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GitLab Ultimate UI Navigation - Complete Overview

Last Updated: 2026-01-08 GitLab Version: 18.x series Tier: Ultimate

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Main Navigation Structure
  3. Project-Level Navigation
  4. Group-Level Navigation
  5. Admin Area Navigation
  6. User Settings Navigation
  7. Quick Access Features
  8. Navigation Best Practices

Introduction

GitLab Ultimate provides a comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps platform with an extensive UI that unifies the entire software development lifecycle. This document provides a complete overview of every menu, feature, and capability available in the GitLab Ultimate interface.

Key Principles

  • Single Application: Everything lives in one place with one permission model, one UI, and one source of truth
  • AI-Native: GitLab Duo features are embedded throughout the interface
  • Role-Based Access: Different features are available based on user roles and permissions
  • Context-Aware: Navigation adapts based on whether you're in a project, group, or admin context

Main Navigation Structure

GitLab's interface is organized into four primary navigation contexts:

1. Global Navigation (Top Bar)

Located at the very top of the interface:

  • Search Bar: Global search across all projects, issues, merge requests, code, and more
  • Create New: Quick access to create issues, merge requests, projects, groups, and snippets
  • GitLab Duo Chat: AI assistant accessible via chat icon (Premium/Ultimate)
  • Issues: Your assigned issues across all projects
  • Merge Requests: Your merge requests across all projects
  • To-Do List: Action items requiring your attention
  • Help: Documentation, keyboard shortcuts, and support
  • User Menu: Profile, settings, and sign out

2. Left Sidebar (Context Menu)

Changes based on current context (project, group, or admin):

  • Pin/Unpin: Customize which items appear in sidebar
  • Favorites: Quick access to starred projects/groups
  • Recent: Recently visited items
  • Context Switcher: Jump between projects, groups, and admin areas

3. Project Navigation

When viewing a project, the left sidebar shows:

  • Plan
  • Code
  • Build
  • Secure
  • Deploy
  • Operate
  • Monitor
  • Analyze
  • Manage
  • Settings

4. Group Navigation

When viewing a group, the left sidebar shows:

  • Plan
  • Code
  • Build
  • Secure
  • Deploy
  • Operate
  • Monitor
  • Analyze
  • Manage
  • Settings

Project-Level Navigation

Projects are the core container for code, issues, CI/CD, and collaboration. The project navigation menu is organized by the software development lifecycle stages.

Project Menu Structure

Project Name
 Plan
    Issues
    Issue boards
    Milestones
    Iterations
    Requirements (Ultimate)
    Wiki
 Code
    Merge requests
    Repository
       Files
       Commits
       Branches
       Tags
       Contributors
       Graph
    Snippets
    Code owners (Premium/Ultimate)
 Build
    Pipelines
    Jobs
    Artifacts
    Pipeline editor
    Pipeline schedules
 Secure
    Vulnerability report (Ultimate)
    Dependency list (Ultimate)
    License compliance (Ultimate)
    Policies (Ultimate)
    Audit events (Premium/Ultimate)
 Deploy
    Releases
    Package registry
    Container registry
    Model registry
 Operate
    Environments
    Feature flags (Premium/Ultimate)
    Terraform states (Premium/Ultimate)
    Kubernetes (Premium/Ultimate)
 Monitor
    Incidents
    Error tracking
    Observability
       Dashboards
       Explore
       Logs
       Traces
       Metrics
    Alerts
 Analyze
    Value stream analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    CI/CD analytics
    Code review analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Repository analytics
    Merge request analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Productivity analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Insights (Ultimate)
 Manage
    Members
 Settings
     General
     Integrations
     Webhooks
     Access tokens
     Repository
     Merge requests
     CI/CD
     Packages and registries
     Pages
     Monitor
     Usage quotas
     Billing (SaaS only)

Group-Level Navigation

Groups organize related projects and provide portfolio management capabilities.

Group Menu Structure

Group Name
 Plan
    Issues
    Epic boards (Premium/Ultimate)
    Epics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Roadmap (Premium/Ultimate)
    Milestones
    Iterations (Premium/Ultimate)
    OKRs (Ultimate)
    Wiki
 Code
    Merge requests
    Repository
 Build
    Runners
 Secure
    Security dashboard (Ultimate)
    Vulnerability report (Ultimate)
    Dependency list (Ultimate)
    Compliance (Ultimate)
       Compliance center
       Compliance frameworks
       Compliance projects
       Compliance violations
    Audit events (Premium/Ultimate)
    Credentials inventory (Ultimate)
 Deploy
    Package registry
    Container registry
 Operate
    Terraform states (Premium/Ultimate)
    Kubernetes (Premium/Ultimate)
 Monitor
    Incidents
 Analyze
    Value streams dashboard (Ultimate)
    Value stream analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    CI/CD analytics
    Code review analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Repository analytics
    Merge request analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Productivity analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Contribution analytics (Premium/Ultimate)
    Insights (Ultimate)
 Manage
    Activity
    Members
    Labels
    SAML SSO (Premium/Ultimate)
    Usage quotas
    Billing (SaaS only)
 Settings
     General
     Projects
     Repository
     CI/CD
     Applications
     Packages and registries
     Webhooks
     Access tokens
     Domain verification
     Usage quotas

Admin Area Navigation

Available only to instance administrators on Self-Managed installations.

