diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.hbs
index 2ccf92362e6..a00d6704470 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.hbs
@@ -1,4 +1,12 @@
 <DSection @pageClass="has-sidebar" @id="d-sidebar" @class="sidebar-container">
+  {{#if this.showSwitchPanelButtonsOnTop}}
+    <Sidebar::SwitchPanelButtons
+      @currentPanel={{this.currentPanel}}
+      @buttons={{this.switchPanelButtons}}
+      @setCurrentPanelKey={{this.setCurrentPanelKey}}
+    />
+  {{/if}}
+
   {{#if this.showMainPanel}}
     <Sidebar::Sections
       @currentUser={{this.currentUser}}
@@ -13,14 +21,13 @@
     />
   {{/if}}
 
-  {{#each this.switchPanelButtons as |button|}}
-    <DButton
-      @action={{action "switchPanel" button}}
-      @class="btn-default sidebar__panel-switch-button"
-      @icon={{button.switchButtonIcon}}
-      @translatedLabel={{button.switchButtonLabel}}
+  {{#unless this.showSwitchPanelButtonsOnTop}}
+    <Sidebar::SwitchPanelButtons
+      @currentPanel={{this.currentPanel}}
+      @buttons={{this.switchPanelButtons}}
+      @setCurrentPanelKey={{this.setCurrentPanelKey}}
     />
-  {{/each}}
+  {{/unless}}
 
   <Sidebar::Footer />
 </DSection>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.js
index 5fa3d37c529..5518721c16b 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar.js
@@ -2,17 +2,17 @@ import Component from "@glimmer/component";
 import { tracked } from "@glimmer/tracking";
 import { bind } from "discourse-common/utils/decorators";
 import { inject as service } from "@ember/service";
+import { action } from "@ember/object";
 import {
   currentPanelKey,
   customPanels as sidebarCustomPanels,
 } from "discourse/lib/sidebar/custom-sections";
-import { action } from "@ember/object";
 
 export default class Sidebar extends Component {
   @service appEvents;
   @service site;
+  @service siteSettings;
   @service currentUser;
-  @service router;
   @tracked currentPanelKey = currentPanelKey;
 
   constructor() {
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ export default class Sidebar extends Component {
     );
   }
 
+  get showSwitchPanelButtonsOnTop() {
+    return this.siteSettings.default_sidebar_switch_panel_position === "top";
+  }
+
   get switchPanelButtons() {
     if (sidebarCustomPanels.length === 1 || !this.currentUser) {
       return [];
@@ -69,14 +73,7 @@ export default class Sidebar extends Component {
   }
 
   @action
-  switchPanel(panel) {
-    this.currentPanel.lastKnownURL = this.router.currentURL;
-    this.currentPanelKey = panel.key;
-    const url = panel.lastKnownURL || panel.switchButtonDefaultUrl;
-    if (url === "/") {
-      this.router.transitionTo("latest");
-    } else {
-      this.router.transitionTo(url);
-    }
+  setCurrentPanelKey(key) {
+    this.currentPanelKey = key;
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/switch-panel-buttons.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/switch-panel-buttons.hbs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aee2505a104
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/switch-panel-buttons.hbs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{{#each @buttons as |button|}}
+  <DButton
+    @action={{action "switchPanel" @currentPanel button}}
+    @class="btn-default sidebar__panel-switch-button"
+    @icon={{button.switchButtonIcon}}
+    @translatedLabel={{button.switchButtonLabel}}
+  />
+{{/each}}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/switch-panel-buttons.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/switch-panel-buttons.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f5f49cb35db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/sidebar/switch-panel-buttons.js
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import Component from "@glimmer/component";
+import { inject as service } from "@ember/service";
+import { action } from "@ember/object";
+
+export default class SwitchPanelButtons extends Component {
+  @service router;
+
+  @action
+  switchPanel(currentPanel, panel) {
+    currentPanel.lastKnownURL = this.router.currentURL;
+    this.args.setCurrentPanelKey(panel.key);
+    const url = panel.lastKnownURL || panel.switchButtonDefaultUrl;
+    if (url === "/") {
+      this.router.transitionTo("discovery.latest");
+    } else {
+      this.router.transitionTo(url);
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/sidebar/custom-sections.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/sidebar/custom-sections.js
index e162dc30aeb..c2f2d579242 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/sidebar/custom-sections.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/sidebar/custom-sections.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class MainSidebarPanel {
   }
 
   get switchButtonDefaultUrl() {
-    return "/latest";
+    return "/";
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-plugin-api-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-plugin-api-test.js
index c8443369ef1..c19e1731b52 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-plugin-api-test.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/acceptance/sidebar-plugin-api-test.js
@@ -1025,5 +1025,23 @@ acceptance("Sidebar - Plugin API", function (needs) {
     assert
       .dom(".sidebar-section[data-section-name='test-chat-channels']")
       .doesNotExist();
+    assert.dom(".sidebar-sections + button").exists();
+
+    assert
+      .dom("#d-sidebar .sidebar-sections + .sidebar__panel-switch-button")
+      .exists();
+    assert
+      .dom("#d-sidebar .sidebar__panel-switch-button + .sidebar-sections")
+      .doesNotExist();
+
+    this.siteSettings.default_sidebar_switch_panel_position = "top";
+    await visit("/");
+
+    assert
+      .dom("#d-sidebar .sidebar-sections + .sidebar__panel-switch-button")
+      .doesNotExist();
+    assert
+      .dom("#d-sidebar .sidebar__panel-switch-button + .sidebar-sections")
+      .exists();
   });
 });
diff --git a/config/locales/server.en.yml b/config/locales/server.en.yml
index b0fb18e7c7b..70428a480ac 100644
--- a/config/locales/server.en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/server.en.yml
@@ -2357,6 +2357,7 @@ en:
     enable_offline_indicator: "Display a message to users when it is detected that they have no network connection"
     default_sidebar_link_to_filtered_list: "Make navigation menu links link to filtered list by default."
     default_sidebar_show_count_of_new_items: "Make navigation menu links show count of new items instead of badges by default."
+    default_sidebar_switch_panel_position: "Position of sidebar switch panel buttons"
 
     retain_web_hook_events_period_days: "Number of days to retain web hook event records."
     retry_web_hook_events: "Automatically retry failed web hook events for 4 times. Time gaps between the retries are 1, 5, 25 and 125 minutes."
diff --git a/config/site_settings.yml b/config/site_settings.yml
index 2a9fcf9e022..51b3a72f2cd 100644
--- a/config/site_settings.yml
+++ b/config/site_settings.yml
@@ -2160,6 +2160,13 @@ navigation:
     type: tag_list
     default: ""
     client: true
+  default_sidebar_switch_panel_position:
+    default: "bottom"
+    type: enum
+    client: true
+    choices:
+      - "top"
+      - "bottom"
 
 embedding:
   embed_by_username: