The WordPress admin dashboard is designed to manage your website efficiently, but over time, it can become cluttered with unnecessary menu items, plugin settings, and tools you rarely use. This clutter not only affects your workflow but can also confuse clients or other team members who manage the site. That’s why understanding the best Ways to Hide Unnecessary Items from WordPress Admin is essential for improving productivity and keeping the backend simple, clean, and user-friendly.
Cleaning up your WordPress admin is one of the easiest ways to streamline dashboard navigation, reduce errors, and make site management more efficient—especially if your site includes multiple plugins or custom features. Let’s explore how you can remove clutter and hide items you don’t really need.
Why Clean Up the WordPress Admin Dashboard?
Before diving into specific methods, it’s important to understand why decluttering the admin area makes such a significant impact.
1. Better User Experience
A clean and organized dashboard helps users find what they need faster. This is especially useful for beginners or clients who may feel overwhelmed by too many options.
2. Enhanced Productivity
Fewer distractions mean quicker access to essential sections like Posts, Pages, and Media. By hiding unnecessary items, your workflow becomes smoother and more focused.
3. Increased Security
Sometimes plugins add menu items that allow access to sensitive settings. Restricting or hiding them helps prevent accidental changes or unauthorized access.
4. Avoiding Confusion
If you manage websites for clients, you want them to see only what they need. Too many admin menu items can cause confusion and lead to mistakes.
1. Use Built-In WordPress Screen Options
The simplest method to clean up your WordPress dashboard is using the Screen Options tab available on most admin pages. This feature allows you to show or hide page-specific elements without needing any plugins or code.
You can hide elements such as:
- Author box
- Tags box
- Excerpts
- Custom fields
- Comments panel
- Dashboard widgets
This method is ideal for users who want a quick and non-technical way to simplify their admin screens.
2. Hide Dashboard Widgets
The WordPress dashboard includes widgets like:
- Quick Draft
- Activity
- Site Health Status
- At a Glance
Plugins also add their own widgets to the dashboard, which can clutter the screen. To hide these unnecessary elements:
- Go to Dashboard → Home
- Click Screen Options
- Uncheck the widgets you want to hide
This keeps the dashboard clean and helps users focus on essential information.
3. Hide Admin Menu Items Using a Plugin
One of the most effective Ways to Hide Unnecessary Items from WordPress Admin is by using a dedicated admin menu editor plugin. These tools give you full control over what appears in the dashboard menu.
Recommended Plugins
a. Admin Menu Editor
This popular plugin lets you:
- Hide menu items
- Rename menu items
- Rearrange menu order
- Restrict menu access by user role
It’s beginner-friendly and highly customizable.
b. User Role Editor
This plugin helps you control permissions and hide items based on roles. If you want editors or subscribers to see only selected menus, this is an excellent tool.
c. White Label CMS
Perfect for agencies managing client sites. It allows:
- Removing WordPress branding
- Cleaning up menus and dashboard items
- Customizing the admin experience
These plugins make it easy to hide items without coding, ideal for non-developers and site managers.
4. Hide Admin Menu Items with Custom Code
If you prefer not to use plugins, you can add custom code to your functions.php file or a site-specific plugin.
Here’s a basic example to remove menu items:
function hide_menu_items() {
remove_menu_page(‘tools.php’); // Tools
remove_menu_page(‘edit-comments.php’); // Comments
remove_menu_page(‘plugins.php’); // Plugins
}
add_action(‘admin_menu’, ‘hide_menu_items’);
This method is lightweight and efficient but should be used with caution. Editing theme files without proper knowledge can cause errors, so always create backups.
5. Limit Access Using User Roles and Capabilities
Sometimes, the goal isn’t just to hide menu items but to restrict certain users from accessing them. WordPress has a built-in user role system that lets you control permissions.
For example:
- Admins can access everything
- Editors should only manage content
- Authors should only write posts
- Subscribers should have minimal access
Using plugins like User Role Editor, you can remove capabilities such as:
- Installing plugins
- Editing themes
- Managing users
This ensures your dashboard remains secure and decluttered for each role.
6. Hide Plugin-Specific Menu Items
Many plugins add unnecessary items to the admin menu, even when you don’t need their settings often. WooCommerce, SEO plugins, security plugins, and backup tools commonly clutter the menu.
To hide plugin menus:
- Use Admin Menu Editor
- Disable plugin widgets through Screen Options
- Use custom code to remove plugin pages
This helps maintain a cleaner admin view without uninstalling the plugin.
7. Customize the Admin Toolbar
The top admin bar also gets cluttered easily. You can remove items like updates, comments, or plugin shortcuts.
Add this code to functions.php to hide toolbar items:
function remove_toolbar_items($wp_admin_bar) {
$wp_admin_bar->remove_node(‘updates’);
$wp_admin_bar->remove_node(‘comments’);
$wp_admin_bar->remove_node(‘new-content’);
}
add_action(‘admin_bar_menu’, ‘remove_toolbar_items’, 999);
A minimal toolbar improves navigation and reduces distractions.
8. Create a Simplified Admin Experience for Clients
If you build websites for clients, hiding unnecessary admin items is essential. Clients may accidentally edit settings, delete content, or change configurations that affect the site.
White Label CMS and Admin Menu Editor allow you to:
- Customize menus
- Add custom logos
- Remove WordPress branding
- Create a simplified client dashboard
This not only improves usability but also reflects professionalism.
Conclusion
A clean and organized WordPress admin area significantly improves usability, productivity, and security. There are multiple effective Ways to Hide Unnecessary Items from WordPress Admin, ranging from built-in Screen Options to powerful plugins and custom code.
Whether you’re a developer, agency owner, blogger, or business user, cleaning up your WordPress admin dashboard can streamline your workflow and make site management much easier. By hiding unnecessary items, you create a more user-friendly experience while reducing the risk of errors and clutter.
