How do I make the new DesignPLUS sidebar default for my institution or turn off the legacy sidebar?

In January 2026, the new DesignPLUS Sidebar became the default for all customers. However, if your institution had the legacy sidebar, users may have the option to temporarily switch to the legacy sidebar in their User Settings. You can disable the legacy sidebar completely by navigating to the Global JavaScript and changing the variable enableVersionSwitching from "true" to "false."

Step-by-Step Instructions

To make the new sidebar default, you'll need to edit the JavaScript file for your Canvas Theme. To do so:

1. Navigate to the Account or Sub-account where DesignPLUS is installed.
2. Access the Themes page from the Account navigation menu.
3. Find the current theme, and open it in the Theme Editor.
4. Within the Theme Editor, select the Upload tab in the top left.
5. To the right of the "JavaScript file" title, select the View File link.
6. Anywhere on the page, right-click, and select "Save As." It is helpful to add a suffix to the file name with the date you're making changes, so you can easily differentiate versions of this file.
7. Open the file in a code editing program or a simple text editor (like Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac).
8. Change the variable enableVersionSwitching from 'true' to 'false.'
9. Save the file to your computer with a .js file extension.  For example, "myJavaScriptFile.js"
   1. If you're using Notepad, make sure to choose "All Files" when saving it so you can use a .js file extension.
   2. If you're using TextEdit, make sure to choose Format > Make Plain Text before saving the file.
10. Return to the Theme Editor in Canvas.
11. Within the same theme, choose the Select button for the JavaScript file.
12. Locate and select the .js file you just saved. (If you added a date suffix, you can easily search for it!)
13. Click the Open button.
14. Select the Preview Your Changes button in the center of your screen.
15. Select the Save Theme button in the lower right. You will be prompted to name the theme.
16. Select the Apply Theme button in the lower left, and select Ok on the browser alert to apply the changes to the entire account or sub-account.

Why is the legacy sidebar still appearing?

After updating the JavaScript, the legacy sidebar may still appear. This is because your browser may still have the temporary "dpUseLegacy = true" cookie if you recently switched to the legacy sidebar.

After 24 hours, the new sidebar will load by default, but if you would like to remove the cookie before then, clear your browser cache and cookies.