Shopify New Admin (2026): Where Search, Sidekick and Settings Went

The short answer

Search, the Alerts bell, the store switcher and Settings are in the black left sidebar. Sidekick, Shopify's built-in assistant, is the bar at the bottom of the page. The new look has been rolling out gradually since 15 September 2026, with no setup, according to Shopify's changelog.

Watch the 90-second video, or use the table and sections below:

This was filmed on a development store on 4 November 2026. It is an unofficial guide and is not affiliated with Shopify.

Search and Apps

Search is the box at the top of the sidebar. Type a word and the results come back grouped: admin pages, orders, products and settings.

The new search open with the word tee typed, the result groups Navigation, Orders, Draft orders, Products and Settings, and Classic Tee as the first product

The Apps button in the sidebar opens the same search, filtered to the apps you have installed.

Alerts, store switcher and Settings

At the bottom of the sidebar, the bell opens your Alerts feed, which is where your store's notifications are. Your store name next to it is the store switcher. The gear above it is Settings.

The bottom of the black sidebar with the Settings gear ringed above the store name and the Alerts bell

Settings opens its own screen, with a Search settings box and every section in one list. Your customer emails are under Notifications. The arrow at the top takes you back to the admin.

Sidekick and the collapsing sidebar

Sidekick is the Work with Sidekick bar at the bottom of every page. On Home it is a box on the page. Click it and Sidekick docks on the right. The X at the top of the panel closes it, and it goes back to the bar.

The Sidekick panel docked on the right with the Memory setting open and the X at the top ringed

The settings in Sidekick's menu only have a memory option. As of November 2026, we could not find a way to hide Sidekick, and Shopify's help explains how to close it, not how to hide it.

For more room, the button at the top of the sidebar folds it down to icons. Click it again to bring the sidebar back. Ctrl B does the same.

Where Mark as fulfilled is

Open Orders, then an order. Mark as fulfilled is in the Unfulfilled card, next to Create shipping label. It is not at the top of the page with Refund and Edit.

An order with the Unfulfilled card, the Mark as fulfilled button ringed next to Create shipping label

Can you switch back to the old look?

As of November 2026, we could not find a setting to switch back to the old look or to change the sidebar colour, and Shopify's help pages do not mention one. Shopify's help page on the admin says the refreshed design changes only the appearance and layout of the admin.

See the whole new admin

This post covers where things moved. The 5-minute tour goes through every main screen: Home, Orders, Products, Customers, Analytics and more.

Read it as a post: How to use the new Shopify admin.

Sources

• Shopify changelog: The admin's new look
• Shopify Help: Shopify admin overview
• Shopify Help: Sidekick

Questions: [email protected]