Contextual Menus

Contextual Menus are menus that appear upon right-clicking or tapping on a specific element, offering relevant options based on the context of the user’s interaction. These menus provide quick access to actions, shortcuts, or settings that are directly related to the item the user is interacting with, improving efficiency and minimizing unnecessary navigation.

Contextual menus are one of the best tools for keeping your UI clean without hiding power. Rather than surfacing every possible action for every object at all times, you show relevant actions only when the user signals intent by right-clicking or long-pressing. This pattern is especially valuable in complex productivity tools where different objects have very different available actions.

Notion's block-level context menu appears when you hover over any content block — offering options like 'Turn into,' 'Move to,' 'Copy link' — actions that would clutter the interface if shown permanently but are instantly available when needed.