How Do I Edit in Mobile View Without Affecting Desktop Squarespace?
Squarespace sites are responsive by default, but the approach to mobile-specific editing differs between version 7.1 and 7.0. Below are best practices for optimizing a Squarespace 7.1 site’s mobile design without altering the desktop layout, followed by solutions for 7.0 users who need mobile-only changes.
Squarespace 7.1 – Mobile Editing Best Practices (Fluid Engine)
Squarespace 7.1 introduced the Fluid Engine, which allows a quasi-independent mobile layout. You can rearrange and resize blocks in mobile view without affecting their position on desktop. In other words, your content is the same, but you get control over how it’s displayed on phones and tablets. Keep in mind that style changes (like font choices or text alignment) still apply globally, but layout adjustments are device-specific.
Steps to Customize the Mobile Layout in 7.1
Open Mobile Preview: Enter page editing mode and click the Mobile View icon in the top toolbar. The editor will switch to a smartphone-sized preview of your page.
Select a Section to Edit: Click on a section while in mobile preview to enable Fluid Engine editing for that section in mobile mode. You’ll see the grid and blocks just as you do on desktop, but now in a vertical phone layout.
Reposition and Resize Blocks: Drag blocks to reorder them and resize as needed for better fit on mobile. You might stack elements vertically or reduce image sizes so that everything is legible without excessive zooming or scrolling.
Tweak Spacing and Rows: Use the section’s Edit Section settings to adjust the number of grid rows or gaps. Remove any extra empty rows that may be taking up space after re-arranging. Ensure text isn’t overlapping and there’s sufficient padding so the layout looks clean on a small screen.
Preview on Real Devices & Save: When you’re satisfied, save your changes. It’s wise to test the page on an actual phone or tablet to confirm that everything appears as expected. If something looks off, return to the mobile editor to fine-tune it.
Additional Tips for 7.1
Keep an eye on elements that overlap or have complex arrangements in desktop design – they might need adjusting on mobile so text and images don’t become too small or jumbled.
Some style settings (text alignment, colors, etc.) are universal; for example, centering a text block will center it on both desktop and mobile. The Fluid Engine mobile editor mainly affects layout and sizing, not the fundamental styling.
If you want to hide or show certain content only on mobile (or vice versa), you’ll need a CSS solution. Squarespace doesn’t provide a native “hide on mobile” toggle. In such cases, duplicate that content and use custom CSS (with media queries) to display the appropriate version on each device.
Squarespace 7.0 – Mobile Edits vs. Desktop (Solutions & Workarounds)
In Squarespace 7.0 (the classic editor), there is no separate mobile layout editor. The design is fully responsive, meaning the same elements and styles automatically adapt to different screen sizes. Any edits you make affect both desktop and mobile because you’re editing one unified layout. For example, if you move a block or change text sizing while previewing the mobile view, that change persists for the desktop view as well. This is why many 7.0 users notice mobile tweaks “mess up” their desktop layout – the platform wasn’t built for independent device-specific positioning in version 7.0.
Built-in Mobile Style Settings (Limited)
Some older Squarespace 7.0 templates include a few mobile-specific style tweaks in the Design → Site Styles panel. These vary by template family, but might include options like adjusting the mobile navigation appearance, mobile banner image cropping, or font size scaling on smaller screens.
Check your template’s Site Styles for any sections labeled “Mobile.” For example, a template might have a “Mobile Navigation” section where you can set a smaller logo or different menu icon color just for mobile. Use these options if available, as they let you fine-tune certain mobile styles without coding. However, not all templates have extensive mobile tweak settings, and those that exist are usually limited to a few areas of the design.
Using Custom CSS and Media Queries
The most powerful way to make mobile-specific changes in 7.0 without affecting desktop is by adding your own CSS rules that target mobile screen sizes. You can add custom CSS in Design → Custom CSS or via Settings → Advanced → Code Injection. The key is to use CSS media queries (queries that apply styles only when the device width is within a certain range).
For example, if you want a heading to appear smaller on phones, you could write:
@media (max-width: 640px) { h1 { font-size: 2rem; } }This CSS will only apply the smaller font size when the viewport is 640px or narrower (roughly the size of a phone), leaving the desktop styling unchanged. You can adjust the breakpoint (640px in this example) to whatever pixel width makes sense for your design.
Showing/Hiding Content Per Device
Another common workaround is to create two versions of the same content – one optimized for desktop, one for mobile – and use CSS to toggle their visibility. For instance, you might have a section that looks good on desktop but is too complex for mobile. You can duplicate that section, simplify the content in the duplicate for mobile viewing, then use CSS classes to ensure only the appropriate version shows on each device.
Steps to Implement This Approach
Duplicate the element or section you want to customize for mobile. You’ll now have two instances of that content on the page.
Assign a distinguishing class or ID to each version (for example, give one a class name like
desktop-onlyand the othermobile-only).Write CSS media queries to hide one version on the opposite device size. For example:
/* Hide elements with class "desktop-only" on screens 640px and below */ @media screen and (max-width: 640px) { .desktop-only { display: none !important; } } /* Hide elements with class "mobile-only" on screens wider than 640px */ @media screen and (min-width: 641px) { .mobile-only { display: none !important; } }In the CSS above, any content tagged with .desktop-only will disappear on a small screen (so it won’t clutter the mobile view), and anything with .mobile-only will be invisible on larger screens (so it only shows on phones).
This technique lets you serve slightly different layouts or content to mobile vs. desktop visitors while maintaining a single page. Just note that both versions of the content do exist in your HTML at all times (they’re merely hidden by CSS), which is usually fine for most sites. Be cautious to keep both versions updated if the content changes.
Why Not a Separate Mobile Site?
Squarespace (both 7.0 and 7.1) uses responsive design – there is no completely separate mobile website, just one site that adapts. The goal is to ensure consistency (so you don’t have to maintain two different sites).
Squarespace 7.1 makes this easier by letting you reposition elements for different screens, whereas 7.0 relies on the default flow and any custom code you add. By using the methods above – built-in style tweaks when available, or custom CSS for targeted changes – you can achieve a mobile-friendly design in 7.0 without breaking your desktop layout.
Final Notes
Use Squarespace’s device preview toggles and your browser’s developer tools to test your design at various screen sizes. Squarespace’s Help Center and community forums have more examples of CSS snippets for common mobile adjustments. While third-party plugins exist to show/hide content based on device, in most cases a few lines of your own CSS (as shown above) are enough to handle mobile-specific needs. By combining these practices, you can confidently tailor your site’s mobile appearance without disrupting the desktop experience.