diff --git a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.html b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.html
index 520689368..317bf4f9c 100644
--- a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.html
+++ b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.html
@@ -6,9 +6,6 @@
           @if (!item.separator) {
             <li app-menuitem [item]="item" [index]="i" [root]="true"></li>
           }
-          @if (item.separator) {
-            <li class="menu-separator"></li>
-          }
         }
       }
     </ul>
@@ -19,9 +16,6 @@
           @if (!item.separator) {
             <li app-menuitem [item]="item" [index]="i" [root]="true"></li>
           }
-          @if (item.separator) {
-            <li class="menu-separator"></li>
-          }
         }
       }
     </ul>
@@ -32,9 +26,6 @@
           @if (!item.separator) {
             <li app-menuitem [item]="item" [index]="i" [root]="true"></li>
           }
-          @if (item.separator) {
-            <li class="menu-separator"></li>
-          }
         }
       }
     </ul>
diff --git a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.ts b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.ts
index 62fccd6b4..c6430362f 100644
--- a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.ts
+++ b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menu.component.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import {LibraryShelfMenuService} from '../../../book/service/library-shelf-menu.
 import {AppVersion, VersionService} from '../../../core/service/version.service';
 import {DialogService, DynamicDialogRef} from 'primeng/dynamicdialog';
 import {VersionChangelogDialogComponent} from './version-changelog-dialog/version-changelog-dialog.component';
-import {AppSettingsService} from '../../../core/service/app-settings.service';
 import {UserService} from '../../../settings/user-management/user.service';
 
 @Component({
@@ -41,6 +40,8 @@ export class AppMenuComponent implements OnInit {
   shelfSortField: 'name' | 'id' = 'name';
   shelfSortOrder: 'asc' | 'desc' = 'asc';
 
+
+
   ngOnInit(): void {
     this.versionService.getVersion().subscribe((data) => {
       this.versionInfo = data;
@@ -64,7 +65,6 @@ export class AppMenuComponent implements OnInit {
       map((bookState) => [
         {
           label: 'Home',
-          separator: false,
           items: [
             {
               label: 'Dashboard',
@@ -89,11 +89,10 @@ export class AppMenuComponent implements OnInit {
       map((state) => {
         const libraries = state.libraries ?? [];
         const sortedLibraries = this.sortArray(libraries, this.librarySortField, this.librarySortOrder);
-
         return [
           {
             label: 'Library',
-            separator: false,
+            hasDropDown: true,
             items: sortedLibraries.map((library) => ({
               menu: this.libraryShelfMenuService.initializeLibraryMenuItems(library),
               label: library.name,
@@ -132,7 +131,7 @@ export class AppMenuComponent implements OnInit {
         return [
           {
             label: 'Shelves',
-            separator: false,
+            hasDropDown: true,
             items: [unshelvedItem, ...shelfItems],
           },
         ];
diff --git a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.html b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.html
index 9c26ed900..a74f505fe 100644
--- a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.html
+++ b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.html
@@ -1,43 +1,43 @@
 <ng-container>
-  @if (root && item.visible !== false) {
-    <div class="layout-menuitem-root-text">{{ item.label }}</div>
-  }
-
-  @if ((!item.routerLink || item.items) && item.visible !== false) {
-    <a [attr.href]="item.url"
-      (click)="itemClick($event)"
-      [ngClass]="item.class" [attr.target]="item.target" tabindex="0" pRipple>
-      <i [ngClass]="item.icon" class="layout-menuitem-icon"></i>
-      <span class="layout-menuitem-text">
-        {{ item.label }}
-      </span>
-      @if (item.items) {
-        <i class="pi pi-fw pi-angle-down layout-submenu-toggler"></i>
-      }
-    </a>
-  }
-
-  <div class="flex flex-row items-center justify-between">
-    @if ((item.routerLink && !item.items) && item.visible !== false) {
-      <a (click)="itemClick($event)"
-        [ngClass]="item.class"
-        [routerLink]="item.routerLink" routerLinkActive="active-route"
-        [routerLinkActiveOptions]="item.routerLinkActiveOptions || { paths: 'exact', queryParams: 'ignored', matrixParams: 'ignored', fragment: 'ignored' }"
-        [fragment]="item.fragment" [queryParamsHandling]="item.queryParamsHandling"
-        [preserveFragment]="item.preserveFragment"
-        [skipLocationChange]="item.skipLocationChange" [replaceUrl]="item.replaceUrl" [state]="item.state"
-        [queryParams]="item.queryParams"
-        [attr.target]="item.target" tabindex="0" pRipple>
-        <i [ngClass]="item.icon" class="layout-menuitem-icon"></i>
-        <span class="layout-menuitem-text w-full truncate">
-          {{ item.label }}
-        </span>
-        @if (item.items) {
-          <i class="pi pi-fw pi-angle-down layout-submenu-toggler"></i>
-        }
-      </a>
+  @if (root) {
+    @if (item.hasDropDown) {
+      <div class="flex items-center justify-between layout-menuitem-root-text cursor-pointer pt-4" (click)="toggleExpand(key)">
+        <div>{{ item.label }}</div>
+        <i [ngClass]="{
+          'pi': true,
+          'pi-angle-up': isExpanded(key),
+          'pi-angle-down': !isExpanded(key),
+          'text-surface-500': true,
+          'hover:text-surface-200': true,
+          'pr-3': true
+        }"></i>
+      </div>
+    } @else {
+      <div class="flex items-center justify-between layout-menuitem-root-text">
+        <div>{{ item.label }}</div>
+      </div>
     }
-    @if ((item.routerLink && !item.items) && item.visible !== false) {
+  }
+
+  <div>
+    <div class="flex flex-row items-center justify-between hover:bg-surface-800 rounded-md">
+      @if ((item.routerLink && !item.items)) {
+        <a
+          (click)="itemClick($event)"
+          [ngClass]="item.class"
+          [routerLink]="item.routerLink" routerLinkActive="active-route"
+          [routerLinkActiveOptions]="item.routerLinkActiveOptions || { paths: 'exact', queryParams: 'ignored', matrixParams: 'ignored', fragment: 'ignored' }"
+          [fragment]="item.fragment" [queryParamsHandling]="item.queryParamsHandling"
+          [preserveFragment]="item.preserveFragment"
+          [skipLocationChange]="item.skipLocationChange" [replaceUrl]="item.replaceUrl" [state]="item.state"
+          [queryParams]="item.queryParams"
+          [attr.target]="item.target" tabindex="0" pRipple>
+          <i [ngClass]="item.icon" class="layout-menuitem-icon"></i>
+          <span class="layout-menuitem-text w-full truncate">
+            {{ item.label }}
+          </span>
+        </a>
+      }
       <span>
         @if (item.type === 'Library' || item.type === 'Shelf') {
           @if ((item.type !== 'Library' || (admin || canManipulateLibrary)) && item.label !== 'Unshelved') {
@@ -56,20 +56,23 @@
           }
           <p-menu #entitymenu [model]="item.menu" [popup]="true" appendTo="body"></p-menu>
         }
+
         @if (item.type === 'Library' && (!admin && !canManipulateLibrary) || item.type === 'All Books' || item.label === 'Unshelved') {
           <p class="text-[var(--primary-color)] pr-3">
             {{ (item.bookCount$ | async)?.toString() || '0' }}
           </p>
         }
       </span>
-    }
-  </div>
+    </div>
 
