Switchboard DOCS
Docs
Get Started Get Lifetime Deal

Hide Admin Menu Items

Simplify the admin sidebar by hiding menu items you don’t need visible. Hide Tools from clients, remove Plugins from editors, or clean up unused menu items—all without removing actual functionality. Configure per-role settings to show different menus to different user roles, or use the default setting to apply the same hiding rules for all users.

Use Cases

  • Hide Tools, Settings, and Plugins from clients who only need Pages and Media
  • Remove Appearance and Plugins from Shop Managers who only manage products
  • Hide sensitive menus like Users and Settings from temporary contractors
  • Show different menu items to different user roles (e.g., Editors see a simplified menu while Administrators see everything)

How It Works

  1. Open the module settings
  2. Select a user role to configure, or use the default configuration for all roles
  3. Click menu items you want to hide for that role
  4. Selected items appear as tags
  5. Save to remove those items from the sidebar for the selected role
  6. Repeat for additional roles as needed
  7. Hidden items remain accessible via direct URL

Each role can have its own set of hidden menu items. If a role does not have a specific configuration, it falls back to the default hiding rules.

This module hides menu items visually—it does not remove access. Users can still reach hidden pages via direct URL. For actual access control, use WordPress roles and capabilities.

Settings

Menu items are organized into categories for easy selection:

Core Content

  • Dashboard
  • Posts
  • Media
  • Pages
  • Comments

Appearance & Plugins

  • Appearance
  • Plugins

Users & Settings

  • Users
  • Tools
  • Settings

Plugin Menus & Custom Post Types

Any additional menus added by plugins or custom post types are automatically detected and listed here.

Common Configurations

For Content Clients (e.g., Editor or Author role)

Hide:

  • Plugins
  • Tools
  • Settings
  • Users

Keep:

  • Dashboard
  • Posts/Pages
  • Media
  • Comments

For Shop Managers

Hide:

  • Appearance
  • Plugins
  • Settings
  • Users

Keep:

  • Dashboard
  • Products
  • Orders
  • WooCommerce

For Blog Authors

Hide:

  • Appearance
  • Plugins
  • Users
  • Tools
  • Settings

Keep:

  • Dashboard
  • Posts
  • Media
  • Comments

Role-Based Example

You can configure different hiding rules per role. For example:

  • Administrator: No items hidden (full access to all menus)
  • Editor: Hide Plugins, Tools, Settings, Users, Appearance
  • Author: Hide everything except Dashboard, Posts, and Media
  • Shop Manager: Hide everything except Dashboard, WooCommerce, Products, and Orders

Verification

After saving your settings:

  1. Refresh the admin page
  2. Verify hidden items no longer appear in the sidebar for the configured role
  3. Try accessing a hidden page via direct URL (it should still work)
  4. Log in as users with different roles to confirm that each role sees the correct set of menu items
  5. Verify that roles without a specific configuration fall back to the default hiding rules

FAQ

Can hidden pages still be accessed?Yes! Hiding menu items is visual only. Users can still access pages via direct URL (like /wp-admin/plugins.php). This module simplifies the interface, not security.
Does this affect all users?By default, hidden menu items apply to all users. However, this module supports role-based hiding — you can configure different hidden menu items for each WordPress role. For example, you can hide Plugins and Settings for Editors while keeping them visible for Administrators. If a role does not have a specific configuration, it uses the default settings.
Will new plugins still show their menus?Yes. When you install a new plugin, its menu appears in the sidebar. You can then hide it by updating your configuration.
Why do some items say ‘Plugin Menus’?Menu items not part of WordPress core (added by plugins or custom post types) are grouped under “Plugin Menus & Custom Post Types” for organization.
How do I unhide a menu item?Click the x on the tag in your selected items, or click the item again in the available list. Save to apply changes.

For comprehensive menu customization including reordering and renaming, use the Admin Menu Organizer module in combination with this one.

Important Considerations

Security Notice

This module is for interface simplification, not security:

  • Hidden pages remain accessible via URL
  • Users retain their WordPress capabilities
  • For actual access restriction, use role/capability plugins

Switchboard Access

Be careful not to hide access to Switchboard itself! If you hide Tools (where Switchboard might be located), ensure you can still access it via:

  • Direct URL: /wp-admin/admin.php?page=switchboard
  • Or move Switchboard to a different location first

Plugin Menus

Plugin menus are detected dynamically. If a plugin menu does not appear in the list:

  1. Save your current settings
  2. Refresh the page
  3. The plugin menu should now appear
  • Admin Menu Organizer - Reorder and rename menu items
  • Admin Menu Separator - Add visual dividers between sections
  • Clean Admin Bar - Hide admin bar elements
  • Plugin Role Control - Control Switchboard access by role
PRO

Get access to all 166 modules with a single license

Upgrade to Pro
Prev
Custom Image Sizes
Next
Default Featured Image