December 14, 2023
in Flotsam, Web Development
If you've administered a WordPress website, you're no stranger to the admin notices about your themes, plugins, security, code issues and other items that pop up to the top of your dashboard. But what happens when they become overwhelming? These notifications, while essential for conveying critical information and updates, can sometimes inundate users with unnecessary details or distractions. In this article, we delve into various solutions to streamline your WordPress administrator experience, beginning with the focus on how to disable admin notices. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a website owner looking to optimize your dashboard, we've explored and tested a range of plugins to provide you with practical insights and effective tools.
If you're looking to disable WordPress admin notifications in your dashboard, there are several choices, depending on your particular goals. To simply hide everything, the Hide Admin Notices plugin is a good choice, but for more flexibility, use Disable Admin Notices Individually.
Understanding how to manage and, when necessary, disable these notices can significantly enhance the user experience, allowing administrators to focus on what matters most without unnecessary distractions.
Hide Admin Notices
Download Hide Admin Notices plugin from WordPress.org
This is the "easy button" of hiding admin notices - there's no premium option or choices given, it just hides everything. If you have a lot of nags, you'll see them briefly before the JavaScript tucks them away. This includes update alerts, warnings, announcements, and promotional messages from plugins and themes.
User Control: This plugin offers a broad approach with no granularity. It's an 'all-or-nothing' tool where all notices are hidden, which might not be ideal if you only want to hide specific notices.
Best For: Users who prefer a completely clean and distraction-free admin dashboard, without the need to see any notices.
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars (16 reviewers, 20K active installations.)
Disable Admin Notices Individually
Download Disable Admin Notices Individually plugin from WordPress.org
This plugin has better options, allowing you to keep on top of certain types of notices, and hide the less important nags. You can also disable all notices globally except for update notices for installed plugins. It also has the option to store all blocked admin notices in the admin bar, so you can review later at your convenience without cluttering up the page. The premium version costs $19/year, which would be worth it if you have multiple users and you want to hide notices for them.
User Control: Compared to 'Hide Admin Notices', this choice has more control and flexibility. You can selectively hide specific notices that you find irrelevant or annoying, while still keeping important ones visible.
Best For: Users who need a more tailored approach in managing notices, keeping some visible while hiding others.
Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars (332 reviewers, 100K+ active installations.)
Hide Dashboard Notifications
Download Hide Dashboard Notifications plugin from WordPress.org
We liked this option because it allows you the flexibility to hide notifications based on their user role and also what kind of notices to hide. If you still want to see the notifications, simply click on Notifications in the top admin bar. We did have concerns that it doesn't appear to have been updated in several months.
User Control: It offers control over your dashboard, but may not extend this control across the board - i.e., you might still be seeing notices in other areas of your admin panel.
Best For: Ideal for users who want a cleaner dashboard (and granular control over what their other users see) but may still want to receive notifications in other areas of the WordPress admin panel.
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars (25 reviewers, 30K+ active installations.)
Which Plugin Is Best For You?
Depending on your goals for your website (and possibly your role), any of these are fine choices. If you just want to hide all notices and nags and be done with it, the Hide Admin Notices plugin is your best choice. If you'd like to have more control and flexibility, the Disable Admin Notices Individually plugin would be your pick. If you're just looking to hide the WordPress dashboard notices and leave the plugin-related and other notices in place, go with the Hide Dashboard Notifications plugin.
As for us, we recommend the Disable Admin Notice Individually plugin since it gives us the best of both worlds - We can disable admin notices individually, or we can select the option to hide all admin notices. Whether you're a developer fine-tuning the backend or a website owner aiming for a cleaner interface, the right approach to managing admin notices ensures that critical information is delivered without overwhelming the user.