Top 5 WordPress Dashboard Customizations for Better Admin UX

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Top 5 WordPress Dashboard Customizations to Elevate Your Admin Experience

Quick Summary:

Discover the top WordPress Dashboard Customizations to elevate your admin experience. In this blog, we’ll cover the top 5 customizations that can transform your WordPress admin area. These easy-to-implement customizations improve usability, productivity, and branding, creating a professional and user-friendly WordPress admin interface tailored to your needs.

Introduction

The WordPress dashboard is your website’s command center, but it can feel overwhelming with default widgets, branding, and styles. Customizing the dashboard enhances usability and aligns it with your brand. If you’re working with a WordPress web development firm, they can help you remove unnecessary widgets, add custom dashboard elements, brand the login page, update the admin color scheme, and personalize the footer text, ensuring a streamlined and professional admin experience tailored to your business needs.

Top 5 WordPress Dashboard Customizations to Elevate Your Admin Experience

1. Remove Excess Dashboard Widgets

Using Screen Options

The WordPress dashboard comes with several built-in widgets, such as WordPress News, Activity, and At a Glance. However, having too many widgets can create unnecessary clutter and impact your productivity.

Fortunately, WordPress allows you to remove unwanted widgets and even add custom ones to suit your needs.

Customizing your dashboard widgets is straightforward. Simply click on the Screen Options tab in the top-right corner of the admin page, then check or uncheck the boxes to show or hide specific widgets.

Using Plugin

If you’re managing a multi-user site, the Adminimize plugin provides granular control over what users see on their dashboard. You can easily hide widgets or menu items for specific roles without touching any code. Few of them are shown in below snapshot:

Read More: Building the Perfect Web Dashboard for Massive Datasets

2. Add a Custom Dashboard Widget

Sometimes, it’s helpful to display custom information or quick links directly on the dashboard. For example, you can create a widget with shortcuts to common admin tasks:

function my_custom_dashboard_widget() {
  echo "<p>Welcome back! Here are your quick links:</p>";
  echo "<ul>
          <li><a href='post-new.php'>Add New Post</a></li>
          <li><a href='edit-comments.php'>Manage Comments</a></li>
        </ul>";
}
function add_custom_dashboard_widget() {
  wp_add_dashboard_widget('custom_dashboard_widget', 'My Custom Widget', 'my_custom_dashboard_widget');
}
add_action('wp_dashboard_setup', 'add_custom_dashboard_widget' );

Once added, this widget will appear on the dashboard, providing easy access to important actions.

3. Brand the Login Page and Dashboard with Your Logo

Replace the Login Page Logo

The WordPress login page can look generic, but customizing it with your company’s branding adds a professional touch. Here’s how you can replace the WordPress logo with your own:

function my_custom_login_logo() {
  echo '
  <style type="text/css">
      #login h1 a {
          background-image: url(' . get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/images/custom-logo.png) !important;
          background-size: contain !important;
          width: 100% !important;
      }
     
  </style>
  ';
}
add_action('login_head', 'my_custom_login_logo');

Upload your logo to your theme’s images folder and update the file path in the code snippet.

Add a Custom Favicon to the Dashboard and Login Page

To further personalize the experience, add a custom favicon to the admin dashboard and login page with the following code:

// Favicon for Admin Dashboard
function my_custom_admin_favicon() {
echo '
<link rel="icon" href="' . get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/images/custom-logo.png" type="image/x-icon" />
';
}
add_action('admin_head', 'my_custom_admin_favicon');
// Favicon for Login Page
function my_custom_login_favicon() {
echo '
<link rel="icon" href="' . get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/images/custom-logo.png" type="image/x-icon" />
';
}
add_action('login_head', 'my_custom_login_favicon');

Outcome is as below:

Make sure to replace custom-logo.png with your favicon file located in the images folder of your theme.

These customizations create a cohesive and branded experience for administrators and users alike.

4. Change the Admin Dashboard Color Scheme

A custom color scheme can make the WordPress admin interface more appealing or match your brand’s identity.

Below is the code snippet demonstrating the adding of a new color scheme.

function my_custom_admin_colors() {
wp_admin_css_color(
'my_custom_scheme', // Unique scheme ID
__('My Custom Scheme'), // Name of the scheme
get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/admin-color-scheme.css', // Path to the CSS file
array('#526E48', '#62825D', '#9EDF9C', '#C2FFC7') // Custom color palette
);
}
add_action('admin_init', 'my_custom_admin_colors');

Manage admin-color-scheme.css as per need.

Currently for example you can use below one:

/* General Admin Styles */
body.wp-admin {
background-color: #FFFFFF; /* White background */
color: #526E48; /* Darker green text */
}
/* Top Admin Bar */
#wpadminbar {
background-color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green */
}
#wpadminbar .ab-item, #wpadminbar .ab-item:hover {
color: #FFFFFF; /* White text for visibility */
}
/* Admin Menu */
#adminmenu, #adminmenu .wp-submenu {
background-color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green */
}
#adminmenu a {
color: #FFFFFF; /* White text */
}
#adminmenu .wp-has-current-submenu a.wp-has-current-submenu {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green for active menu */
color: #526E48; /* Darker green text */
}
/* Active menu items */
#adminmenu .wp-has-current-submenu > a {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green for active menu */
}
/* Submenu hover effect */
#adminmenu li.menu-top:hover, #adminmenu li.menu-top:focus {
background-color: #C2FFC7; /* Very light pastel green on hover */
}
/* Buttons */
.wp-core-ui .button-primary {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green */
border-color: #9EDF9C;
color: #526E48; /* Dark green text */
}
.wp-core-ui .button-primary:hover {
background-color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green on hover */
border-color: #62825D;
}
/* Links */
a {
color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green */
}
a:hover, a:focus {
color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green on hover */
}
/* Footer */
#footer-thankyou {
color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green */
}
/* Admin Widgets */
#dashboard_right_now {
background-color: #C2FFC7; /* Very light pastel green for widget */
border: 1px solid #C2FFC7;
}
#dashboard_right_now .postbox-header {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green */
color: #526E48;
}
#dashboard_recent_comments {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green for widget */
border: 1px solid #9EDF9C;
}
/* Dashboard Widget Title */
#dashboard_quick_press .postbox-header {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green */
}
/* Admin Bar Customization */
#wpadminbar .ab-item {
color: #FFFFFF; /* White text */
}
#wpadminbar .ab-item:hover {
background-color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green */
color: #FFFFFF;
}
/* Customize Login Page */
#login {
background-color: #FFFFFF; /* White background */
}
#login h1 a {
background-image: url('YOUR_LOGO_URL'); /* Replace with your logo */
background-size: contain;
width: 100%;
}
#login .button-primary {
background-color: #9EDF9C; /* Pastel green */
border-color: #9EDF9C;
}
#login .button-primary:hover {
background-color: #62825D; /* Slightly lighter green on hover */
}

After doing this code, under the Users menu in the left sidebar, go to Profile > Personal Options > Admin Color Scheme -> My Custom Scheme.

You will observe the change in the dashboard colors.

5. Customize the Admin Footer Text

The footer of your WordPress dashboard contains the default “Thank you for creating with WordPress” text. You can replace this with a custom message or a link to your website:

function my_custom_admin_footer() {
echo 'Thank you for creating with <a href="https://www.creolestudios.com/">Creole Studios</a>';
}
add_filter('admin_footer_text', 'my_custom_admin_footer');

Outcome is as below:

This customization helps reinforce your branding or adds a friendly touch to the admin interface.

Conclusion:

Customizing the WordPress dashboard is easier than you might think, even without advanced coding skills. From removing unnecessary widgets to adding personalized features and branding elements, these straightforward adjustments can greatly enhance the admin experience. By partnering with a WordPress development agency, you can streamline your dashboard to reflect your brand’s goals and improve overall efficiency. Start transforming your WordPress dashboard today with a focus on digital optimization and seamless user experience.

FAQs

How do I customize my WordPress dashboard?

Use plugins like Adminimize or Custom Dashboard Widgets to provide granular control over what users see on their dashboard. Alternatively, use Screen Options (top-right corner) to hide or show widgets.

How do I customize the appearance of my WordPress dashboard?

To customize the WordPress dashboard, use hooks like wp_dashboard_setup to add/remove widgets, admin_menu to modify menus, and login_enqueue_scripts for login page styling. You can also add a custom admin color scheme with wp_admin_css_color() to define a unique color palette.

How do I edit a WordPress admin page?

To edit a WordPress admin page, use hooks like admin_menu to modify menus, add_menu_page() to create custom pages, and admin_enqueue_scripts for custom styles or scripts. For easier, code-free customization, plugins like Admin Menu Editor are highly effective.

How do I organize the dashboard menu in WordPress?

To organize the WordPress dashboard menu, use the admin_menu hook to reorder, rename, or remove menu items. You can also use plugins like Admin Menu Editor to easily drag and drop menu items, hide unused menus, or create custom entries without coding.

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