How to Remove the Sidebar from WooCommerce Products in WordPress (Beginner-Friendly)
So, you’ve built a fantastic online store using WooCommerce, but you’re not a fan of the Read more about How To Display The Woocommerce Archive Products On Another Page sidebar cluttering up your product pages? You’re not alone! Many store owners prefer a clean, distraction-free product view to maximize conversions. This article will guide you through different methods to remove the sidebar from your WooCommerce product pages, even if you’re a complete WordPress newbie. We’ll break it down with easy-to-follow steps and real-world examples.
Why Remove the Learn more about How To Install Woocommerce In Localhost Sidebar?
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s understand *why* you might want to ditch the sidebar on your product pages:
- Improved Focus: Without a sidebar, your customer’s attention is entirely on the product, its images, description, and price. This minimizes distractions and helps them focus on making a purchase.
- Better Mobile Experience: Sidebars often get pushed to the bottom of the page on mobile devices. Removing them ensures your product content takes center stage on smaller screens, leading to a cleaner and more user-friendly experience.
- Enhanced Aesthetics: A full-width product page can often look more modern and visually appealing, especially if your theme’s sidebar contains elements that don’t directly contribute to sales.
- Increased Conversion Rates: A cleaner, less cluttered page often translates to higher conversion rates. Think of it like a physical store – you want the product to be the star, not the shelf filled with random items.
- `.sidebar`
- `.widget-area`
- `#secondary`
- `.product-sidebar` (This is just an example. *Your theme will likely use something different.*)
- `display: none !important;`: This hides the sidebar element completely. The `!important` tag ensures this rule overrides any conflicting styles from your theme.
- `width: 100% !important;`: This ensures that the product description and images takes full width of the page after removing the sidebar.
- CSS can be tricky! If your theme uses complex layouts, you might need to adjust the CSS further to ensure the product content fills the entire width of the page correctly. Inspect the elements again to understand the parent containers’ styling.
- This method only *hides* the sidebar. The code for the sidebar is still being loaded, so it’s not the most efficient solution.
- Hook: woocommerce_sidebar.
- * @hooked woocommerce_get_sidebar - 10 */ do_action( 'woocommerce_sidebar' ); ?>
- Theme Settings (Method 1): Always check your theme options first. It’s the easiest and safest way.
- Custom CSS (Method 2): Use this if your theme doesn’t have a built-in option and you’re comfortable with basic CSS.
- Editing Theme Files (Method 3): Reserve this for when all other methods fail and you have a good understanding of WordPress theme development. Always use a child theme!
Method 1: Using WooCommerce Theme Settings (The Easiest!)
Many modern WooCommerce themes offer built-in options to control the layout of your product pages, including toggling the sidebar on or off. This is usually the simplest and recommended method if your theme supports it.
Example: Let’s say you’re using the popular Astra theme:
1. Log into your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Appearance > Customize.
3. Look for a section related Explore this article on How To Make Woocommerce Address Fields Not Required to WooCommerce or Layout. (It might be named differently depending on your theme.)
4. Within the WooCommerce or Layout settings, you should find options to control the sidebar placement on shop pages, product pages, etc.
5. Look for a setting like “Product Page Sidebar Layout” or something similar. You might see options like “No Sidebar,” “Left Sidebar,” or “Right Sidebar.”
6. Select “No Sidebar”.
7. Publish the changes.
That’s it! Your product pages should now be free of the sidebar. Most other premium WooCommerce themes like Divi, GeneratePress, OceanWP, etc., offer similar options within their customizer settings.
Method 2: Custom CSS (A Little More Technical)
If your theme doesn’t provide a direct option to remove the sidebar, you can use CSS to hide it. This is generally effective, but it’s important to understand which CSS classes to target.
1. Inspect the page: Right-click on your WooCommerce product page and select “Inspect” (or “Inspect Element”) in your browser. This opens the developer tools.
2. Identify the Sidebar’s CSS Class: Use the inspector to hover over the sidebar area. Look for a `
3. Add Custom CSS: Go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS in your WordPress dashboard.
4. Write your CSS: Add the following CSS code, replacing `.sidebar` with the actual class or ID you identified in step 2.
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product .sidebar {
display: none !important;
}
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product div.summary.entry-summary {
width: 100% !important;
}
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product div.images {
width: 100% !important;
}
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product div.product_meta {
width: 100% !important;
}
Explanation:
5. Publish the changes.
Example:
Let’s say the sidebar’s class is `.product-sidebar`. Your CSS would look like this:
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product .product-sidebar {
display: none !important;
}
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product div.summary.entry-summary {
width: 100% !important;
}
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product div.images {
width: 100% !important;
}
.woocommerce div#content div#main div.product div.product_meta {
width: 100% !important;
}
Important Notes:
Method 3: Editing Theme Files (Advanced – Use with Caution!)
This method involves directly editing your theme’s files. This is the most advanced method and requires caution. Always back up your theme before making any changes! It’s also highly recommended to use a child theme to avoid losing your changes when the parent theme is updated.
1. Create a Child Theme: If you don’t have one already, create a child theme. There are plugins that make this easy.
2. Locate the `single-product.php` file: This file is responsible for displaying the single product page. It’s usually located in `wp-content/themes/[your-theme-name]/woocommerce/templates/content-single-product.php` or a similar path. If it’s *not* in the WooCommerce folder within your theme, you’ll need to copy it there from the WooCommerce plugin directory (`wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/content-single-product.php`).
3. Copy to Child Theme: Copy the `single-product.php` file to your child theme’s directory, maintaining the same directory structure (`wp-content/themes/[your-child-theme-name]/woocommerce/templates/content-single-product.php`).
4. Edit the File: Open the `single-product.php` file in your child theme using a text editor (like VS Code, Sublime Text, or Notepad++).
5. Remove the Sidebar Code: Look for code that renders the sidebar. This will likely involve functions like `get_sidebar()` Learn more about How To Make All Drafts Published Woocommerce or specific code that calls widgets within the sidebar. The exact code will vary depending on your theme, but it often looks like this:
<?php /**
Remove this section of code.
6. Adjust Content Width: After removing the sidebar code, you’ll likely need to adjust the CSS classes or width settings for the main content area to fill the space previously occupied by the sidebar. Look for the `
7. Save and Upload: Save your changes to `single-product.php` and upload it to your child theme’s directory if you edited it offline.
Example Snippet (Highly Theme Dependent):
Let’s pretend your `single-product.php` file had this code:
<?php
/
* Hook – woocommerce_sidebar – 10
*
* @hooked woocommerce_get_sidebar – 10
*/
do_action( ‘woocommerce_sidebar’ );
?>
You would remove the entire `do_action( ‘woocommerce_sidebar’ );` block. You might also need to adjust the width of `#primary` to `width: 100%;` in your CSS (either directly in `style.css` of your child theme or using the Additional CSS panel in the Customizer).
Again, be *extremely* careful when editing theme files! Incorrect changes can break your website.
Choosing the Right Method
By following these steps, you can successfully remove the sidebar from your WooCommerce product pages, creating a cleaner and more focused shopping experience for your customers. Good luck!
