Box]
Copy and paste to functions.php Copy and Paste the code snippet below into your themes functions.php file.
[Normal_Box]

add_filter('wp_nav_menu_items','add_search_box', 10, 2);
 function add_search_box($items, $args) {
ob_start();
 get_search_form();
 $searchform = ob_get_contents();
 ob_end_clean();
$items .= '
' . $searchform . '
';
return $items;
 }

[/Normal_Box]

Tags: PHP WordPress

Sean Doyle

Sean is a tech author and security researcher with more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, privacy, malware analysis, analytics, and online marketing. He focuses on clear reporting, deep technical investigation, and practical guidance that helps readers stay safe in a fast-moving digital landscape. His work continues to appear in respected publications, including articles written for Private Internet Access. Through Botcrawl and his ongoing cybersecurity coverage, Sean provides trusted insights on data breaches, malware threats, and online safety for individuals and businesses worldwide.

View all posts →

Related Posts

4 Comments

    1. Corey

      Hmm it wouldn’t let my facebook sign in.
      but anyways was wondering how to make a search form with html

      Thanks in advance if anyone can help.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.