diff --git a/res/css/_common.scss b/res/css/_common.scss
index 3346394edd..666129af34 100644
--- a/res/css/_common.scss
+++ b/res/css/_common.scss
@@ -208,12 +208,6 @@ input[type=text]:focus, input[type=password]:focus, textarea:focus {
     border: 0;
 }
 
-/* applied to side-panels and messagepanel when in RoomSettings */
-.mx_fadable {
-    opacity: 1;
-    transition: opacity 0.2s ease-in-out;
-}
-
 // These are magic constants which are excluded from tinting, to let themes
 // (which only have CSS, unlike skins) tell the app what their non-tinted
 // colourscheme is by inspecting the stylesheet DOM.
diff --git a/src/components/structures/GroupView.js b/src/components/structures/GroupView.js
index adf79935e3..482b9f6da2 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/GroupView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/GroupView.js
@@ -649,7 +649,6 @@ export default class GroupView extends React.Component {
                 editing: false,
                 summary: null,
             });
-            dis.dispatch({action: 'panel_disable'});
             this._initGroupStore(this.props.groupId);
 
             if (this.state.avatarChanged) {
@@ -870,10 +869,7 @@ export default class GroupView extends React.Component {
                     { _t('Add rooms to this community') }
                 </div>
             </AccessibleButton>) : <div />;
-        const roomDetailListClassName = classnames({
-            "mx_fadable": true,
-            "mx_fadable_faded": this.state.editing,
-        });
+
         return <div className="mx_GroupView_rooms">
             <div className="mx_GroupView_rooms_header">
                 <h3>
@@ -884,9 +880,7 @@ export default class GroupView extends React.Component {
             </div>
             { this.state.groupRoomsLoading ?
                 <Spinner /> :
-                <RoomDetailList
-                    rooms={this.state.groupRooms}
-                    className={roomDetailListClassName} />
+                <RoomDetailList rooms={this.state.groupRooms} />
             }
         </div>;
     }
diff --git a/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.tsx b/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.tsx
index 2063d542e1..15ea20618e 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.tsx
@@ -71,9 +71,6 @@ interface IProps {
     viaServers?: string[];
     hideToSRUsers: boolean;
     resizeNotifier: ResizeNotifier;
-    middleDisabled: boolean;
-    leftDisabled: boolean;
-    rightDisabled: boolean;
     // eslint-disable-next-line camelcase
     page_type: string;
     autoJoin: boolean;
@@ -100,10 +97,6 @@ interface IUsageLimit {
 }
 
 interface IState {
-    mouseDown?: {
-        x: number;
-        y: number;
-    };
     syncErrorData?: {
         error: {
             data: IUsageLimit;
@@ -151,7 +144,6 @@ class LoggedInView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
         super(props, context);
 
         this.state = {
-            mouseDown: undefined,
             syncErrorData: undefined,
             // use compact timeline view
             useCompactLayout: SettingsStore.getValue('useCompactLayout'),
@@ -549,48 +541,6 @@ class LoggedInView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
         ), true);
     };
 
-    _onMouseDown = (ev) => {
-        // When the panels are disabled, clicking on them results in a mouse event
-        // which bubbles to certain elements in the tree. When this happens, close
-        // any settings page that is currently open (user/room/group).
-        if (this.props.leftDisabled && this.props.rightDisabled) {
-            const targetClasses = new Set(ev.target.className.split(' '));
-            if (
-                targetClasses.has('mx_MatrixChat') ||
-                targetClasses.has('mx_MatrixChat_middlePanel') ||
-                targetClasses.has('mx_RoomView')
-            ) {
-                this.setState({
-                    mouseDown: {
-                        x: ev.pageX,
-                        y: ev.pageY,
-                    },
-                });
-            }
-        }
-    };
-
-    _onMouseUp = (ev) => {
-        if (!this.state.mouseDown) return;
-
-        const deltaX = ev.pageX - this.state.mouseDown.x;
-        const deltaY = ev.pageY - this.state.mouseDown.y;
-        const distance = Math.sqrt((deltaX * deltaX) + (deltaY + deltaY));
-        const maxRadius = 5; // People shouldn't be straying too far, hopefully
-
-        // Note: we track how far the user moved their mouse to help
-        // combat against https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/issues/7158
-
-        if (distance < maxRadius) {
-            // This is probably a real click, and not a drag
-            dis.dispatch({ action: 'close_settings' });
-        }
-
-        // Always clear the mouseDown state to ensure we don't accidentally
-        // use stale values due to the mouseDown checks.
-        this.setState({mouseDown: null});
-    };
-
     render() {
         const RoomView = sdk.getComponent('structures.RoomView');
         const UserView = sdk.getComponent('structures.UserView');
@@ -610,7 +560,6 @@ class LoggedInView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                     oobData={this.props.roomOobData}
                     viaServers={this.props.viaServers}
                     key={this.props.currentRoomId || 'roomview'}
-                    disabled={this.props.middleDisabled}
                     resizeNotifier={this.props.resizeNotifier}
                 />;
                 break;
@@ -658,8 +607,6 @@ class LoggedInView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                     onKeyDown={this._onReactKeyDown}
                     className='mx_MatrixChat_wrapper'
                     aria-hidden={this.props.hideToSRUsers}
-                    onMouseDown={this._onMouseDown}
-                    onMouseUp={this._onMouseUp}
                 >
                     <ToastContainer />
                     <DragDropContext onDragEnd={this._onDragEnd}>
diff --git a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx
index 4f5489d796..f7665fea8a 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.tsx
@@ -181,9 +181,6 @@ interface IState {
     currentUserId?: string;
     // this is persisted as mx_lhs_size, loaded in LoggedInView
     collapseLhs: boolean;
-    leftDisabled: boolean;
-    middleDisabled: boolean;
-    // the right panel's disabled state is tracked in its store.
     // Parameters used in the registration dance with the IS
     // eslint-disable-next-line camelcase
     register_client_secret?: string;
@@ -236,8 +233,6 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
         this.state = {
             view: Views.LOADING,
             collapseLhs: false,
-            leftDisabled: false,
-            middleDisabled: false,
 
