diff --git a/src/MainWindowBase.cpp b/src/MainWindowBase.cpp
index 25ba3bbf..4985e49a 100644
--- a/src/MainWindowBase.cpp
+++ b/src/MainWindowBase.cpp
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ public:
     QRect rectForOverlay(Frame *, SideBarLocation) const;
     SideBarLocation preferredSideBar(DockWidgetBase *) const;
     void updateOverlayGeometry();
+    void clearSideBars();
 
     QString name;
     QStringList affinities;
@@ -337,6 +338,15 @@ void MainWindowBase::Private::updateOverlayGeometry()
     m_overlayedDockWidget->frame()->QWidgetAdapter::setGeometry(rectForOverlay(m_overlayedDockWidget->frame(), sb->location()));
 }
 
+void MainWindowBase::Private::clearSideBars()
+{
+    for (auto loc : { SideBarLocation::North, SideBarLocation::South,
+                      SideBarLocation::East, SideBarLocation::West }) {
+        if (SideBar *sb = q->sideBar(loc))
+            sb->clear();
+    }
+}
+
 void MainWindowBase::moveToSideBar(DockWidgetBase *dw)
 {
     moveToSideBar(dw, d->preferredSideBar(dw));
@@ -440,8 +450,20 @@ DockWidgetBase *MainWindowBase::overlayedDockWidget() const
 
 bool MainWindowBase::sideBarIsVisible(SideBarLocation loc) const
 {
-    if (SideBar *sb = sideBar(loc))
-        return sb->isVisible();
+    if (SideBar *sb = sideBar(loc)) {
+        return !sb->isEmpty(); // isVisible() is always true, but its height is 0 when empty.
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool MainWindowBase::anySideBarIsVisible() const
+{
+    for (auto loc : { SideBarLocation::North, SideBarLocation::South,
+                      SideBarLocation::East, SideBarLocation::West }) {
+        if (sideBarIsVisible(loc))
+            return true;
+    }
 
     return false;
 }
@@ -484,6 +506,7 @@ bool MainWindowBase::deserialize(const LayoutSaver::MainWindow &mw)
     const bool success = dropArea()->deserialize(mw.multiSplitterLayout);
 
     // Restore the SideBars
+    d->clearSideBars();
     for (SideBarLocation loc : { SideBarLocation::North, SideBarLocation::East, SideBarLocation::West, SideBarLocation::South }) {
         SideBar *sb = sideBar(loc);
         if (!sb)
diff --git a/src/MainWindowBase.h b/src/MainWindowBase.h
index a5869b9b..40f59898 100644
--- a/src/MainWindowBase.h
+++ b/src/MainWindowBase.h
@@ -168,6 +168,9 @@ public:
     /// @brief Returns whether the specified sidebar is visible
     bool sideBarIsVisible(SideBarLocation) const;
 
+    /// @brief Returns whether any side bar is visible
+    bool anySideBarIsVisible() const;
+
 protected:
     void setUniqueName(const QString &uniqueName);
     void onResized(QResizeEvent *); // Because QtQuick doesn't have resizeEvent()
diff --git a/src/private/SideBar.cpp b/src/private/SideBar.cpp
index 1723e7f6..8dadbb06 100644
--- a/src/private/SideBar.cpp
+++ b/src/private/SideBar.cpp
@@ -117,3 +117,9 @@ QStringList SideBar::serialize() const
 
     return ids;
 }
+
+void SideBar::clear()
+{
+    for (DockWidgetBase *dw : qAsConst(m_dockWidgets))
+        removeDockWidget(dw);
+}
diff --git a/src/private/SideBar_p.h b/src/private/SideBar_p.h
index 2af24775..6b3a18b4 100644
--- a/src/private/SideBar_p.h
+++ b/src/private/SideBar_p.h
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ public:
     /// Currently it's just a list of dock widget ids
     QStringList serialize() const;
 
+    /// @brief clears the sidebar (removes all dock widgets from it)
+    void clear();
+
 protected:
     virtual void addDockWidget_Impl(DockWidgetBase *dock) = 0;
     virtual void removeDockWidget_Impl(DockWidgetBase *dock) = 0;
diff --git a/tests/tst_docks.cpp b/tests/tst_docks.cpp
index 6034d444..f2504a59 100644
--- a/tests/tst_docks.cpp
+++ b/tests/tst_docks.cpp
@@ -5155,23 +5155,27 @@ void TestDocks::tst_closeRemovesFromSideBar()
 void TestDocks::tst_restoreSideBar()
 {
     SideBarLocation loc;
-    QByteArray serialized;
+    QByteArray serialized; // serialization after having 1 sidebar visible
+    QByteArray beforeSideBarSerialized; // serialization without any sidebar visible
 
     {
+        LayoutSaver saver;
         EnsureTopLevelsDeleted e;
         KDDockWidgets::Config::self().setFlags(KDDockWidgets::Config::Flag_AutoHideSupport);
         auto m1 = createMainWindow(QSize(1000, 1000), MainWindowOption_None, "MW1");
         auto dw1 = new DockWidgetType(QStringLiteral("1"));
         auto fw1 = dw1->window();
         m1->addDockWidget(dw1, Location_OnBottom);
+        beforeSideBarSerialized = saver.serializeLayout();
+        QVERIFY(!m1->anySideBarIsVisible());
         m1->moveToSideBar(dw1);
+        QVERIFY(m1->anySideBarIsVisible());
 
         QVERIFY(!dw1->isOverlayed());
         QVERIFY(!dw1->isVisible());
         loc = dw1->sideBarLocation();
         QVERIFY(loc != SideBarLocation::None);
 
-        LayoutSaver saver;
         serialized = saver.serializeLayout();
 
         delete fw1;
@@ -5183,6 +5187,7 @@ void TestDocks::tst_restoreSideBar()
     auto dw1 = new DockWidgetType(QStringLiteral("1"));
     auto fw1 = dw1->window();
     m1->addDockWidget(dw1, Location_OnBottom);
+    QVERIFY(!m1->anySideBarIsVisible());
     QVERIFY(!dw1->isOverlayed());
     QVERIFY(dw1->isVisible());
     QVERIFY(!dw1->isFloating());
@@ -5194,9 +5199,17 @@ void TestDocks::tst_restoreSideBar()
     QVERIFY(!dw1->isOverlayed());
     QVERIFY(!dw1->isVisible());
     QVERIFY(!dw1->isInMainWindow());
+    QVERIFY(m1->anySideBarIsVisible());
 
     QCOMPARE(loc, dw1->sideBarLocation());
 
+    restorer.restoreLayout(beforeSideBarSerialized);
+    QVERIFY(!dw1->isOverlayed());
+    QVERIFY(dw1->isVisible());
+    QVERIFY(!dw1->isFloating());
+    QVERIFY(dw1->isInMainWindow());
+    QVERIFY(!m1->anySideBarIsVisible());
+
     delete fw1;
 }