# How to set the same sidebar categories for all the users

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-set-the-same-sidebar-categories-for-all-the-users/402479
**Category:** Site Management
**Tags:** sidebar
**Created:** [May 11, 2026, 7:59am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-set-the-same-sidebar-categories-for-all-the-users/402479 "2026-05-11T07:59:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 6

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### Author: ![Moin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/moin/32/554653_2.png) [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-set-the-same-sidebar-categories-for-all-the-users/402479/6 "2026-05-14T22:56:55Z")

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> [@fzngagan](#):
>
> If you have time, do try out both the ways with a bunch of users to see if this works. If it helps, I can write an SQL query to confirm if the updating worked as expected. Do let me know what you think.

I tried the steps you described in the first post again. And I still notice the same problem: The category the user added to their sidebar is not removed, so the result is not that all users have the same categories in their sidebar.

> **Detailed repro steps**
>
> 1. I created a brand new forum
> 2. I created 5 categories (category1, category2, category3, category4, category5)
> 3. I added `category4` to my sidebar using the “edit sidebar categories” option  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/6/8/6/68627bdc28b0625b32fc3d6c2239b958b3559405.png)  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/8/0/0/80003f56a0d79dbe023068f6f94ca7a57a06b68f.png)
> 4. The category was added to my sidebar  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/1/2/0/1208caee3960b5728d2eecae49945abba56db5f1.png)
> 5. I looked at the `default_navigation_menu_categories` site setting  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/7/7/6/776f83007fd70e787b28e83f83f75d7fbd80d81c.png)
> 6. As you say in the guide I removed all categories
> 
> > [@fzngagan](#):
> >
> > Remove all the categories from `default navigation menu categories` and save. Make sure to apply the change historically when prompted.
> 
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/b/0/0/b0084306ec92ac05139c939646e7099fe5fc5f4e.png)  
> and applied the change to everyone  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/5/8/c/58cb1a69bd437b4d9722faeb7e0f78fc998aeb47.png)  
> 7. Now the setting was empty  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/2/2/5/2250fb81a94c827414c3f1cde73eeab7e209b705.png)  
> 8. I checked my sidebar and only category4 which was added manually was in there (also the link to the site setting at the bottom indicates that the site setting is empty)  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/a/2/2/a220d44bbcbd6c74a4070dd548dd8a0701b53897.png)  
> 9. I waited ~45 minutes and added `category1`, `category2` and `category3` to the setting  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/5/f/8/5f888ffc717f84f3d411666de329b9e342b3cbe1.png)  
> and applied the change to all users  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/1/3/a/13ae6f3f2d1761a3c690b6bdd42733719def2fb2.png)  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/6/9/e/69e521f07bb7317c597ac2c3234a19304e88e6fa.png)
> 
> **Expected result based on the title of this guide** : all users have the same categories in their sidebar which means the ones in the setting and nothing else.  
> **Actual result** : `category4` is still in the sidebar, while it is not in the sidebar for users who haven’t added it manually.
> 
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/4/7/b/47b692686f221efb9dc3c045fea86e990b175f70.png)

In which step do you expect the category the user added (in my example `category4`) to their sidebar to be removed to get the result of all users having the same categories in their sidebar?

> [@fzngagan](#):
>
> - If the admin adds a few categories to the setting, only those newly added ones are added to all the users’ sidebars who didn’t have those set already.
> - If you remove a few categories from the setting, those are removed from all the users’ sidebars.

Based on what you said here, I don’t expect it to be removed, because the category is not removed from the setting because it wasn’t in it. But you say you used those steps to enforce the same categories for all users.  
If I added all categories (method 1) `category4` would have been added and removed, so I would expect it to disappear. That’s where I understand what happens. But your guide says I should use method 2, so I wonder what I am missing in my understanding and my testing.

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