Admin Menu Structure

Admin Area
 Overview
    Dashboard
    Projects
    Users
    Groups
    Topics
    Gitaly servers
    Runners
 Monitoring
    System info
    Background jobs
    Background migrations
    Logs
    Health check
    Requests profiles
    Performance bar
 Analytics
    DevOps reports
    Usage trends
    Instance statistics
    User cohorts (Ultimate)
 Security
    Credentials inventory (Ultimate)
    Compliance center (Ultimate)
 Push Rules (Premium/Ultimate)
 Geo (Premium/Ultimate)
 Deploy Keys
 Service Templates
 Labels
 Applications
 Abuse Reports
 License (Self-Managed)
 Subscription (Self-Managed)
 Kubernetes
 Terraform states
 Settings
     General
     Integrations
     Repository
     CI/CD
     Reporting
     Metrics and profiling
     Network
     Geo (Premium/Ultimate)
     Preferences
     Appearance
     Advanced

User Settings Navigation

Personal settings for individual users.

User Settings Menu Structure

User Settings
 Profile
 Account
 Applications
 Emails
 Password
 Notifications
 SSH Keys
 GPG Keys
 Access tokens
 Active sessions
 Preferences
 Usage quotas
 Billing (SaaS only)
 GitLab Duo (Premium/Ultimate)

Quick Access Features

Command Palette

Press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac) to open the command palette for quick navigation:

  • Search projects, groups, issues, merge requests
  • Execute common actions
  • Navigate between pages
  • Access GitLab Duo features

Global Search

The search bar supports advanced syntax:

  • project:name - Search within specific project
  • group:name - Search within specific group
  • is:issue - Filter by work item type
  • is:open - Filter by state
  • author:@username - Filter by author
  • label:~"bug" - Filter by label

Quick Actions

Use slash commands in issue/MR descriptions and comments:

  • /assign @user - Assign to user
  • /label ~bug - Add label
  • /milestone %v1.0 - Set milestone
  • /close - Close issue/MR
  • /duplicate #123 - Mark as duplicate

Navigation Best Practices

1. Customize Your Sidebar

  • Pin frequently used items for quick access
  • Unpin rarely used features to reduce clutter
  • Reorder items by dragging and dropping

2. Use Keyboard Shortcuts

  • g + p - Go to projects
  • g + i - Go to issues
  • g + m - Go to merge requests
  • g + c - Go to CI/CD pipelines
  • ? - Show all keyboard shortcuts

3. Leverage Favorites and Recent Items

  • Star important projects and groups
  • Access recent items from the top-level navigation
  • Use breadcrumbs to navigate back through context

4. Master the Command Palette

  • Fastest way to navigate without mouse
  • Search across all content types
  • Execute actions without clicking through menus

5. Understand Context Switching

  • Use the context switcher to jump between projects/groups
  • Breadcrumbs show your current location
  • Back button respects navigation history

6. Use GitLab Duo Chat

  • Available throughout the interface
  • Ask questions about features
  • Get help with code and workflows
  • Explain security vulnerabilities

Feature Availability by Tier

Free Tier

  • Basic project management (issues, milestones, boards)
  • Code repository and merge requests
  • CI/CD pipelines (limited minutes)
  • Basic container registry
  • Wiki and snippets

Premium Tier (includes Free features plus)

  • Advanced roadmaps and epics
  • Merge request approvals
  • Code owners
  • Multiple reviewers
  • Protected environments
  • Feature flags
  • Iterations
  • SAML SSO
  • Audit events

Ultimate Tier (includes Premium features plus)

  • Value Stream Analytics and DORA metrics
  • Security dashboards and vulnerability management
  • SAST, DAST, dependency scanning, container scanning
  • License compliance
  • Compliance frameworks and management
  • Security policies
  • Code review analytics
  • Productivity analytics
  • Requirements management
  • OKRs
  • GitLab Duo (included)
  • Advanced approvals
  • Merge trains
  • Multi-level epics

Navigation Changes in GitLab 18.x

New in GitLab 18.0 (May 2025)

  • GitLab Duo features integrated into Premium/Ultimate at no extra cost
  • Repository X-Ray for self-hosted instances
  • Improved Code Review context in merge requests
  • Delayed deletion available on Free tier

New in GitLab 18.7 (December 2025)

  • Enhanced compliance dashboards
  • Advanced model personalization for AI features
  • Improved editor extensions
  • Deeper CI/CD and DevOps insights

Related Documentation

Sources

This documentation is based on official GitLab documentation and release notes: