Hide WordPress Admin Menus per User with WP Admin Cleaner
When several people share admin access to one WordPress site, everyone sees the same long menu, even the items they never use. Hiding menus by role doesn't help when two people have the same Administrator role but do different jobs. In this video we use WP Admin Cleaner to hide WordPress admin menu items for the current user only, so a designer and a developer each get a menu with just the items they need.
The setup: two admins, two browsers
To show the difference, you need two accounts with the same role. Under Users there are three accounts: designer and dev, both Administrator, and editor with the Editor role.
We log in as the developer in Chrome and as the designer in Safari, then open Tools → WP Admin Cleaner in both browsers.
Some settings are reserved for the super admin
If every admin could change every setting, one admin could change or break things that affect the whole site. That's why the designer sees fewer settings than the developer, even though both are admins. In this setup the developer is the super admin. Only the super admin can:
- change the License
- set up a Custom Dashboard
- configure User Redirection after login
- change the WP Admin login page
- use Hide Plugins
The other admins can still hide their own menu items.
You always know whose menu you're editing
When per-user settings look the same for every account, it's easy to change the wrong one. WP Admin Cleaner puts the username in the first tab. As the developer, the tab reads Hide for dev only. The panel is titled Hide selected items with the note "This will hide menu items per current user. If you need to hide it per user roles click here." So per-user hiding and Hide per Role stay separate.
Hide menu items for the developer
The panel lists every Top Bar item (Root Default, Top Secondary) and every Left Bar item, each with a checkbox.
- As the developer, open Hide for dev only.
- Under Left Bar, check the items you don't need. In the video: Comments, Media, Settings, Tools, User Switch and Winden.
- Save the changes and go to the dashboard.
The developer's sidebar now shows only Dashboard, Posts, Pages, Appearance, Plugins, Users, Oxygen and Scripts Organizer. In the Safari window, the designer's menu hasn't changed.
Hide menu items for the designer
The designer does different work, so they need a different menu. The steps are the same:
- As the designer, open Tools → WP Admin Cleaner.
- Check the items the designer doesn't need. In the video: Plugins, Tools, Settings, Scripts Organizer, User Switch and Comments (the editor handles comments).
- Save the changes and refresh the dashboard.
Now the two admins see different menus, and each change affects only the user who made it.
Who is this for
- Agencies and teams with several admins working on one site in different roles (design, development, content).
- Developers who want a shorter admin menu without taking admin rights away from anyone.
- Site owners who want to keep the license, login URL, redirects, custom dashboard and plugin hiding with one super admin.
FAQ
Can I hide WordPress admin menu items for one user instead of a whole role? Yes. The Hide for [username] only tab in WP Admin Cleaner hides menu items for the logged-in user only. Other users with the same role keep their full menu.
Can I still hide menus by role? Yes. The settings page also has a Hide per Role tab, and the per-user panel links to it.
Why can't every admin see all WP Admin Cleaner settings? License, Custom Dashboard, User Redirection after login, WP Admin login page and Hide Plugins are super-admin-only. Other admins can't change site-wide behavior.
Can I hide top bar items too? Yes. The Hide selected items panel has a Top Bar section (Root Default, Top Secondary) above the Left Bar list.
Get WP Admin Cleaner → dplugins.com
