Large empty gaps between your header and the page content are a common Shopify theme annoyance — especially on mobile. This guide shows easy, safe fixes you can copy & paste into your theme CSS to remove that white space and get a tight, professional layout.

🔎 Step 1 — Inspect & identify where the space comes from

Before changing code, find the element creating the gap:

• Open your store in Chrome (or any browser)
• Right-click the empty area → Inspect
• Hover the header and the first content element to see margins/padding highlighted
• Look for suspicious CSS like margin-top, padding-top, min-height, or large empty wrappers

Typical culprits: header wrappers with bottom margin, #MainContent with top padding, empty sections, or a sticky-header offset applied twice.

🛠 Step 2 — Add a universal CSS fix (safe, non-destructive)

Open Online Store → Themes → Edit code → assets → base.css (or theme.css) and paste this near the bottom. This resets most unwanted spacing without removing theme files.

/* Remove extra white space below header and reset content offset */
.header-wrapper,
.site-header,
.header {
  margin-bottom: 0 !important;
  padding-bottom: 0 !important;
}

main,
#MainContent {
  margin-top: 0 !important;
  padding-top: 0 !important;
}

This removes forced spacing added by theme defaults or copied custom CSS.

📱 Step 3 — Mobile-only fix (if space appears only on phones)

If the gap shows only on small screens, add the mobile-specific snippet:

/* Mobile spacing fix */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
  .header-wrapper,
  .site-header,
  .header {
    margin-bottom: 0 !important;
    padding-bottom: 0 !important;
  }

  #MainContent,
  main {
    padding-top: 0 !important;
    margin-top: 0 !important;
  }
}

🧩 Step 4 — Fix sticky header offset problems

Sticky headers sometimes add an offset to avoid overlap, but that offset can be incorrect. Use a variable-based safe fix (non-destructive):

/* Correct sticky header offset (uses header-height variable if available) */
body.has-sticky-header #MainContent,
body.has-sticky-header main {
  padding-top: var(--header-height, 0px) !important;
}

/* If you know your header height, set it explicitly (adjust values) */
@media (min-width: 992px) {
  body.has-sticky-header #MainContent { padding-top: 80px !important; }
}
@media (max-width: 991px) {
  body.has-sticky-header #MainContent { padding-top: 60px !important; }
}

If your theme already uses a header-height CSS variable, the first block will safely apply the correct offset. Only use explicit pixel values if you're sure about your header height.

🧹 Step 5 — Hide empty sections that cause gaps

Sometimes the Theme Editor includes empty (placeholder) sections that render blank space. Hide them automatically:

/* Hide empty Shopify sections to avoid blank spacing */
.shopify-section:empty {
  display: none !important;
}

This removes layout boxes that have no content.

🔎 Step 6 — Quick checklist to find other causes

🧪 Step 7 — Test your changes (how to verify)

1. Save changes to CSS and refresh your storefront (use Incognito to avoid cached CSS).
2. Resize the browser or use Chrome DevTools → Toggle device toolbar to test mobile and tablet sizes.
3. Check pages: homepage, collection, product page — sometimes only one template is affected.
4. If you still see spacing, inspect the exact element highlighted and adjust that selector specifically (you may need a theme-specific selector).

⚠️ If the problem persists — targeted fixes

If the universal fixes above didn't fully remove the gap, try one of these targeted options (paste into your CSS, adjust selectors to match your theme):

/* Example: remove top padding from a theme-specific wrapper */
.template-index .page-width { padding-top: 0 !important; }

/* Example: header placeholder from an app */
.app-header-placeholder { display: none !important; }

/* Example: hero with fixed height causing spacing on mobile */
.hero-banner { min-height: 0 !important; height: auto !important; }
.hero-banner img { max-height: none !important; height: auto !important; }

Change selector names (.page-width, .hero-banner, .app-header-placeholder) to the actual classes you find in your theme's inspector.

✅ Final checklist before publishing

• Duplicate your theme before major edits: Online Store → Themes → ••• → Duplicate
• Apply CSS changes to the duplicated theme and preview first
• Test desktop, tablet, and mobile views
• Confirm there are no hidden empty sections left

🎉 You're Done!

After applying these styles and checks your Shopify store should no longer show large white gaps between the header and content. If you'd like, I can generate a tailored snippet for your specific theme — tell me the theme name (e.g., Dawn, Refresh, Sense) and I’ll provide precise selectors and example values.