# Using the Discourse sidebar
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478
**Category:** Using Discourse
**Tags:** reference, sidebar, interface
**Created:** [March 17, 2023, 8:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478 "2023-03-17T08:49:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2023, 8:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/1 "2023-03-17T08:49:21Z")
> đź”– This is a comprehensive guide explaining the various features and functionalities of the Discourse sidebar, including how to customize it for your needs.
>
> 🙋 Required user level: All users
The sidebar in Discourse provides quick access to various forum features and allows for easy navigation. This guide will walk you through the different sections of the sidebar and how to use them effectively.
## Community section
The community section contains essential navigation links. It is divided into primary links shown directly, and secondary links accessible under **More**.
**Primary links:**
- **Topics** : Shows the latest posts on your forum.
- **My Posts** : Takes you to your activity page. When you have drafts, this link dynamically changes to show “My Drafts” and takes you to your drafts instead.
- **My Messages** : Takes you to your personal messages (visible if you can send private messages).
- **Invite** : Allows you to quickly invite others to the forum (visible if you have permission to invite).
Staff members will also see **Review** (for moderation) and **Admin** (for site management) options.
**Secondary links (under More):**
- **Users** : Shows the user directory.
- **About** : Provides information about your forum.
- **FAQ** : Links to your forum’s FAQ page.
- **Groups** : Takes you to the groups page.
- **Badges** : Displays the badge gallery.
- **Filter** : Opens the advanced topic filter page.
Administrators can customize the community section by clicking **More** and then **Customize this section** to add, remove, or reorder links for all users.
> đź’ˇ There may be additional buttons if you have plugins installed. For example, if you have [Cakeday](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-cakeday/38447) installed on your forum, **Anniversaries and Birthdays** will appear in your sidebar.
## Categories and tags
This section displays categories and tags for easy access. To customize:
1. Click on the pencil icon next to the section header to edit your categories or tags.
2. Use the modal to add or remove categories and tags.
3. Click on **All categories** or **All tags** to view the complete list.
Administrators can set which categories and tags appear by default for all users via the `default navigation menu categories` and `default navigation menu tags` site settings.
## Chat
If your forum has Chat enabled, Chat appears as a separate panel in the sidebar. You can switch between the main forum panel and the Chat panel using the panel switcher buttons.
The Chat panel includes:
- **My Threads** : View threads you’re participating in
- **Starred Channels** : Quick access to channels you’ve starred
- **Channels** : Browse and access public chat channels (if enabled)
- **Direct Messages** : Access your personal chats
To start a new direct message, click the **+** button in the Direct Messages section.
## Customizing your sidebar
You can adjust how navigation items behave in your user preferences:
1. Go to your user preferences.
2. Find the **Navigation Menu** section.
3. Adjust settings for how new and unread topics are displayed (link to filtered list, show count of new items).
To customize which categories and tags appear in your sidebar, use the pencil icon directly on the Categories or Tags sections in the sidebar itself.
## Creating custom sidebar sections
To add a custom section:
1. Click the **+** button at the bottom of the sidebar.
2. In the modal, customize the icon, name, and links for your new section.
This feature allows you to create personalized navigation options to improve your productivity. Administrators can also create global sidebar sections visible to all forum members by toggling the **Public** option when creating a section.
## Mobile access
To open the sidebar on mobile devices, tap the hamburger menu icon in the top right corner, next to your profile picture.
## Additional notes
- The sidebar layout and available options may vary depending on your forum’s settings and installed plugins.
- Administrators can customize the community section links for all users and create global sidebar sections.
> ✍ This document was originally written by @twofoursixeight.
> Last edited by @lindsey 2025-01-17T12:57:19Z
>
> Last checked by @hugh 2024-10-29T00:35:45Z
>
> > **Check document**
> >
> > Perform check on document:
---
### Author:  [@twofoursixeight](https://meta.discourse.org/u/twofoursixeight)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2024, 3:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/27 "2024-08-24T03:40:07Z")
I’ve just noticed a brand new sidebar, and some changes to the sidebar here on Meta. The guide uses an older version of the sidebar.
---
### Author:  [@Firepup650](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Firepup650)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2024, 3:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/28 "2024-08-24T03:48:41Z")
> [@twofoursixeight](#):
>
> 
That’s the experiment one:
> [@New sidebar experiment (Sidebar Feng Shui)](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-sidebar-experiment-sidebar-feng-shui/320459):
>
> We are running an experiment on meta that applies some tweaks to the sidebar design to create a more spacious and serene layout. By increasing the spacing between elements, and optimising padding and margins, we’re aiming for a cleaner and more organised appearance, however at the cost of more elements potentially disappearing beneath the fold. Before After Nothing functional has changed, only visually you might need a minute to adjust.
> [@twofoursixeight](#):
>
> 
That’s the documentation sidebar:
> [@Better documentation navigation with a new sidebar](https://meta.discourse.org/t/better-documentation-navigation-with-a-new-sidebar/316058):
>
> This week, we published a significant improvement to [Discourse documentation](https://meta.discourse.org/c/documentation/10) - a new sidebar! This feature is designed to make navigating and accessing our documentation easier and more intuitive than ever before. star2 What’s new? The new sidebar shows up on all documentation categories and topics, making it easier to navigate their content. Here’s what you can expect: Improved navigation: With a clear, hierarchical structure, moving between different topics is now faster and more straigh…
---
### Author:  [@twofoursixeight](https://meta.discourse.org/u/twofoursixeight)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2024, 3:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/29 "2024-08-24T03:49:40Z")
Interesting, can’t wait to see more changes to the forum being made and how this forum becomes more and more modern by the day.
