diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/sidebars/sidebars-category.js b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/sidebars/sidebars-category.js
index 975f1203feb7..402803c0c44d 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/sidebars/sidebars-category.js
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/sidebars/sidebars-category.js
@@ -9,30 +9,25 @@ module.exports = {
   docs: [
     {
       type: 'category',
-      collapsed: true,
       label: 'level 1',
       items: [
         'a',
         {
           type: 'category',
-          collapsed: true,
           label: 'level 2',
           items: [
             {
               type: 'category',
-              collapsed: true,
               label: 'level 3',
               items: [
                 'c',
                 {
                   type: 'category',
-                  collapsed: true,
                   label: 'level 4',
                   items: [
                     'd',
                     {
                       type: 'category',
-                      collapsed: true,
                       label: 'deeper more more',
                       items: ['e'],
                     },
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
index 10b5e10336e8..407d7d3ebc12 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Object {
       "collapsed": true,
       "items": Array [
         Object {
+          "collapsed": true,
           "items": Array [
             Object {
               "href": "/docs/foo/bar",
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/sidebars.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/sidebars.test.ts.snap
index 0aa670c44b39..edf6e3d5837b 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/sidebars.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/sidebars.test.ts.snap
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ exports[`loadSidebars sidebars with first level not a category 1`] = `
 Object {
   "docs": Array [
     Object {
+      "collapsed": true,
       "items": Array [
         Object {
           "id": "greeting",
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/version.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/version.test.ts.snap
index 26c10f3c0ab6..6f2a9ce513ea 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/version.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/version.test.ts.snap
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Object {
       "collapsed": true,
       "items": Array [
         Object {
+          "collapsed": true,
           "items": Array [
             Object {
               "id": "version-1.0.0/foo/bar",
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/sidebars.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/sidebars.ts
index abe988984b2b..0fb341895344 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/sidebars.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/sidebars.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ function isCategoryShorthand(
   return typeof item !== 'string' && !item.type;
 }
 
+// categories are collapsed by default, unless user set collapsed = false
+const defaultCategoryCollapsedValue = true;
+
 /**
  * Convert {category1: [item1,item2]} shorthand syntax to long-form syntax
  */
@@ -33,7 +36,7 @@ function normalizeCategoryShorthand(
 ): SidebarItemCategoryRaw[] {
   return Object.entries(sidebar).map(([label, items]) => ({
     type: 'category',
-    collapsed: true,
+    collapsed: defaultCategoryCollapsedValue,
     label,
     items,
   }));
@@ -118,7 +121,13 @@ function normalizeItem(item: SidebarItemRaw): SidebarItem[] {
   switch (item.type) {
     case 'category':
       assertIsCategory(item);
-      return [{...item, items: flatMap(item.items, normalizeItem)}];
+      return [
+        {
+          collapsed: defaultCategoryCollapsedValue,
+          ...item,
+          items: flatMap(item.items, normalizeItem),
+        },
+      ];
     case 'link':
       assertIsLink(item);
       return [item];
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/types.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/types.ts
index 642d9703ab6b..d9c4608bbdeb 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/types.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export interface SidebarItemCategory {
   type: 'category';
   label: string;
   items: SidebarItem[];
-  collapsed?: boolean;
+  collapsed: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface SidebarItemCategoryRaw {
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocSidebar/index.js b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocSidebar/index.js
index b8c8cff518d4..ebe1d4c9776c 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocSidebar/index.js
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocSidebar/index.js
@@ -5,8 +5,7 @@
  * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
  */
 
-import React, {useState, useCallback} from 'react';
-import ExecutionEnvironment from '@docusaurus/ExecutionEnvironment';
+import React, {useState, useCallback, useEffect, useRef} from 'react';
 import classnames from 'classnames';
 import useDocusaurusContext from '@docusaurus/useDocusaurusContext';
 import useAnnouncementBarContext from '@theme/hooks/useAnnouncementBarContext';
@@ -20,146 +19,140 @@ import styles from './styles.module.css';
 
 const MOBILE_TOGGLE_SIZE = 24;
 
-function DocSidebarItem({
+function usePrevious(value) {
+  const ref = useRef(value);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    ref.current = value;
+  }, [value]);
+  return ref.current;
+}
+
+const isActiveSidebarItem = (item, activePath) => {
+  if (item.type === 'link') {
+    return item.href === activePath;
+  }
+  if (item.type === 'category') {
+    return item.items.some((subItem) =>
+      isActiveSidebarItem(subItem, activePath),
+    );
+  }
+  return false;
+};
+
+function DocSidebarItemCategory({
   item,
   onItemClick,
   collapsible,
   activePath,
   ...props
 }) {
-  const {items, href, label, type} = item;
-  const [collapsed, setCollapsed] = useState(item.collapsed);
-  const [prevCollapsedProp, setPreviousCollapsedProp] = useState(null);
+  const {items, label} = item;
 
-  // If the collapsing state from props changed, probably a navigation event
-  // occurred. Overwrite the component's collapsed state with the props'
-  // collapsed value.
-  if (item.collapsed !== prevCollapsedProp) {
-    setPreviousCollapsedProp(item.collapsed);
-    setCollapsed(item.collapsed);
-  }
+  const isActive = isActiveSidebarItem(item, activePath);
+  const wasActive = usePrevious(isActive);
 
-  const handleItemClick = useCallback((e) => {
-    e.preventDefault();
-    e.target.blur();
-    setCollapsed((state) => !state);
+  // active categories are always initialized as expanded
+  // the default (item.collapsed) is only used for non-active categories
+  const [collapsed, setCollapsed] = useState(() => {
+    if (!collapsible) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return isActive ? false : item.collapsed;
   });
 
