New Admin Visual Refresh issues

Shopify Discussion

AI-generated summary

Shopify’s redesigned admin has prompted concerns about the black sidebar’s readability and a persistent Sidekick widget that overlays or blurs the bottom of the screen. The original poster says the widget makes the page harder to read and that hiding it with CSS improved clarity, while also asking why merchants cannot choose colors, themes, or widget visibility.

Participants report that Shopify currently offers no built-in controls for hiding Sidekick or changing the admin’s colors. Workarounds include browser extensions that inject custom CSS to hide the widget, or Dark Reader to adjust page colors and contrast; these are unofficial and may have limitations. One specific CSS rule was shared, but it could break after Shopify updates.

The discussion recommends reporting the visual effects as accessibility concerns, including through Shopify’s accessibility email, and describing the elements, their impact, and the requested changes. No Shopify fix or policy decision is reported, so the issue remains unresolved.

1

The hovering sidekick widget blocking the bottom inch of the screen that cannot be hidden is …infuriating.

Can we turn that off? - Can you please make a way for those us of not using sidekick constantly to minimize or hid this?

The black works for some folks, but why cant we set colors or light/dark mode for folks that need different visuals for visibility? this is …not accessible to store owners at all.

2

Hi @Agreeableagony, as far as I can find there’s no setting yet to hide the Sidekick bar or change the colours in the new admin. It started rolling out in mid-September and Shopify hasn’t added a toggle for either.

Two things that might help in the meantime:

  • Sidekick bar: in the thread “I don’t want to Work with Sidekick!”, Laza_Binaery posted a CSS rule that hides it. You can apply it in your own browser with an extension that adds custom CSS to a website (Stylus is one). It only changes what you see, not your store. I haven’t tested that selector myself, and it may stop working whenever Shopify updates the admin.
  • Colours / readability: there’s a longer thread called “Side bar went black” where people are collecting this feedback. I’d also send it through the feedback option in the admin itself, since that goes straight to Shopify.
3

you can create a chrome extension using claude/chatgpt which targets its CSS, etc. and hides it out.

4

If you are using Google Chrome, you can download chrome extension that injects CSS code, to hide the Sidekick widget.

I am using the “Custom CSS by Denis” chrome extension, after installing the extension, open your Shopify Admin tab, then open the extension, and paste in the following code

div[class^='_GlobalRibbonContainer'] { display: none }

After pasting the code, refresh the Admin page, the Sidekick widget should now be hidden

5

Hi @Agreeableagony,

Adding one more practical note to what @Taha_Dev already laid out, since the colour part of this is really an accessibility issue, not just a preference, it’s worth filing it specifically as an accessibility complaint rather than general feedback. If forced colour combinations make text hard to read for you, that falls under genuine accessibility compliance territory, and framing it that way in your support ticket, rather than “I don’t like the new colours,” tends to get escalated faster internally than a cosmetic complaint would.

For the colour problem specifically, separate from the Sidekick bar issue, a more durable workaround than a hand-written CSS selector is a browser extension like Dark Reader, which can force alternate colour schemes or improve contrast across the admin without depending on Shopify’s specific class names. Since it works by recolouring the page generally rather than targeting one exact element, it tends to survive Shopify’s admin updates better than a one-off selector would, though it won’t do anything for the Sidekick bar’s placement, that’s a layout and visibility problem, not a colour one, so it still needs the separate fix Taha_Dev already linked.

Best,
Vikash Jha - Apploy

6

Thanks. The sidebar went black really is an accessibility issue for some folks and I hope it gets attention.

The sidekick widget is awful because it actually blurs 1-2" of the screen just for its tiny search bar. Hiding with CSS is a nice work around but silly that shopify cant give us settings.

7

Thats a good point, I am not sure how to do that personaly, but it looks like it may have already been done by the other thread?

The sidekick bar isnt as big of an accessibility issue its true, although the blurry section on the bottom of the screen does draw the eye and has been giving me difficulty in reading the rest of the screen. I’m not sure if its just my brain making me think theres more blur than there is, or if I need to switch my glasses prescription, but having put in the CSS on one browser the whole screen looks crisper and easier to read to my eyes with that widget gone.

The lack of settings to change these things in general is just an issue with shopify admin that feels weird. Like, almost everything I use supports color themes, and/or settings to control widgets.

8

@Agreeableagony on how to file it as an accessibility issue: Shopify has a separate address for exactly this. Its accessibility statement says “If you notice aspects of our site or products that aren’t working for you or your assistive technology, please let us know” and gives accessibility@shopify.com. It’s separate from support tickets and the in-admin feedback button, so it’s worth using as well as those.

What makes a report like that easy to act on:

  • The exact elements: the black sidebar with small grey text, and the blurred strip behind the Sidekick bar at the bottom of the screen.
  • What they do: eye strain, trouble reading the rest of the screen, and roughly how far into a working day it starts.
  • What you’ve already tried: hiding the Sidekick bar with custom CSS made the whole screen easier for you to read. That tells them the blur itself is part of the problem.
  • What you’re asking for: a light sidebar option and a way to hide or dock Sidekick.

Short and specific is enough. Separate reports that each describe a concrete effect also show the team it isn’t one person’s preference.