Even if you’re entirely new to WordPress, you probably appreciate how convenient a tool it is for creating your own blog or website.
Still, there are many things along the way that can pose problems, such as a sidebar (or, more commonly, how to remove a sidebar).
And that’s something many WordPress users find a bit confusing. There’s a lot going on in the WordPress dashboard, and the sidebar is something that has several layers.
Not every WordPress theme is going to have the same approach when you’re trying to disable the sidebar, nor does every theme even have it. But there are simple solutions to some of the most used themes in WordPress.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to remove the WordPress sidebar in a few popular themes. Plus, we’ll answer some of the burning questions that any WordPress beginner might have.
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Table of Contents
What is a WordPress Sidebar?
Before going deeper into the details on how to remove the sidebar in WordPress, let’s get better acquainted with its purpose. The sidebar in WordPress represents an area on the page where you can show any content.
It can be a place for an advertisement or anything else you choose to display on your WordPress website. For example, you can show your blog archive or list categories of the products you’re using, if you have an eCommerce website.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that, even though it’s called a sidebar, this feature isn’t necessarily on the side of your WordPress page. Sometimes it’s in the header or footer of your WordPress site. Also, a WordPress theme can have multiple sidebars.
Why Use or Remove a WordPress Sidebar?
The purpose of a sidebar in WordPress is, in many ways, self-explanatory. If it fits into what you’re trying to achieve on your WordPress website, it’s going to complement the page and provide additional content to the reader.
The right sidebar will fit into the design and purpose of your website and will allow for more straightforward navigation or organize third-party content.
However, in some cases, a sidebar is just an extra item that doesn’t have any purpose or is distracting the viewer unnecessarily. Or, if you don’t want any advertisements on your page, you might want to disable the sidebar altogether.
How to Remove the Sidebar in WordPress: A Step-By-Step Walkthrough
If you’ve decided that you don’t need a sidebar on your WordPress website page, there’s a way to remove it.
In the steps below, we’re going to show you how to remove the sidebar in the Genesis theme, the child theme, and Sydney theme, which is popular in the business world.
Step 1
The first thing to remember about the Genesis theme is that it allows for six layout options. While some layouts can have one or two sidebars, others don’t have any. If you’ve chosen the layout with a sidebar initially and wish to remove a specific sidebar, add this line to the home.php file:
remove_action( ‘genesis_sidebar’, ‘genesis_do_sidebar’ );
Step 2
If you’re comfortable using custom CSS, you can also add this code to ensure the sidebar is removed from the WordPress home page:
.home #sidebar {display: none;}
Step 3
Here’s the thing, once the sidebar is gone, you’re going to be left with space on the page that you won’t know what to do with. That’s why you should probably go full-width template for your page and make it look more natural. To do this, add:
.home #content {width: 100%;}
Step 4
If you’re using the Sydney theme, you can disable the sidebar without using any code, which is a preferable option for most users. What you do is open the page where you want to remove the sidebar and select “Edit Page.” Then select “Page Attributes” and then “Template,” followed by “Full Width.” And finally, select “Update.”
Step 5
You can repeat this process as many times as necessary, and it’s also something you can do on almost every WordPress theme. If you want to bring back the sidebar, select the “Default template” option from the “Page Attributes.”
How to Remove Sidebar in WordPress FAQs
What Is WooCommerce in WordPress?
WooCommerce is a type of WordPress plugin which users can get for free if they want to set up an online store.
Creating a WooCommerce page allows you to have much more control when it comes to choosing where you want your online store to be hosted. WooCommerce is by far one of the best eCommerce platforms on the internet.
What are widgets in WordPress?
A widget, also known as a block of content, is an item you add on your sidebar on a WordPress page. There is a wide variety of different widgets that can be used for all kinds of purposes.
For example, you can have a Calendar widget, Blog Stats, Audio, Gallery, and even use them to pin social media icons. You can use your cursor to drag and drop them and remove or archive them when necessary.
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
The main difference between these platforms is that WordPress.com is entirely online, and you can work on it from any device, while WordPress.org is software you download to your computer. Also, with WordPress.org, you’re the one who hosts your website. And WordPress.com does all that for you.
Which popular websites use WordPress?
Almost 40% of all websites on the internet use WordPress as their template. That’s an impressive number. And it comes as no surprise that sites like The New York Times Company, Microsoft News Center, The Walt Disney Company, or The Rolling Stones are just some of many.
How to get good at WordPress?
To create the best possible WordPress website, you’ll need to spend a lot of time working on it. Sure, WordPress makes many things easier, but there are details to consider. Get acquainted with the platform, try stuff, and make mistakes. Don’t rush with publishing the website until you’re ready and let others influence you while still maintaining your individuality.
To make your job easier, we recommend checking out Wordable. It will not only clean and properly format your HTML, but also compress images, open links in a new tab, automatically set featured images, or create a table of contents, and lots more within a single click from Google Docs.
Conclusion
One of the best things about creating a WordPress website is that it’s perfect for beginners. Learning about how to add and remove sidebar is one of the more important lessons to take in.
Also, knowing how to use the widget feature will make all the difference when you’re busy designing your WooCommerce shop page.
And while you don’t need to know any code to build a WordPress website, you might occasionally have to dabble with CSS and PHP when it comes to themes and the sidebar. However, most themes have integrated settings you can use to hide sidebar when you need to.
