diff --git a/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.spec.ts
index 7a6b304ec1..26f32b64ef 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.spec.ts
@@ -243,6 +243,84 @@ describe('MenuService', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('isMenuVisibleWithVisibleSections', () => {
+    it('should return false when the menu is empty', () => {
+      const fakeMenu = {
+        id: MenuID.ADMIN,
+        collapsed: false,
+        visible: true,
+        sections: {},
+        previewCollapsed: false,
+        sectionToSubsectionIndex: {}
+      } as any;
+      spyOn(service, 'getMenu').and.returnValue(observableOf(fakeMenu));
+
+      const result = service.isMenuVisibleWithVisibleSections(MenuID.ADMIN);
+      const expected = cold('(b|)', {
+        b: false
+      });
+
+      expect(result).toBeObservable(expected);
+    });
+    it('should return false when no top-level sections are visible', () => {
+      const noTopLevelVisibleSections = {
+        section: {id: 's1', visible: false},
+        section_2: {id: 's2', visible: false},
+        section_3: {id: 's3', visible: false},
+        section_4: {id: 's1_1', visible: true, parentID: 's1'},
+        section_5: {id: 's2_1', visible: true, parentID: 's2'},
+      }
+      const fakeMenu = {
+        id: MenuID.ADMIN,
+        collapsed: false,
+        visible: true,
+        sections: noTopLevelVisibleSections,
+        previewCollapsed: false,
+        sectionToSubsectionIndex: {
+          'section': ['section_4'],
+          'section_2': ['section_5'],
+        }
+      } as any;
+      spyOn(service, 'getMenu').and.returnValue(observableOf(fakeMenu));
+
+      const result = service.isMenuVisibleWithVisibleSections(MenuID.ADMIN);
+      const expected = cold('(b|)', {
+        b: false
+      });
+
+      expect(result).toBeObservable(expected);
+    });
+
+    it('should return true when any top-level section is visible', () => {
+      const noTopLevelVisibleSections = {
+        section: {id: 's1', visible: false},
+        section_2: {id: 's2', visible: true},
+        section_3: {id: 's3', visible: false},
+        section_4: {id: 's1_1', visible: true, parentID: 's1'},
+        section_5: {id: 's2_1', visible: true, parentID: 's2'},
+      }
+      const fakeMenu = {
+        id: MenuID.ADMIN,
+        collapsed: false,
+        visible: true,
+        sections: noTopLevelVisibleSections,
+        previewCollapsed: false,
+        sectionToSubsectionIndex: {
+          'section': ['section_4'],
+          'section_2': ['section_5'],
+        }
+      } as any;
+      spyOn(service, 'getMenu').and.returnValue(observableOf(fakeMenu));
+
+      const result = service.isMenuVisibleWithVisibleSections(MenuID.ADMIN);
+      const expected = cold('(b|)', {
+        b: true
+      });
+
+      expect(result).toBeObservable(expected);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('isMenuVisible', () => {
     beforeEach(() => {
       spyOn(service, 'getMenu').and.returnValue(observableOf(fakeMenu));
diff --git a/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.ts b/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.ts
index ab513fbbdf..8e2cb8a894 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/menu/menu.service.ts
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ export class MenuService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Check if a given menu is visible and has visible sections
+   * Check if a given menu is visible and has visible top-level (!) sections
    * @param {MenuID} menuID The ID of the menu that is to be checked
    * @returns {Observable<boolean>} Emits true if the given menu is
    *   visible and has visible sections, emits false when it's hidden
@@ -205,14 +205,16 @@ export class MenuService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Check if a menu has at least one section that is visible.
+   * Check if a menu has at least one top-level (!) section that is visible.
    * @param {MenuID} menuID The ID of the menu that is to be checked
    * @returns {Observable<boolean>} Emits true if the given menu has visible sections, emits false otherwise
    */ 
   menuHasVisibleSections(menuID: MenuID): Observable<boolean> {
     return this.getMenu(menuID).pipe(
       map((state: MenuState) => hasValue(state)
-        ? Object.values(state.sections).map(section => section.visible).reduce((x,y) => x || y, false)
+        ? Object.values(state.sections)
+          .map(section => section.visible && section.parentID === undefined)
+          .reduce((x,y) => x || y, false)
         : undefined)
     );
   }