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How to Hide Sidebars on WooCommerce Product Pages

How to Hide Sidebars on WooCommerce Product Pages

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by

Alec Holmes, Founder & Website Specialist
in

How to Hide Sidebars on WooCommerce Product Pages (2025 Guide)

Want to declutter your WooCommerce product pages? Removing the sidebar is one of the simplest ways to improve your store’s focus, especially on mobile devices. This tutorial walks you through the top methods for hiding sidebars from your WooCommerce pages, no matter your theme.

Whether you’re aiming for a minimalist design or simply want product images to take center stage, this guide has you covered. Sidebars can be valuable in certain contexts, but when the focus is on high-converting, distraction-free layouts, removing them can significantly improve user engagement, especially on modern mobile-first websites. In today’s ecommerce landscape, reducing clutter and sharpening the shopping experience is a proven path to increasing conversions and lowering bounce rates. Many premium themes and successful online stores are already shifting to full-width layouts for this reason.

Quick Answer: You can hide sidebars on WooCommerce product pages by adding custom PHP code, changing your page template to full-width, or using your theme’s built-in sidebar settings. Scroll below for step-by-step instructions for each method.

Table of Contents:

  1. Why Remove the WooCommerce Sidebar?
  2. Method 1: Use a Full-Width Page Template
  3. Method 2: Remove Sidebar with a Code Snippet (All Product Pages)
  4. Method 3: Disable Sidebar via Customizer Settings (Theme-Specific)
  5. Method 4: Use a Page Builder (Elementor, Spectra, etc.)
  6. FAQ: WooCommerce Sidebar Removal
  7. Final Thoughts


Why Remove the WooCommerce Sidebar?

Sidebars can be useful, they often display filters, categories, and widgets that help shoppers explore your store. But in some cases, they cause more harm than good:

  • Distraction: Sidebars can pull attention away from your product descriptions, images, and add-to-cart buttons.
  • Design clutter: Modern stores often benefit from a clean, centered layout.
  • Poor mobile UX: On small screens, sidebars typically get pushed below the product, disrupting layout flow.
  • Speed: Extra sidebar widgets mean more database calls, which can impact performance.

Additionally, some store owners may simply want to embrace a more immersive shopping experience, with the product and imagery taking center stage. Think about fashion or art stores: a full-width gallery can feel more high-end and immersive without the clutter of additional UI.

If your WooCommerce theme includes a sidebar by default, there are easy ways to disable it without breaking your layout. This design shift can modernize your store, build buyer trust, and boost usability on mobile devices, where most traffic originates. A cleaner interface also helps create a stronger emotional connection with your brand.


Method 1: Use a Full-Width Page Template

Many modern WordPress themes (including Astra, GeneratePress, Kadence, and Storefront) include full-width templates that eliminate the sidebar. Here’s how to use one:

  1. Go to Pages > All Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Edit the page you want to modify (e.g., Shop or a custom product page).
  3. In the Page Attributes or Template section (usually on the right panel), select Full Width.
  4. Click Update.

Design Tip: If your theme supports full-width hero banners, consider placing a compelling product image or seasonal promotion across the top of your product or shop page. This can help offset the visual space left by removing the sidebar.

You can also enrich the layout with trust-building elements: customer reviews, shipping policies, or satisfaction guarantees placed under the product or just above the footer. These help retain confidence and engagement even in a simplified format.

Extra Design Ideas: Add a featured video in place of the sidebar space or embed product walkthroughs. Use collapsible sections for technical specs or sizing guides to keep the page clean but informative. Add sticky CTAs or trust badges to maintain conversions.


Method 2: Remove Sidebar with a Code Snippet (All Product Pages)

Want a global solution? This snippet will remove the WooCommerce sidebar from all single product pages.

Steps:

  1. Install the Code Snippets plugin or go to your theme’s functions.php file.
  2. Paste the following code:
add_action( 'wp', 'remove_woocommerce_sidebar_from_products' );

function remove_woocommerce_sidebar_from_products() {
    if ( is_product() ) {
        remove_action( 'woocommerce_sidebar', 'woocommerce_get_sidebar', 10 );
    }
}
  1. Save and activate the snippet.

Important: Always back up your site before adding code.

Bonus Tip: If you’re using the Storefront theme, use this version instead:

add_action( 'get_header', 'remove_storefront_sidebar_on_product_pages' );

function remove_storefront_sidebar_on_product_pages() {
    if ( is_product() ) {
        remove_action( 'storefront_sidebar', 'storefront_get_sidebar', 10 );
    }
}

This ensures compatibility with Storefront’s unique sidebar function hook.