-  @if (item.items && item.visible !== false) {
-    <ul [@children]="submenuAnimation">
-      @for (child of item.items; track child; let i = $index) {
-        <li app-menuitem [item]="child" [index]="i" [parentKey]="key" [class]="child.badgeClass"></li>
+    <div [@children]="isExpanded(key) ? 'expanded' : 'collapsed'" style="overflow: hidden;">
+      @if (item.items) {
+        <ul>
+          @for (child of item.items; track child; let i = $index) {
+            <li app-menuitem [item]="child" [index]="i" [parentKey]="key" [class]="child.badgeClass"></li>
+          }
+        </ul>
       }
-    </ul>
-  }
+    </div>
+  </div>
 </ng-container>
diff --git a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.ts b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.ts
index fe07f5821..e5d4827f0 100644
--- a/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.ts
+++ b/booklore-ui/src/app/layout/component/layout-menu/app.menuitem.component.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,10 @@ import {animate, state, style, transition, trigger} from '@angular/animations';
 import {Subscription} from 'rxjs';
 import {filter} from 'rxjs/operators';
 import {MenuService} from './service/app.menu.service';
-import { AsyncPipe, NgClass } from '@angular/common';
+import {AsyncPipe, NgClass} from '@angular/common';
 import {Ripple} from 'primeng/ripple';
 import {Button} from 'primeng/button';
 import {Menu} from 'primeng/menu';
-import {MenuItem} from 'primeng/api';
 import {UserService} from '../../../settings/user-management/user.service';
 
 @Component({
@@ -52,6 +51,20 @@ export class AppMenuitemComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
   menuSourceSubscription: Subscription;
   menuResetSubscription: Subscription;
 
+  expandedItems = new Set<string>();
+
+  toggleExpand(key: string) {
+    if (this.expandedItems.has(key)) {
+      this.expandedItems.delete(key);
+    } else {
+      this.expandedItems.add(key);
+    }
+  }
+
+  isExpanded(key: string): boolean {
+    return this.expandedItems.has(key);
+  }
+
   constructor(public router: Router, private menuService: MenuService, private userService: UserService) {
     this.userService.userState$.subscribe(userData => {
       if (userData) {
@@ -85,6 +98,7 @@ export class AppMenuitemComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
 
   ngOnInit() {
     this.key = this.parentKey ? this.parentKey + '-' + this.index : String(this.index);
+    this.expandedItems.add(this.key);
     if (this.item.routerLink) {
       this.updateActiveStateFromRoute();
     }
@@ -116,10 +130,6 @@ export class AppMenuitemComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
     this.menuService.onMenuStateChange({key: this.key});
   }
 
-  get submenuAnimation() {
-    return this.root ? 'expanded' : (this.active ? 'expanded' : 'collapsed');
-  }
-
   @HostBinding('class.active-menuitem')
   get activeClass() {
     return this.active && !this.root;