Appearance → Customize → Header → Sticky header. On by default.
With it on, the header stays pinned to the top of the screen as the visitor scrolls — on desktop and on mobile. Turn it off and the bar scrolls away with the page.
Why it is one switch and not two
A bar that follows you on a laptop but not on a phone is a different header on each device, and visitors move between them. One switch, both screens.
When to turn it off
Long-form reading. On a phone a 60px bar is a real slice of a small screen, and on a long post the visitor is not going anywhere for ten minutes. Switching it off hands that space back to the text. Pair it with the scroll-to-top button, which gives them the way back that the sticky bar was providing.
A tall header. At 100px or 120px, a fixed bar takes a sixth of a laptop viewport permanently. Either drop the height or unpin it.
A visual header. If the bar carries a background colour that is meant to read as the top of the page rather than as a toolbar, unpinning it usually looks better.
When to keep it
A site with a real navigation job to do — many sections, a call-to-action button, a search icon people actually use. Anything you want reachable from anywhere on a long page has to travel with the page.
What changes when it is off
Only the pinning. The layout, the height, the border and the colours are all unaffected; the theme simply stops holding the page clear of a fixed element. The bar still hides below the tablet breakpoint in favour of the mobile menu either way.
Related
- Header height and border — a shadow border is worth considering on a sticky bar
- Scroll to top