To level up your layout further after removing the sidebar, consider expanding your product descriptions, adding embedded video demonstrations, or including icons that represent key benefits (e.g., “Fast Shipping,” “100% Secure Checkout,” etc.).

Extra Design Ideas: Add an FAQ accordion right beneath your product gallery. Consider including social proof widgets, recent review summaries, or limited-time offer banners to make use of the whitespace while keeping attention on the product.


Method 3: Disable Sidebar via Customizer Settings (Theme-Specific)

Some themes allow you to control sidebars directly from the WordPress Customizer.

  1. Go to Appearance > Customize.
  2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Product Catalog or Layout > Sidebar (exact path depends on your theme).
  3. Look for Sidebar Layout or similar.
  4. Select No Sidebar or Full Width.
  5. Click Publish.

Themes like Astra, OceanWP, and Kadence include sidebar controls for individual post types, including products. This lets you easily show sidebars on blog posts but hide them on product pages.

Pro Tip: Pair this with a sticky “Add to Cart” bar or floating CTA button to keep conversions high while maintaining a minimalist look.

You can also use these settings to establish design consistency across different WooCommerce pages. For example, your homepage and shop page can share a similar no-sidebar layout to create a unified customer experience.

Extra Design Ideas: Use full-width product grids with lifestyle photos to reinforce branding. Create a “Best Sellers” row or related products carousel beneath the fold to help upsell while keeping your layout open and user-friendly.


Method 4: Use a Page Builder (Elementor, Spectra, etc.)

If you’re building custom WooCommerce pages with Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Spectra, you can disable sidebars at the layout level.

  1. Open your product template or WooCommerce archive page.
  2. Select Full Width in the page layout settings (typically found in the sidebar or bottom panel).
  3. Remove the sidebar widget if it appears in the template.

Design Tip: Use this opportunity to create high-converting layouts with trust badges, testimonials, and bundled product blocks.

With page builders, you can go even further by customizing the flow of information. Add accordions for FAQs, create comparison tables, or include animated highlights for limited-time deals, all without touching a line of code. If your goal is conversion, make the product the star, but support it with smart storytelling.

Extra Design Ideas: Incorporate countdown timers for urgency, highlight free shipping thresholds, or use floating cart icons. These tools help enhance the sales funnel even as you strip back unnecessary visual noise.


FAQ: WooCommerce Sidebar Removal

Can I remove the WooCommerce sidebar without using code? Yes. If your theme supports it, you can remove the sidebar through the WordPress Customizer or by selecting a full-width template when editing your page. Page builders like Elementor also let you disable sidebars visually.

Will removing the sidebar affect SEO? Not directly. In fact, a cleaner, distraction-free layout can help boost conversions and reduce bounce rate, both of which are positive signals for search engines. Just make sure your main content stays accessible and structured.

How do I know if my theme supports full-width templates? Edit any page in WordPress and check the “Template” or “Page Attributes” section on the right. If “Full Width” is an option, your theme supports it. You can also check under Appearance > Customize for layout settings.

Is it safe to edit functions.php directly? It works, but editing functions.php can break your site if done improperly. It’s safer to use the Code Snippets plugin, which keeps custom code modular and easier to manage.

What should I do with the extra space after removing the sidebar? Use it wisely. Add product videos, customer reviews, sticky CTAs, feature icons, or trust badges. A sidebar-free design should still feel complete and persuasive.


Final Thoughts

Removing the sidebar on WooCommerce product pages can help you:

  • Improve focus and readability
  • Create a faster-loading, cleaner experience
  • Simplify design for mobile and tablet users
  • Increase conversions by reducing visual clutter

Whether you opt for theme settings, snippets, or custom templates, the process is reversible and safe when done carefully.

Design-wise, always test the before-and-after experience on both desktop and mobile. A clean layout should never come at the expense of usability. Make sure critical elements like pricing, shipping info, and “Add to Cart” buttons are still easy to find and act on.

And if you’re still not happy with your theme’s flexibility, consider switching to WordPress.com + WooCommerce, it includes top-tier themes, full customization, and built-in speed and security optimization.

A sidebar-free WooCommerce store can be a game-changer when executed with intentional design. Prioritize clarity, consistency, and user flow. Think like your customer, what do they need to see, and how can you help them act faster?

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