-  // Make sure we have access to the window
-  const activePageRelativeUrl = ExecutionEnvironment.canUseDOM
-    ? window.location.pathname + window.location.search
-    : null;
-
-  // We need to know if the category item
-  // is the parent of the active page
-  // If it is, this returns true and make sure to highlight this category
-  const isCategoryOfActivePage = (_items, _activePageRelativeUrl) => {
-    // Make sure we have items
-    if (typeof _items !== 'undefined') {
-      return _items.some((categoryItem) => {
-        // Grab the category item's href
-        const childHref = categoryItem.href;
-        // Compare it to the current active page
-        return _activePageRelativeUrl === childHref;
-      });
+  // If we navigate to a category, it should automatically expand itself
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const justBecameActive = isActive && !wasActive;
+    if (justBecameActive && collapsed) {
+      setCollapsed(false);
     }
+  }, [isActive, wasActive, collapsed]);
 
-    return false;
-  };
-
-  switch (type) {
-    case 'category':
-      return (
-        items.length > 0 && (
-          <li
-            className={classnames('menu__list-item', {
-              'menu__list-item--collapsed': collapsed,
-            })}
-            key={label}>
-            <a
-              className={classnames('menu__link', {
-                'menu__link--sublist': collapsible,
-                'menu__link--active':
-                  collapsible &&
-                  !item.collapsed &&
-                  isCategoryOfActivePage(items, activePageRelativeUrl),
-              })}
-              href="#!"
-              onClick={collapsible ? handleItemClick : undefined}
-              {...props}>
-              {label}
-            </a>
-            <ul className="menu__list">
-              {items.map((childItem) => (
-                <DocSidebarItem
-                  tabIndex={collapsed ? '-1' : '0'}
-                  key={childItem.label}
-                  item={childItem}
-                  onItemClick={onItemClick}
-                  collapsible={collapsible}
-                  activePath={activePath}
-                />
-              ))}
-            </ul>
-          </li>
-        )
-      );
+  const handleItemClick = useCallback(
+    (e) => {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      e.target.blur();
+      setCollapsed((state) => !state);
+    },
+    [setCollapsed],
+  );
 
-    case 'link':
-    default:
-      return (
-        <li className="menu__list-item" key={label}>
-          <Link
-            className={classnames('menu__link', {
-              'menu__link--active': href === activePath,
-            })}
-            to={href}
-            {...(isInternalUrl(href)
-              ? {
-                  isNavLink: true,
-                  exact: true,
-                  onClick: onItemClick,
-                }
-              : {
-                  target: '_blank',
-                  rel: 'noreferrer noopener',
-                })}
-            {...props}>
-            {label}
-          </Link>
-        </li>
-      );
+  if (items.length === 0) {
+    return null;
   }
-}
-
-// Calculate the category collapsing state when a page navigation occurs.
-// We want to automatically expand the categories which contains the current page.
-function mutateSidebarCollapsingState(item, path) {
-  const {items, href, type} = item;
-  switch (type) {
-    case 'category': {
-      const anyChildItemsActive =
-        items
-          .map((childItem) => mutateSidebarCollapsingState(childItem, path))
-          .filter((val) => val).length > 0;
-
-      // Check if the user wants the category to be expanded by default
-      const shouldExpand = item.collapsed === false;
 
-      // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
-      item.collapsed = !anyChildItemsActive;
-
-      if (shouldExpand) {
-        // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
-        item.collapsed = false;
-      }
+  return (
+    <li
+      className={classnames('menu__list-item', {
+        'menu__list-item--collapsed': collapsed,
+      })}
+      key={label}>
+      <a
+        className={classnames('menu__link', {
+          'menu__link--sublist': collapsible,
+          'menu__link--active': collapsible && isActive,
+        })}
+        href="#!"
+        onClick={collapsible ? handleItemClick : undefined}
+        {...props}>
+        {label}
+      </a>
+      <ul className="menu__list">
+        {items.map((childItem) => (
+          <DocSidebarItem
+            tabIndex={collapsed ? '-1' : '0'}
+            key={childItem.label}
+            item={childItem}
+            onItemClick={onItemClick}
+            collapsible={collapsible}
+            activePath={activePath}
+          />
+        ))}
+      </ul>
+    </li>
+  );
+}
 
-      return anyChildItemsActive;
-    }
+function DocSidebarItemLink({
+  item,
+  onItemClick,
+  activePath,
+  collapsible,
+  ...props
+}) {
+  const {href, label} = item;
+  const isActive = isActiveSidebarItem(item, activePath);
+  return (
+    <li className="menu__list-item" key={label}>
+      <Link
+        className={classnames('menu__link', {
+          'menu__link--active': isActive,
+        })}
+        to={href}
+        {...(isInternalUrl(href)
+          ? {
+              isNavLink: true,
+              exact: true,
+              onClick: onItemClick,
+            }
+          : {
+              target: '_blank',
+              rel: 'noreferrer noopener',
+            })}
+        {...props}>
+        {label}
+      </Link>
+    </li>
+  );
+}
 
+function DocSidebarItem(props) {
+  switch (props.item.type) {
+    case 'category':
+      return <DocSidebarItemCategory {...props} />;
     case 'link':
     default:
-      return href === path;
+      return <DocSidebarItemLink {...props} />;
   }
 }
 
@@ -196,12 +189,6 @@ function DocSidebar(props) {
     );
   }
 
-  if (sidebarCollapsible) {
-    sidebarData.forEach((sidebarItem) =>
-      mutateSidebarCollapsingState(sidebarItem, path),
-    );
-  }
-
   return (
     <div
       className={classnames(styles.sidebar, {