---
### Author:  [@pHneutre](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pHneutre)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2024, 10:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/30 "2024-12-13T10:54:29Z")
Things must have changed because there is no `sidebar` tab in my user Preferences. Instead there’s `navigation menu` and it doesn’t allow me to customize the side bar, the only options available are:
> # Navigation
>
> **When a topic list in the navigation menu has new or unread items…**
> Link to the filtered list
> Show a count of the new items
- How can a user customize the sidebar now?
- Is there a way to customize the sidebar’s first part (Topics, My posts…)?
- Is there a way to customize the sidebar at an admin level for everyone?
---
### Author:  [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2024, 10:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/31 "2024-12-13T10:58:11Z")
navigation menu is the sidebar
---
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2024, 11:02am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/32 "2024-12-13T11:02:15Z")
> [@pHneutre](#):
>
> How can a user customize the sidebar now?
By using the edit buttons at the sections and the + to add a custom section.
> [@pHneutre](#):
>
> Is there a way to customize the sidebar’s first part (Topics, My posts…)?
Admins can add and remove links by clicking “more” and “customize this section.”
> [@pHneutre](#):
>
> Is there a way to customize the sidebar at an admin level for everyone?
Changing the first section changes it for everyone. When you create a new section, you can choose to show it for everyone. The default tags and categories can be configured in the site settings. You can search for `default navigation menu` to find them.
---
### Author:  [@markschmucker](https://meta.discourse.org/u/markschmucker)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2025, 1:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/33 "2025-02-12T13:22:53Z")
The sidebar on meta seems to be context-sensitive, for example if I’m in an AI topic, other admin or AI links are shown in the sidebar. I don’t see how to configure this. Is it experimental?
---
### Author:  [@Overgrow](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Overgrow)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/34 "2025-02-12T13:27:10Z")
That’s a sidebar for documentation:
> [@Better documentation navigation with a new sidebar](https://meta.discourse.org/t/better-documentation-navigation-with-a-new-sidebar/316058):
>
> This week, we published a significant improvement to [Discourse documentation](https://meta.discourse.org/c/documentation/10) - a new sidebar! This feature is designed to make navigating and accessing our documentation easier and more intuitive than ever before. star2 What’s new? The new sidebar shows up on all documentation categories and topics, making it easier to navigate their content. Here’s what you can expect: Improved navigation: With a clear, hierarchical structure, moving between different topics is now faster and more straigh…
---
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/35 "2025-05-28T16:19:01Z")
> [@Discourse](#):
>
> **My Drafts** : Displays dynamically when you have a draft topic or reply.
> [@After latest updates on 01/18/2025, "My Posts" menu option missing in left panel](https://meta.discourse.org/t/after-latest-updates-on-01-18-2025-my-posts-menu-option-missing-in-left-panel/347829/30):
>
> We have restored the sidebar link for “My Posts” back to how it was previously: [https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/294ed87a6f5548ab031d31b85e4f559dcc8c8cdb](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/294ed87a6f5548ab031d31b85e4f559dcc8c8cdb) If you have added any additional custom links as a workaround to access the “My Posts” page, such as /my/activity/ (ie. with the trailing slash) then you may want to remove the custom url to prevent duplicate links.
---
### Author:  [@twofoursixeight](https://meta.discourse.org/u/twofoursixeight)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2025, 7:21am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/36 "2025-07-31T07:21:56Z")
There’s been more changes lately to the sidebar, that I wish to address, these include the “My messages” button which takes you to your messages, and an Invite button used to quickly invite others? (Upcoming events and docs are part of plugins.)
This also includes the 2024 redesign of the sidebar.
On Meta, there’s also a filter button and a button taking you to your drafts.
I forgot to mention the Messages section was replaced by the trusty “My messages” button on the top of the sidebar, this is what it used to look like:
Now it’s just this: 
---
### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/38 "2025-08-23T13:21:21Z")
> [@Discourse](#):
>
> ## Customizing your sidebar
>
> You can personalize your sidebar experience:
>
> 1. Go to your user preferences.
> 2. Find the “Sidebar” section.
> 3. Adjust settings for categories, tags, and how new posts are displayed.
>
> 
This doesn’t seem to exist anymore; the guide should probably be updated.
---
### Author:  [@Iury\_Batista\_Araujo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Iury_Batista_Araujo)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/39 "2025-09-18T18:47:20Z")
Hello everyone đź‘‹
I’m customizing my Discourse forum and noticed that the **sidebar** appears **open by default** whenever a user accesses the page.
What I’d like is for the sidebar to **be closed by default** and only appear when the user clicks the hamburger icon.
### What I’ve already tried
- I’ve adjusted user preferences and theme settings related to the sidebar.
- I’ve tried using CSS (`display: none`) and JavaScript (`onclick` on the hamburger button).
- The sidebar does hide, but I haven’t been able to integrate it in a way that works like Discourse’s native behavior (opening/closing without breaking the layout).
###
---
### Author:  [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/40 "2025-09-18T19:03:31Z")
Mine here, and in every forum I use, is always closed. It should remeber its state. Saved in a cookie, I guess.
But if you force them use mobile layout, it is always closed.
I don’t totally understand why you wouldn`t let users decide what they want.
---
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-the-discourse-sidebar/258478/41 "2025-09-23T16:28:43Z")
In this topic [Can I default to a hidden sidebar?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/can-i-default-to-a-hidden-sidebar/252984/) a theme component was shared that closes the sidebar by default. It was created 2 years ago, so I don’t know if it still works but you could try. Even if it no longer works, it may be helpful to take a look at the approach.
[https://github.com/VaperinaDEV/closed-sidebar-by-default](https://github.com/VaperinaDEV/closed-sidebar-by-default)