Hubspot guide to remove the WordPress sidebar

Following a Hubspot style process, this guide walks you step by step through the most reliable ways to remove or customize a WordPress sidebar without breaking your layout.

The sidebar appears on many themes by default, but you can often hide or edit it using built-in tools, widgets, or templates. The exact method depends on your theme and whether you are using the block editor, the classic editor, or a page builder.

Understanding sidebars the Hubspot way

Before changing anything, it helps to know how sidebars work in WordPress. A sidebar is a widget area registered by your theme. It can appear on posts, pages, archives, or the entire site.

Most themes let you control sidebars in one or more of these places:

• Theme customizer or global settings
• Individual page or post settings
• Widget areas under the Appearance menu
• Theme template files such as sidebar.php or page.php

Because every theme is different, you may need to try a few of the methods below until you find the one that works for your site.

Hubspot style checklist before you start

Use this quick checklist to prepare your site before editing sidebars:

• Create a full site backup using your hosting tools or a backup plugin.
• Note which templates your pages are using in the editor.
• Test changes on a staging site if your host provides one.
• Open your site in another browser tab so you can refresh and check the results after each change.

Method 1: remove sidebar widgets with a Hubspot like workflow

The simplest approach is to remove everything placed inside the sidebar area. This does not always hide the column, but it often clears the content so the area looks empty.

Steps to clear your sidebar widgets

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Appearance > Widgets.
3. Locate the widget area labeled Sidebar, Blog Sidebar, or something similar.
4. Expand each widget and click Delete to remove it.
5. Click Update or wait for the changes to auto save.
6. Refresh your site on the front end and check any templates that used the sidebar.

If the vertical space is still visible, your theme may keep the sidebar column even when it has no widgets. In that case, move on to the next methods.

Method 2: use page templates in a Hubspot inspired process

Many modern themes ship with special templates such as Full Width, No Sidebar, or Canvas. These templates remove the sidebar and stretch the content area.

Change the template for a page

1. Open the page or post you want to edit in the WordPress editor.
2. On the right sidebar, find the Template setting.
3. Open the dropdown and look for options like No Sidebar, Full Width, or Full Width, No Sidebar.
4. Select the template that removes the sidebar.
5. Click Update or Publish.
6. View the page to confirm that the sidebar has disappeared.

If you want to remove the sidebar from every page and post, repeat this for each one or look for a global setting in your theme options.

Method 3: edit theme settings with a Hubspot mindset

Some themes provide centralized controls to show or hide sidebars on specific content types. The location of these controls varies, but common places include the customizer and dedicated theme panels.

Check theme options for sidebar controls

1. In the dashboard, go to Appearance > Customize or to your theme’s options panel.
2. Look for sections labeled Layout, Blog, Sidebar, or Page Settings.
3. Review options for Default Layout, Blog Layout, and Single Post Layout.
4. Select layouts that say No Sidebar or show only a content column.
5. Apply changes and click Publish.
6. Visit posts, pages, and archive views to verify that the sidebar is no longer visible.

The Hubspot style approach is to document which screens you changed so you can reverse the setting later if needed.

Method 4: remove the sidebar using a page builder with Hubspot clarity

If you use a page builder such as Elementor, Beaver Builder, or the Gutenberg site editor, you may be able to switch to a canvas or full-width layout inside the builder. This often bypasses the theme sidebar entirely.

Remove the sidebar in a visual builder

1. Edit the page with your chosen page builder.
2. Open the Page Layout or Template settings, usually in a sidebar panel or gear icon.
3. Choose a layout like Full Width, Canvas, or Elementor Full Width.
4. Update or save the page.
5. Preview the page on the front end to confirm that the sidebar area has been removed.

For block-based themes using the site editor, you can also build templates without sidebars and assign them to individual pages.

Method 5: edit theme files carefully, Hubspot style

If the previous options do not work, you can remove the sidebar by editing theme files. This method is more technical, so make changes in a child theme to avoid losing them during updates.

Steps to remove the sidebar from theme templates

1. Create or activate a child theme so your edits are preserved when the parent theme updates.
2. Using FTP or the built-in Theme File Editor, locate page.php, single.php, or other templates that load the sidebar.
3. Find function calls such as get_sidebar() in those files.
4. Comment out or remove the line that calls get_sidebar().
5. Save the file and refresh your site.
6. Test multiple pages to ensure the layout still looks correct at different screen sizes.

Always keep a backup of the original file so you can restore it quickly if something breaks.

Testing and troubleshooting with a Hubspot style process

Once you have removed or hidden the sidebar, confirm that the site still provides a good user experience.

• Check readability on desktop, tablet, and mobile sizes.
• Make sure important navigation items are still accessible.
• Confirm that ads, lead capture forms, and calls to action are placed somewhere else on the page.
• Use browser developer tools to inspect spacing and margins where the sidebar used to be.

If content appears too wide, adjust your theme’s container width or add custom CSS to limit line length for better readability.

Learn more beyond this Hubspot style tutorial

For additional context and alternative methods, you can review the original tutorial on removing a WordPress sidebar on the HubSpot blog reference page. It provides screenshots and more examples that complement the steps here.

If you also want professional help with WordPress design, technical SEO, or conversion optimization, consider consulting a specialist team such as Consultevo, which offers strategic support for growing websites.

By following these structured methods, you can remove or customize your WordPress sidebar in a predictable, documented way that fits a Hubspot inspired standard of clarity and control.

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