The Ultimate 2026 Guide to Customize Your Home Assistant Sidebar

Last Updated: January 31, 2026

Streamlining your Home Assistant workflow is the key to a great smart home experience. One of the fastest ways to do this is to customize the Home Assistant sidebar—that navigation panel you use constantly. Over the years, the options for tweaking it have evolved from simple YAML hacks to powerful visual tools. In this definitive 2026 guide, we’ll dive into the two primary methods available today, so you can add, hide, or reorder any item to perfectly suit your needs.

How to Customize Home Assistant Sidebar: YAML vs. HACS

As of 2026, we have two main approaches to modify the sidebar. The first is the “native” method via the configuration.yaml file, which is great for adding simple, static links. The second, and the one I recommend for most users, is using the “Custom Sidebar” integration available through HACS (Home Assistant Community Store). It gives you complete control right from the graphical interface.

To see the differences at a glance, here’s a quick comparison table:

Method 1: Add Links with `panel_custom` in YAML (The Classic Way)

This is the old-school, built-in method in Home Assistant. It’s useful if you just want to add a couple of fixed links and you’re comfortable editing configuration files. Any items you add here will appear at the bottom of the sidebar.

Steps for Using panel_custom

1. Access your configuration.yaml file. You can do this through add-ons like the “File editor” or “Visual Studio Code” directly within Home Assistant.
2. Add the code. Paste the following code block into your file. Remember that YAML is picky—respect the indentation and use spaces, not tabs.
3. Save and Restart. Save your changes, then go to Settings > System > Restart and click “Restart Home Assistant”.

Code Examples for configuration.yaml

Here are several practical examples you can copy and adapt.

Example 1: Add the Supervisor Link Back

The classic one many of us miss. This code restores a direct link to the main Supervisor page.

panel_custom:
  - name: hassio-supervisor
    sidebar_title: Supervisor
    sidebar_icon: mdi:home-assistant
    url_path: 'hassio/dashboard'

Example 2: Link to an External URL (e.g., Your Router)

Perfect for quickly accessing your router’s admin page or any other web service on your network.

panel_custom:
  - name: my-router
    sidebar_title: Router
    sidebar_icon: mdi:router-wireless
    url_path: 'https://192.168.1.1'
    # Important: The link above is an example. Use your router's actual IP.

Example 3: Link to an Add-on (e.g., Zigbee2MQTT)

If you frequently use the web UI of a specific add-on, like Zigbee2MQTT, you can create a handy shortcut.

panel_custom:
  - name: zigbee2mqtt
    sidebar_title: Zigbee2MQTT
    sidebar_icon: mdi:zigbee
    url_path: '/zigbee2mqtt'

Method 2: Full Control with “Custom Sidebar” (Recommended)

If you’re looking for maximum flexibility, including the ability to hide Home Assistant menu items and reorder them however you like, this is the way to go. It requires HACS, the community store that’s practically a must-have for any serious user these days.

How to Install and Use Custom Sidebar

1. Install from HACS: Go to HACS > Frontend in your sidebar. Use the search bar to find “Custom Sidebar” and click “Install”. Follow the prompts to add the resource to your dashboards.
2. Configure from the UI: Once installed and reloaded, you’ll find a new option under Settings > Dashboards (or a similar location) called “Sidebar”. This is your new control center.
3. Add a New Link: Click the “Add” button and fill in the fields: Title, Icon, and URL. Changes are applied instantly—no restart needed.
4. Hide and Reorder: On this same screen, you’ll see a list of every item in your menu (including the default ones). Simply toggle the switches to hide what you don’t need and use the arrows or drag-and-drop to reorder them. It’s that easy!

Common Troubleshooting Tips

While the process is pretty straightforward, you might hit a snag. Here are the fixes for the most common issues.

• YAML Error on Restart: This is almost always an indentation problem. Remember that YAML is very strict. Ensure panel_custom: has no leading spaces and that each line of an item (- name:, sidebar_title:, etc.) is indented with two spaces. Always use the Settings > System > Check Configuration tool before restarting.
• Link Doesn’t Appear After Restart (YAML Method): Your browser is likely holding onto a cached version of the old sidebar. Try a force-refresh (Ctrl + F5 on Windows, Cmd + R on Mac) or clear your browser’s cache.
• Icon Is Missing: Make sure you’re using the correct format: mdi:icon-name. You can find all the official icons and their names on the Material Design Icons website.
• Custom Sidebar Missing After HACS Install: After installation, a refresh is crucial. A hard refresh of your browser page is usually enough. If not, go to your user profile (click your name in the bottom-left corner) and select “Reload Resources”.

Conclusion: Which Method Should You Use in 2026?

As a smart home professional, my recommendation is crystal clear: for 99% of users, the “Custom Sidebar” integration via HACS is the superior choice. It offers a level of flexibility and ease of use that the old YAML method simply can’t match. Being able to hide items you never use (like “Map” or “Calendar” for some people) and pin your most-used Add-ons to the top of the list is a massive quality-of-life improvement for daily use.

Save the panel_custom YAML method for very specific situations, like minimalist setups where you don’t want to install HACS or you just need to add a single, permanent link without any fuss.