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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-07-10
Reference: Core Navigation

Reference: Core Navigation

For information about navigation for users of assistive technology, access the
Accessibility Interaction Overview
 task. Workday provides these navigation features that always display for users:
Application Header Icon
Description
Global Navigation Sidebar
Displays Navigation menu automatically categorizes the navigation items into groups. You can choose between two display options:
Sidebar Navigation
: A persistent panel that remains visible as you navigate Workday. This option is enabled by default.
Collapsed Menu
: Provides the same features as the sidebar. You can access this menu by clicking Menu. Administrators and users can set the default display option.
The sidebar provides constant access to key items and includes these components:
  • Menu items that are categorized and appear on hover.
  • A
    Saved
    section where you can access existing shortcuts and saved items.
  • Pinned apps
    , which replace your Top Apps on the homepage.
To reorder the default categories:
  • Access the
    Global Navigation Configuration
     task.
    • Select
      Configure Categories
       button.
  • Reorder the categories as needed.
  • Select
    OK
     to apply your changes.
To override the default category:
  • Access the
    Global Navigation Configuration
     task.
  • Select the
    Configure
     button, next to the category.
  • Select
    Category Override
     from the row on the grid that displays configurable global navigation items.
  • Select
    OK
    to apply your changes.
To create custom labels and translations for the renamed navigation categories:
  • Select the
    Translate Business Object
     task.
  • Select
    Global Navigation Panel Category Override
    in the
    Translatable Business Object
     field.
  • Select the language you want to translate to in the
    Target Language
     field.
  • Enter your custom labels in the
    Category Label Override
     field.
  • Select
    OK
     to apply your changes.
  • Click the
    Globe
     icon to provide translations.
To control the default display of sidebar:
  • Select the
    Edit Tenant Setup - System
     task.
  • Configure the
    Default Hide Sidebar
     admin setting.
Your users can use the
Customize Navigation
 of the global navigation sidebar to:
  • Show or hide the sidebar.
  • Add, remove, reorder, and pin menu items.
  • Reset Menu to Default
    to restore the default configuration.
You can reorder categories, but you cannot move menu items between categories.
On the global navigation sidebar, you can add context-free model tasks created in Workday Extend.
To enable Workday Extend, contact your Customer Base Account Executive. Workday Extend is a separate product (SKU) that requires a separate license. Workday Extend enables you to build, deploy, and share apps that run on Workday and are tailored to the specific business needs of your enterprise.
The global navigation sidebar also replaces the existing
Recruiting Hub
 sidebar.
You can add these menu items using the
Global Navigation Configuration
 task to match the previous recruiter experience:
  • Recruiting Hub
  • Job Requisitions
  • Candidates
  • Recruiting Dashboard
Additionally, users will need to reconfigure their shortcuts.
Workday Logo
Displays the Workday-delivered Home landing page, or the
Preferred Home Page
 if you select one on the
Change Preferences
 task.
Search
Enables you to find and go directly to tasks and reports.
My Conversations
Displays a badge count for unread messages in your conversations and takes you to the
My Conversations
 panel.
At this time, My Conversations supports only Candidate Conversational Messaging for SMS. You must add the security groups in the
Manage: Candidate SMS Conversations
 domain in the Recruiting functional area to the
My Conversations
 domain in the System functional area with
Modify
 permissions for users to see the My Conversations icon.
Notifications
Displays a badge count for your unread notifications and takes you to your Notifications page.
My Tasks
Displays a badge count for your incomplete items and takes you to My Tasks.

Sidebar and Menu Components

Option
Description
Pinned Apps
Select to replace the
Your Top Apps
 section on the Home page.
Saved Section
Access existing shortcuts and saved items from the sidebar.
Recruiters can use the
Configure Recruiting User Shortcuts
 task to add recruiting shortcuts to the
Saved
 section.
Visual Branding
Workday applies the general branding color configured on the
Configure Tenant Branding
 task to your selection and hover colors.

Profile Photo

You can click your profile photo to access these options on the main navigation menu:
Main Menu Option
Description
Domain Security
View Profile
Displays your profile.
Home
Displays the Workday-delivered Home landing page.
Workbench
Displays tasks and reports commonly used by administrators and technical users. Use the
Configure My Worklet Landing Pages
 task to configure available worklets.
Landing Page - Workbench
 domain in the System functional area.
Sitemap
Displays a list of standard reports and tasks available to you.
Landing Page - Sitemap
 domain in the System functional area.
Favorites
Displays a list of your favorite tasks, reports, business objects, and custom reports. Use the
Manage Favorites
 task to configure the list.
Favorites
 domain in the System functional area.
Audit
Displays a list of all the audit reports and tasks available to you, sorted by category.
Landing Page - Audit
 domain in the System functional area.
Drive
Accesses the Workday file management space.
Drive
domain in the System functional area.
My Reports
Displays a virtual drive where you can store generated reports.
My Reports
 isn't a mapped drive on your computer.
My Reports
 domain in the System functional area.
Documentation
Navigates to Workday Documentation on Workday Community.
Workday Documentation Link
 domain in the System functional area.
Workday recommends that you only include users who require access to Administrator Guide content.
Help
Navigates to the URL specified in the
‘Help’ Link
 field on the
Edit Tenant Setup - System
 task.
Set Up: Tenant Setup - System
 domain in the System functional area.
My Account
Provides access to these account management tasks:
  • Change Password
  • Change Preferences
  • Change Public Profile Preferences
  • View Signon History
     (if enabled)
  • Switch Accounts
     (if you're a delegate)
  • Organization ID
Recovery Assistant
Displays a list of unsaved work that you've entered on tasks and reports.
This option only displays when recovered items are available on desktop devices. Workday saves recovered items for 1 day.
Sign Out
Ends your Workday session.