How can I darken the rest of the page when a dropdown menu item is clicked in Webflow without the need for coding?
TL;DR
- Create a full-screen fixed overlay div with semi-transparent background and set its display to none by default.
- Use Webflow Interactions on the dropdown toggle to show the overlay on first click (with optional fade-in) and hide it on second click, and add a click interaction on the overlay to also hide it and close the dropdown.
To darken the rest of the page when a dropdown menu is clicked in Webflow, you can use a full-screen overlay and Webflow’s built-in Interactions—no custom code is needed.
1. Create the Page Overlay Element
- Create a div block, name it something like Overlay.
- Set its position to Fixed, covering the entire screen:
- Width: 100%
- Height: 100%
- Top/Left: 0
- Z-index: Make sure it’s higher than any background content but lower than your dropdown menu (e.g., 999).
- Set the background color to something semi-transparent (e.g., black with 50% opacity).
- Set display to None (this ensures it starts hidden).
2. Trigger the Overlay on Dropdown Open
- Select the Dropdown Toggle element.
- Go to the Interactions panel (lightning icon).
- Click + under “Element Trigger” and choose Mouse Click (Tap).
- Set it to affect Only This Element.
- Configure the interaction to do the following on First Click:
- Show the Overlay by changing its Display to Block and possibly animating the opacity (e.g., fade in to 50%).
- On Second Click, create a step to:
- Hide the Overlay by changing Display to None (with optional fade out).
3. Hide Overlay When Any Area Outside Dropdown is Clicked
- Add an interaction to the Overlay element itself:
- Trigger: Mouse Click (Tap)
- Action: Hide the Overlay and close the dropdown menu using Webflow's Close Dropdown interaction (you may need to make a Symbol or use a closing animation to simulate this).
4. Ensure Overlay Doesn't Block Menu
- Make sure your dropdown menu (the expanded panel) has a higher z-index than the overlay (e.g., 1001).
- Set the overlay’s z-index lower than the dropdown but higher than the rest of the content (e.g., 999 as noted above).
Summary
To darken the background when a dropdown menu opens in Webflow, use a full-screen fixed overlay div with a semi-transparent background. Control its visibility through Webflow Interactions triggered by your dropdown toggle. This effect requires no custom code, only smart use of Webflow’s styling and interaction tools.