Bottom Tab Navigator
Create a bottom tab navigator with three tabs, customize each tab's icon using a vector icon library, and configure the active tint color.
Bottom Tab Navigator is a free React Native Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 3 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the React Native Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
What is a Bottom Tab Navigator?
A bottom tab navigator renders a tab bar at the bottom of the screen with one tab per registered screen. Tapping a tab switches to that screen. This pattern is very common in mobile apps (Instagram, Twitter, Airbnb) and is provided by the @react-navigation/bottom-tabs package.
Installing the Bottom Tabs Package
Install the bottom tabs navigator package separately from the React Navigation core. If you are using Expo, also make sure react-native-screens and react-native-safe-area-context are already installed from the previous setup step.
npm install @react-navigation/bottom-tabsCreating the Tab Navigator
Call createBottomTabNavigator() to get a Tab object with Tab.Navigator and Tab.Screen components. Register screens exactly as you would in a stack navigator. Each Tab.Screen name becomes the default tab label.
import { createBottomTabNavigator } from '@react-navigation/bottom-tabs';
const Tab = createBottomTabNavigator();
function MyTabs() {
return (
<Tab.Navigator>
<Tab.Screen name='Home' component={HomeScreen} />
<Tab.Screen name='Search' component={SearchScreen} />
<Tab.Screen name='Profile' component={ProfileScreen} />
</Tab.Navigator>
);
}Adding Icons to Tab Screens
Each tab should have an icon to help users recognize it quickly. Use tabBarIcon inside the screen's options prop. The render function receives a focused boolean and a color so you can render different icons or colors for active vs inactive tabs.
import { Ionicons } from '@expo/vector-icons';
<Tab.Screen
name='Home'
component={HomeScreen}
options={{
tabBarIcon: ({ focused, color, size }) => (
<Ionicons
name={focused ? 'home' : 'home-outline'}
size={size}
color={color}
/>
),
}}
/>Customizing Active and Inactive Colors
Set tabBarActiveTintColor and tabBarInactiveTintColor in screenOptions to control the color of tab icons and labels for the selected and unselected states. These color values are passed into the tabBarIcon render function automatically.
<Tab.Navigator
screenOptions={{
tabBarActiveTintColor: '#6200ee',
tabBarInactiveTintColor: '#888',
}}
>Hiding the Tab Bar on Specific Screens
Sometimes you want to hide the tab bar when navigating to a detail screen. Set tabBarStyle: { display: 'none' } in the screen's options or use the navigation prop to toggle it dynamically with navigation.setOptions.
<Tab.Screen
name='Details'
component={DetailsScreen}
options={{ tabBarStyle: { display: 'none' } }}
/>Changing Tab Label and Badge
Override the tab label with tabBarLabel in the screen options. Add a notification badge using tabBarBadge to show a count indicator on the icon — useful for messaging or notification tabs. Set tabBarBadge to a number or string.
<Tab.Screen
name='Messages'
component={MessagesScreen}
options={{
tabBarLabel: 'Inbox',
tabBarBadge: 3,
}}
/>Styling the Tab Bar Background
Customize the tab bar background color and border using tabBarStyle in screenOptions. You can set backgroundColor, borderTopColor, elevation (Android shadow), and height to match your design system.
<Tab.Navigator
screenOptions={{
tabBarStyle: {
backgroundColor: '#1a1a2e',
borderTopColor: '#333',
height: 60,
},
tabBarLabelStyle: { fontSize: 12, paddingBottom: 4 },
}}
>Navigating Between Tabs Programmatically
Use navigation.navigate('TabName') to switch to a specific tab from any screen within the navigator. This is useful when a button action in one tab should take the user to another section of the app. The active tab's state is preserved.
function HomeScreen({ navigation }) {
return (
<Button
title='Go to Profile'
onPress={() => navigation.navigate('Profile')}
/>
);
}Listening to Tab Press Events
Use the tabPress event on navigation to intercept a tab press. This is useful for scrolling a list back to the top when the user taps the active tab. Call e.preventDefault() if you want to handle the press yourself without the default navigation action.
navigation.addListener('tabPress', (e) => {
// Prevent default behavior
e.preventDefault();
// Custom action: scroll to top, show modal, etc.
});Nesting a Stack Inside a Tab
In real apps each tab often contains its own stack of screens. Simply nest a Stack.Navigator as the component for a Tab.Screen. The stack renders inside the tab area while the tab bar remains visible at the bottom of the screen.
function HomeStack() {
return (
<Stack.Navigator>
<Stack.Screen name='Home' component={HomeScreen} />
<Stack.Screen name='Post' component={PostScreen} />
</Stack.Navigator>
);
}
<Tab.Screen name='HomeTab' component={HomeStack} />Quick Check
Test your understanding of Bottom Tab Navigator concepts from this lesson.
Lesson Recap
In this lesson you learned: install and create a bottom tab navigator with createBottomTabNavigator, add icons using tabBarIcon in screen options, and customize colors, labels, and badges globally via screenOptions. Next up we explore the Drawer Navigator and nested navigators.
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Bottom Tab Navigator” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Bottom Tab Navigator” is free to read here on the web, and the React Native Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the React Native Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Bottom Tab Navigator”?
Create a bottom tab navigator with three tabs, customize each tab's icon using a vector icon library, and configure the active tint color. You practise React Native Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start React Native Academy?
No prior experience is required. React Native Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 3 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Bottom Tab Navigator” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this React Native Academy lesson?
Yes. Every React Native Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.