In general, I don’t recommend messing with the default WordPress admin appearance too much. These plugins tidy up your admin area or add helpful notes.
Admin Columns ★
I hate it when plugins add columns to the “All Pages” and “All Posts” feeds in the admin, cluttering them up with useless info (I’m looking at you, Yoast SEO). Admin Columns lets you purge useless columns. You can instead display custom fields in the columns – really useful for customizing! I use this plugin on almost every site I make. The paid version is even more amazing, allowing you to do advanced filtering and even bulk custom field editing right from the list view!
Login Page Customizer
I haven’t tested this yet, but it’s got excellent reviews; saving for a client who wants to customize their login page.
Plugin Notes
This is something I could have used on many client sites where the client sometimes installed strange plugins. It allows you to add notes such as why a plugin was installed and who installed it.
WP Help
Create help notes in the admin area for your clients. Document custom post types, custom fields, weird plugins, whatever you want. I use this on almost every site now, both for my clients and for myself, when I’ve forgotten how the site works six months from now.
Questions? Did a miss a good plugin that you know of? Please leave a comment below! – Brian
I am a freelance web developer and consultant based in Santa Monica, CA who uses WordPress, PHP, and JavaScript to create websites and web applications for businesses, nonprofits, and organizations. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from California Institute of Technology and a degree in Engineering Management (MSEM) from Stanford University.
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