             hideToSRUsers: false,
 
@@ -710,14 +705,6 @@ export default class MatrixChat extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
                     this.state.resizeNotifier.notifyLeftHandleResized();
                 });
                 break;
-            case 'panel_disable': {
-                this.setState({
-                    leftDisabled: payload.leftDisabled || payload.sideDisabled || false,
-                    middleDisabled: payload.middleDisabled || false,
-                    // We don't track the right panel being disabled here - it's tracked in the store.
-                });
-                break;
-            }
             case 'on_logged_in':
                 if (
                     !Lifecycle.isSoftLogout() &&
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RightPanel.js b/src/components/structures/RightPanel.js
index 021cdb438d..80be32ecd8 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RightPanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RightPanel.js
@@ -304,14 +304,8 @@ export default class RightPanel extends React.Component {
                 break;
         }
 
-        const classes = classNames("mx_RightPanel", "mx_fadable", {
-            "collapsed": this.props.collapsed,
-            "mx_fadable_faded": this.props.disabled,
-            "dark-panel": true,
-        });
-
         return (
-            <aside className={classes} id="mx_RightPanel">
+            <aside className="mx_RightPanel dark-panel" id="mx_RightPanel">
                 { panel }
             </aside>
         );
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx b/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
index 30eb6a65af..2952568e2f 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
@@ -105,7 +105,6 @@ interface IProps {
     viaServers?: string[];
 
     autoJoin?: boolean;
-    disabled?: boolean;
     resizeNotifier: ResizeNotifier;
 
     // Called with the credentials of a registered user (if they were a ROU that transitioned to PWLU)
@@ -1871,7 +1870,6 @@ export default class RoomView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                 <MessageComposer
                     room={this.state.room}
                     callState={this.state.callState}
-                    disabled={this.props.disabled}
                     showApps={this.state.showApps}
                     e2eStatus={this.state.e2eStatus}
                     resizeNotifier={this.props.resizeNotifier}
@@ -2027,10 +2025,6 @@ export default class RoomView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
             "mx_RoomView_statusArea_expanded": isStatusAreaExpanded,
         });
 
-        const fadableSectionClasses = classNames("mx_RoomView_body", "mx_fadable", {
-            "mx_fadable_faded": this.props.disabled,
-        });
-
         const showRightPanel = this.state.room && this.state.showRightPanel;
         const rightPanel = showRightPanel
             ? <RightPanel room={this.state.room} resizeNotifier={this.props.resizeNotifier} />
@@ -2062,7 +2056,7 @@ export default class RoomView extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                             e2eStatus={this.state.e2eStatus}
                         />
                         <MainSplit panel={rightPanel} resizeNotifier={this.props.resizeNotifier}>
-                            <div className={fadableSectionClasses}>
+                            <div className="mx_RoomView_body">
                                 {auxPanel}
                                 <div className={timelineClasses}>
                                     {topUnreadMessagesBar}
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/ForwardMessage.js b/src/components/views/rooms/ForwardMessage.js
index 8daea8dc17..b85dd2c8df 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/ForwardMessage.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/ForwardMessage.js
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { _t } from '../../../languageHandler';
-import dis from '../../../dispatcher/dispatcher';
 import {Key} from '../../../Keyboard';
 
 
@@ -28,19 +27,10 @@ export default class ForwardMessage extends React.Component {
     };
 
     componentDidMount() {
-        dis.dispatch({
-            action: 'panel_disable',
-            middleDisabled: true,
-        });
-
         document.addEventListener('keydown', this._onKeyDown);
     }
 
     componentWillUnmount() {
-        dis.dispatch({
-            action: 'panel_disable',
-            middleDisabled: false,
-        });
         document.removeEventListener('keydown', this._onKeyDown);
     }