Tip: Use search box below or this box, labels in the first right sidebar, archive, ctrl+F for this page or sitemap to find topics

Find help, info, instructions, tips, tricks

Thursday, May 24, 2007

How to hide the navbar for New Blogger

Refer to Simple adjustable way to hide Navbar for an easier way to hide the Navbar. Also see earlier update at the bottom of the post.

The navbar is compulsory for bloggers using blogspot.com for their blogs, and it can also be useful. It has a search box which will allow visitors to search the content of your blog. You can also change the color of the navbar to blend with the colors of your blog by going to the LAYOUT and right at the top, you will see a section for navbar. Click EDIT and chose the color for the navbar.

However, many people have expressed the desire to remove the navbar as there is "Next Blog" in the navbar which when click will lead to an unpredictable blog which may contain sexually explicit content, etc and about which people like educators who set up blogs for their students are very unhappy about.

Update 29 July 2007: Accoring to Kawaljit of Maybe it is OK to remove Blogger navbar, Google did a series of road show in some Indian cities to promote their Blogger platform. Ankit attended the event and asked for clarification on the navbar policy from the Google representatives at the roadshow. They called up their office in Bangalore office and confirmed that it's legal to hide the navbar.

If you really want to hide the navbar, this is how to go about it. Whenever you make changes to the template, it is always wise to backup the template first. If you are not familiar with that, refer to this post: Backing up and changing New Blogger template.

Sign into Dashboard, click LAYOUT for the relevant blog and then click the EDIT HTML sub-tab. This will open the template editor window. Look for this tag: </head>. Paste this script immediately above that tag:

<style type='text/css'>
#navbar-iframe {
display: none;
}
</style>

so that what you see will be

<style type='text/css'>
#navbar-iframe {
display: none;
}
</style>
</head>

Preview, and if satisfied, click "Save Template".

To demonstrate, I will hide the navbar from this blog DIY (Do It Yourself) which is a blogspot blog.

There are New Blogger templates by Final Sense which you get via links in New Blogger 3 column templates by Final Sense. Although there is a navbar Page Element in the Layout of the most blog templates, there are no navbar for blogs using Final Sense Color templates. So if you don't want a navbar, but have an excuse for it perhaps you may want to consider using Final Sense templates.

Update 5 July 2007: A blogger commented this method don't seem to work anymore. I tested before I published and it work, but on getting him comment, I tested again and found that what he said was true. I have tested a slightly different way of doing it at Another way of hiding the navbar and found that the alternative way worked. So if you still want to hide the navbar, refer to the new post.

Amazon products for Blogger

Related posts:

Another way of hiding the navbar (February 2007)
How to hide New Blogger Navbar (October 2008)
Simple adjustable way to hide Navbar (January 2010)

38 comments:

Zia Rezvi said...

Thanks Peter, you are a star!

Moh Moh said...

thx peter this really helpful i was searching everywhere how to do that

thx alot

Kitty said...

Thanks for the tip, it works beautifully!

Kitty said...

Thanks for the tip, it works beautifully! Now I just have to work on changing the header pic lol.

SwordMouth said...

Hey Chen,


Why is your NavBar not hidden? Is there a reason behind it? ~winks~

Peter Chen said...

Hi SwordMouth,

The navbar, I like it there. There is a useful searchbox for visitors to search my blog in addition to the Google sitesearch box. They give different results. Further, don't want to run into trouble with Blogger although that is very unlikely. Educators like to remove it because they use blogspot for their students and they don't want them to use it and com across blogs with explicit sexual content, etc.

Peter (Blog*Star 2006 and 2007)
Testing Blogger Beta (now New Blogger)

Peter Chen said...

"Educators like to remove it because they use blogspot for their students and they don't want them to use it and com across blogs with explicit sexual content, etc."

I am referring to Next Blog,

Peter (Blog*Star 2006 and 2007)
Generating Revenue from your Website

Mumu said...

Hi Pete! :)

I'm exclusively using your tips to customize my new blog

weird things happen all time

Just 2 questions:

1 how to remove that text above header & keep the space? can I for example change its color to blend with background?

2 is it against blogger TOS to remove the navbar? If so I guess I have to put it back ..

Thanks for great work! :)

Peter Chen said...

"how to remove that text above header & keep the space? can I for example change its color to blend with background?"

Sorry, don't understand the question. Could you be referring to the navbar?

"is it against blogger TOS to remove the navbar?"

Yes if you use blogspot. No if you host the blog on your own server. but many educators who uses blogspot for blogs for the students wants it removed because they don't want the students to use the Next Blog and then get to sites having explicit sexual content, etc. Further, there are plenty of blogspot blogs with navbar removed and Blogger don't seem to want to do anything about it. As for me, I like to keep the navbar because it can be useful (searchbox).

Peter (Blog*Star 2006 and 2007)
Dummies Guide to Google Blogger
"online book" in progress

Mumu said...

Hi!

It's hard to me but I'll try to explain:

If you look at my blog you'll see a text above header "welcome to the odd world", initially in your code there was something else, I don't want it to be there but when I removed it my header stuck with the top, I want that space from the top to remain & the text not to show.

Thanks in advance & thanks for explanation about the TOS, I understand about educators but if it's not allowed I don't think blogger will consider that, so finally maybe I'll put the navbar back ..

GiBee said...

This actually does work. Thank you.

Christine said...

Hi!
Navbar-Hiding doesn't work..what do I make wrong?

(Can't copy my html template into this window here...error messages because of tags will appear)

I use minima black templ. - modified a little bit...

the head-tag appears in the last quarter of my templ.

Can u help me?? THX !! Christine

Peter Chen said...

Hi Christine,

All hacks are tested and found to be working before they are published, but things can changed.

I am getting more than 1 feedback about the problem you mentioned, but don't have the luxury of time to look into the problem at the moment. Will add it to my long "to do" list and hope to get to it some day. In the meantime, if you get a solution, will appreciate some feedback as that will help me and my readers.

Peter Blog*Star
The easiest way to earn something for your blogging efforts

chamaco said...

it can be done by pasting this code:
#navbar-iframe { display: none !important;}
right above
/* Variable definitions
both way works cheers.

The Matty Boosh said...

Does the navbar automatically disappear if you buy a custom domain via a Google partner?

Peter Chen said...

Hi the matty boosh,

I have registered 2 domains with godaddy, then when I found out you can register via Blogger cum Google Apps, I registered another 1 or 2. Problem is, I am proceeding very cautiously to make sure any blogspot URL or my domain with or without the www will go to the same site. One more problem. When I registered one domain via Blogger cum Google Apps, the www. plus .com was already there in the URL, I just fill in a blank field. However, I found out the domain I got was minus that www which is not what I want. I have written to both Godaddy and Google Apps (agent for godaddy). Godaddy referred me to Google Apps, so made a damaged products to Google Appls. Have yet to receive a response and have no time/too lazy to bug them. So I still have not started with this custom domain. I have no practical experience, so cannot answer your question. But I will try to get an answer from those who have and hopefully get a response I can convey to you.

Peter Blog*Star
Blogger for Dummies

Peter Chen said...

One more thing which I don't know if you want to consider. Irrespective of whether yours is a blogspot or own domain, you can use other templates which automatically hides the navbar, but don't know if that is what you want. Here is one:

New Blogger templates by Final Sense

There may be some here, but not sure:

New Blogger templates (mostly 3 columns)

Peter Blog*Star
Testing Blogger Beta (now New Blogger)

The Matty Boosh said...

Thank you very much for your quick reply:-). I found somewhere on the blogger help pages that you are only allowed to take the navbar away if you have an ftp account.

Peter Chen said...

Hi Matty,

Can you please give me the URL to that Help page? I understand that that is no longer Blogger policy. I need the info. I for one will need a group of riot squad police to drag me into a self-hosted blog (FTP).

Peter Blog*Star
Environmentally friendly presents

The Matty Boosh said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Peter Chen said...

Hi Matty,

First, that is out of date and we have been informed it is not against Blogger TOS to hide navbar for blogspot blogs. I will try to get reconfirmation and put up a post to inform bloggers.

Peter Blog*Star
Earn with blogs

Peter Chen said...

Matty's comment will have to be deleted because there is an inactive (unclickable) long URL which has ended up as a long unbroken line. Do refer to make clickable or active links in blog posts and comments.

Peter Blog*Star
Blogger for Dummies

Andrés Hidalgo said...

Hi:

To remove the nav bar that tag doesn't work anymore.

This one does:


style type='text/css'
#navbar-iframe {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none;
}
style

my two cents

SaletaClaus said...

Thank you

Thank you

Andrés Hidalgo

^__________^

SaletaClaus said...

Thank you

Thank you

Peter Chen

^__________^

Haber6 said...

hi Peter. i have a question. i removed the blogger navbar. but i concerned for it. is it forbidden? is it a mistake?

Peter Chen @ Enviroman (Blog*Star) said...

Hi Haber6,

Not anymore

mrizali said...

thanks for your info

Ari Blackthorne™ said...

This is a good article - however, I have a reversed situation LOL.

I have a template that a friend wants to use - but that template does NOT show the navbar and she does in fact want to have the navebar.

So - how do I do the reverse? Do I look for this code you've provided and remove it? Or is there some other code I need to find or insert?

Thank you!

Peter @ Enviroman said...

That probably may work

Azeeza Azman said...

Its really working! & My blog has a wider & broader space w/o the navbar.

Thanks You :)

"web address for all" said...

Thanks a lot . You are really a great man .

Hezbollah And Andrea Sites. said...

one other option would be,for those who want the Navigation bar on their blog is to be able to change it to a color of their choice other than just the present 4 colors. E.g. if your page is yellow then we should have theoption of changing the navbar to yellow for instanse. I have just put my navbar back as I have found that by removing it My blog titile is too high up the page to be seen.Also is hiding the navbar against bloggers terms of service? I cannot get an answer on this. Andrea.

Peter @ Enviroman said...

If my memory is not too faulty, I seem to remember a discussion where a Blogger Employee indicated they have no objections.

Bellasia Creations said...

thank you!

M.D. said...

Too cool! Many thanks.

Dan said...

Thank you! Very easy!

www.pakmela.com said...

Thanks Peter... It worked on my blog...

Its useful to visit your blog every time