In this SharePoint article, I will explain how to create a global navigation menu from the term store metadata in the SharePoint Online site. Learn how to create a managed metadata navigation in SharePoint Online.
Below the follow steps to create a global navigation menu in the SharePoint site from the term store.
You can also read two article on SharePoint Online term store.
- Term Store Management in SharePoint Online Office 365 (Step by Step Tutorial)
- Create a group, term set and term in SharePoint Online Term Store
Create a managed metadata navigation from Term Store in SharePoint Online
Open the SharePoint Online site, go to “Site Settings” -> “Look and Feel”. Select the “Navigation” under “Look and Feel” section. Click on “Navigation”.

Now the “Navigation Settings” Page will come. In the “Navigation Settings” page Select the “Managed Navigation” for the both “Global Navigation” and “Current Navigation”.

Managed Navigation Term Set: Select the “Site Navigation” term set.
Below the “Managed navigation term Set” we will see,
Add new pages to navigation automatically: Which is disabled automatically. If we enable the checkbox then a new page will be added to navigation.
Create friendly URLs for new pages automatically: When we enable this option it will create a friendly URL for the new page.

Show and Hide Ribbon: If we disable this option then the user does not have access show ribbon or hide the ribbon. By default is always “Show”. Click on “OK”.

To checking the Navigation term set is created or not go to the “Site Settings” -> “Site Administration”. Click on “Term store management” which comes under “Site Administration”.
From the left side panel, we can able to see “Site Navigation” under “Site Collection”. I have added some of the term under the “Site Navigation” term set.

Now our SharePoint site page looks like below. We will see all the managed metadata terms are appearing in the current navigation items and global navigation items in the SharePoint site.

In the above screenshot we can notice it only displaying only first level and the second label, the third level is not visible in the SharePoint site.
SharePoint Three level navigation
Below is the way, we can enable three level navigation in SharePoint Online.
Open the SharePoint designer 2013. Open the Master Pages from the left side panel of SharePoint designer 2013.
Select and open the “seatle.html” file page. In the “seatle.html” page search for “MaximumDynamicDisplayLevel” word. Then change the
“MaximumDynamicDisplayLevel” value to 4.
Now up to 4 levels, we can see in the SharePoint site page global navigation or top navigation. Save the page.

Open the SharePoint online site page. Now we can able to see the term up to 4 levels. But in the term store, I have added only up-to level 3. So it is displaying up-to 3 levels.

You may like following SharePoint Online tutorials:
- Convert an HTML page into SharePoint master page using Design manager in SharePoint serve 2013/Online
- Set master page for a particular page in SharePoint 2016 or SharePoint Online
- SharePoint Online Step by Step Tutorial on how to create a new custom master page by using an existing master page
- SharePoint Left Navigation or Quick Launch Navigation Menu Customization in SharePoint Online/2016/2013
- Add Global Navigation Links and Headings in SharePoint Online Office 365 Site
- Enable or Disable Notebook Link in SharePoint Online classic and modern sites
- Microsoft Flow Example: When a message is posted on a group, Create a SharePoint list item
This blog explained to us how to create a global navigation menu from the term store in SharePoint Online. We will also discuss how to display multiple level term in the SharePoint site global navigation.
I am Bijay a Microsoft MVP (8 times –Â My MVP Profile) in SharePoint and have more than 15 years of expertise in SharePoint Online Office 365, SharePoint subscription edition, and SharePoint 2019/2016/2013. Currently working in my own venture TSInfo Technologies a SharePoint development, consulting, and training company. I also run the popular SharePoint website EnjoySharePoint.com
This works only in classic team/publishing sites.