The WordPress administration area (aka the Dashboard) can be customized in many ways. Menu items can be added, hidden, or rearranged. Access to settings can be set for specific user roles. Custom widgets can be added to help guide or pass important information on to users.
No matter what kind of tweaks you’re looking to make, there is most likely a WordPress plugin available to make it a reality. Let’s explore ten WordPress plugins you can use to personalize the Dashboard to meet your needs.
White Label CMS Plugin for WordPress
A stock WordPress installation doesn’t feel very personal. That’s why White Label CMS exists. It allows you to integrate your brand throughout various back-end areas.
It starts with a custom login page, then moves on to the admin header and footer areas. But it doesn’t stop there – you can also choose which admin menus to display, and create a completely custom dashboard. As a bonus, it also works with page builders such as Beaver Builder and Elementor.
Remove Dashboard Access WordPress Plugin
Remove Dashboard Access offers a solution for those who want to keep certain user roles from accessing all or parts of the back end. This is great for membership sites, where users typically have a front-end profile (optional back-end profile access is possible).
In addition, the plugin lets you redirect users to a custom URL and display an optional message on the login screen.
Widget Disable for WordPress
Widget Disable works on both the front and back ends of your WordPress website. It allows administrators to easily turn off access to specific widgets.
Regarding the dashboard, it’s a great way to reduce clutter for your site’s users. Too often, plugins litter the screen with widgets that are little more than advertisements. Widget Disable helps create a cleaner back-end experience.
Admin Columns for WordPress
Admin Columns is a commercial plugin (with a free version) that enables you to add custom columns to page /post listings and more.
There are over 160 columns to choose from. For example, you can easily add a featured image column to the post listing. Not only can you display various columns, but you can also sort and filter posts by them as well. It works with all content types and can integrate with lots of plugins, including Advanced Custom Fields and WooCommerce.
Simple History WordPress Plugin
Simple History doesn’t add any major functionality to the WordPress dashboard. But it sure is helpful. A widget is added to the dashboard home page that shows you which users recently added or updated posts or uploaded images to the Media Gallery, and when a widget has been added or removed.
It also tracks things like plugin activations, user profile updates, logins, and more. Very useful for administrators who want to stay on top of who is doing what.
Admin Menu Editor Pro for WordPress
While somewhat similar to Adminimize, Admin Menu Editor Pro does have some unique features worth checking out. For instance, not only can you hide dashboard menu items in general or by user role, but you can also create your own items.
Those custom menu items can point to any internal or external URL. The plugin also lets you move individual items to different submenus, change titles, and even icons. A free version is also available.
Ultimate Dashboard Pro WordPress Plugin
Ultimate Dashboard Pro lets you take control of the WordPress dashboard homepage. You can easily disable any and all default widgets, as well as those from third parties.
Create your own simplified widgets with either text-only or icon-based options. The plugin is compatible with WordPress Multisite. A free version is also available.
Nested Pages WordPress Plugin
A seemingly ignored part of WordPress is the cumbersome approach to managing large numbers of pages or posts. Nested Pages is a plugin that aims to fix this by turning listings into interactive tree-style menus.
It also lets you add pages in bulk right from the page listing. The slick drag and drop interface makes repositioning content less stressful. A native WordPress menu is also created and updated to match your nested structure.
Custom Dashboard WordPress Plugins at a Glance
| WordPress Plugin | Description | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| White Label CMS | Enables branding of the admin area and customizing dashboard elements and login screen. | Branding and white labeling. |
| Remove Dashboard Access | Restricts access to the WordPress admin dashboard for selected roles and redirects them accordingly. | Role-based admin access control. |
| Widget Disable | Disables specific dashboard widgets to clean up and simplify the admin dashboard view. | Dashboard widget control. |
| Admin Columns | Customizes list screens with additional columns and sorting, filtering, and visibility controls. | Admin column management. |
| Simple History | Adds a dashboard widget that logs recent admin actions like post edits, uploads, logins, and plugin activations. | Admin activity log. |
| Admin Menu Editor Pro | Allows hiding, reordering, renaming, and creating custom admin menu items for specific roles. | Admin menu customization. |
| Ultimate Dashboard Pro | Lets you disable default dashboard widgets and build custom dashboard widgets with text and icons. | Custom dashboard widgets. |
| Nested Pages | Replaces the default pages list with an interactive hierarchical drag-and-drop UI. | Page ordering UI. |
Make it Your Dashboard
The main idea behind tweaking the WordPress administration area is to improve your workflow. By including useful information and streamlining what’s displayed (and to whom), we’re making site management that much easier.
The plugins above offer creative, practical ideas to shorten the learning curve for new users and save administrators loads of time.
If these plugins don’t help, you could try these WordPress snippets instead.
More Essential Free WordPress Plugins
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