diff --git a/js/ui/popupMenu.js b/js/ui/popupMenu.js
index 8f6442f28..1d78ec916 100644
--- a/js/ui/popupMenu.js
+++ b/js/ui/popupMenu.js
@@ -890,9 +890,12 @@ const PopupMenuBase = new Lang.Class({
         let columnWidths = [];
         let items = this.box.get_children();
         for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
-            if (!items[i].visible &&
-                !(items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupSubMenu && items[i-1].visible))
+            if (!items[i].visible)
                 continue;
+
+            if (items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupSubMenu)
+                continue;
+
             if (items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupBaseMenuItem || items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupMenuBase) {
                 let itemColumnWidths = items[i]._delegate.getColumnWidths();
                 for (let j = 0; j < itemColumnWidths.length; j++) {
@@ -907,6 +910,9 @@ const PopupMenuBase = new Lang.Class({
     setColumnWidths: function(widths) {
         let items = this.box.get_children();
         for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
+            if (items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupSubMenu)
+                continue;
+
             if (items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupBaseMenuItem || items[i]._delegate instanceof PopupMenuBase)
                 items[i]._delegate.setColumnWidths(widths);
         }