Interface Core C · Industry convention

Drawer

A drawer slides in from a screen edge. Part of the page behind it stays visible.

Try an example
You might call it side panelslide-over

Try an example

Preview
V
DrawerDialog + edge positioning

A drawer slides in from a screen edge. Part of the page behind it stays visible.

Opens from the trailing edge. The page stays visible.
PreviewDuplicateArchive
Drawerdrawer

A real example

Select an order to open its details from the right. The order list stays visible behind them.

Main parts

  1. 01Trigger
  2. 02Anchored or modal surface
  3. 03Focus boundary
  4. 04Dismiss path

Use it when

Use it for details or a smaller second task when keeping the current place helps.

Do not use it when

Never squeeze a long workflow with many steps into a narrow drawer.

Name used in code

Dialog + edge positioning

Before you ship

Move focus on purpose. Keep it inside only when the overlay blocks the page. Support Escape and a visible close button, then return focus to the opener. Keep entered data and check small-screen, loading, and failure states.

Request you can copy

Outcome: Use Drawer to solve this user need without losing the current context. User context: Select an order to open its details from the right. The order list stays visible behind them. Recommended pattern: Drawer. Why it fits: Use it for details or a smaller second task when keeping the current place helps. Do not use it when: Never squeeze a long workflow with many steps into a narrow drawer. Product requirements: Define the default, loading, empty, error, success, and recovery states. Keep user input. Give clear feedback after every action. Accessibility and resilience: Use semantic HTML, full keyboard access, and visible focus. Make the layout work when zoomed and support reduced motion. Follow the project’s current rules. Do not add a new UI library unless the project already uses it. Acceptance criteria: The main task works with keyboard only and at 320px width. Focus and status changes are announced. Check loading, failure, retry, cancel, and reduced-motion paths. Evidence and limits (evidence boundary): No single official standard controls the whole term. Its meaning may change across teams, platforms, or frameworks. Unknowns to confirm: Product wording, data source, analytics events, supported devices and languages, and platform limits.

Check this request

Review the current use of Drawer. Definition: A drawer slides in from a screen edge. Part of the page behind it stays visible. Release checks: Move focus on purpose. Keep it inside only when the overlay blocks the page. Support Escape and a visible close button, then return focus to the opener. Keep entered data and check small-screen, loading, and failure states. Before changing code, report the evidence you found, gaps, severity, and the smallest safe fix.

C
How official is this term?

Industry convention

People often use this term at work. The listed sources may support practice or limitations. They do not define every part of the term.

No single official standard controls the whole term. Its meaning may change across teams, platforms, or frameworks.

Scope
Cross-platform overlay convention
Document status
stable
Checked on
2026-07-30

Evidence sources & scope

Authority source · Google · stable Material Design Components Scope: Material component vocabulary Role here: Helpful background, not a definition Source covers: canonical name, definition, interaction, keyboard behavior, accessibility

Copy it yourself

The browser could not copy this. Select the request below and copy it yourself.