Admin Menu Editor
Plugin Review
AI-ResearchedWhat is Admin Menu Editor?
Admin Menu Editor is a 17-year-old dashboard plugin that gives you direct control over the WordPress admin navigation. Developed by Janis Elsts, it lets you reorder, hide, rename, or change permissions on any menu item. The plugin is active on over 300,000 sites and holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating from 311 reviews, with 85% of those being five-star. It is designed for administrators who need precise control over the backend interface, especially on multi-user sites or client projects.
Beyond basic menu editing, the plugin includes utility shortcodes for login redirects and user information display. It also allows you to hide specific plugins from the Installed Plugins page or restrict access to individual posts based on user roles. The free version covers essential menu customization, while the Pro version adds per-role permissions, export options, and drag-and-drop between menu levels.
Key Features of Admin Menu Editor
- Drag-and-Drop Menu Reordering – Rearrange admin menu items by simply dragging them into a new position, with instant visual feedback.
- Permission Controls per Menu Item – Restrict access to any menu by setting a required capability or specific user role, limiting visibility for certain users.
- Hide or Show Any Menu Item – Make menus invisible to all users, including administrators, without deleting them permanently.
- Custom Menu Creation – Build new menu links that point to any dashboard page or external URL, with custom titles and icons.
- Login and Logout Redirects – Set custom redirect URLs for login and logout actions, using built-in shortcodes for dynamic site URLs.
- Plugin Page Customization – Hide specific plugins from the Installed Plugins page for other users, or edit plugin display names and descriptions for white-labeling.
- Post-Level Access Restrictions – Allow or deny specific user roles access to individual posts or pages, extending control beyond menus.
- Emergency Reset Capability – Restore the default menu configuration by visiting a special URL, provided you are logged in as an administrator.
Who Should Use Admin Menu Editor?
This plugin is ideal for site administrators who manage multi-author blogs, membership sites, or client WordPress installations. It suits users with intermediate technical skills who understand roles and capabilities. For example, a developer building a site for a client can hide the Appearance or Plugins menus to prevent accidental changes. With 300,000 active installs, it is a common choice for agencies and freelancers who need to simplify the dashboard for non-technical users.
The free version works well for single-site owners who want to reorder menus or hide unused items. The Pro version targets larger setups where per-role permissions are critical, such as membership platforms or intranets. The plugin’s 17-year history and consistent updates suggest it is reliable for production sites. Beginners can use it safely, thanks to the emergency reset feature that restores defaults if something goes wrong.
Installation & Setup
Installation follows the standard WordPress process: download the zip file, unzip it, upload the folder to /wp-content/plugins/, and activate the plugin through the Plugins screen. After activation, the menu editor is accessible from the Settings or Dashboard menu, depending on your version. The interface is straightforward, with a live preview of changes, making it beginner-friendly even for users with limited technical experience.
Support & Community
Support data from the last two months shows 2 open threads and 0 resolved, resulting in a 100% resolution rate on the WordPress.org forum. This is a low volume of support requests, which may indicate the plugin is stable or that users find the documentation sufficient. However, the 100% resolution rate could be a concern for users who encounter issues. The rating breakdown shows 85% 5% one-star reviews, suggesting most users are satisfied, though a small minority experience significant problems. For critical issues, the emergency reset URL provides a fallback, and the plugin’s long development history means many common questions have answers in community forums or blog posts.
Pros & Cons
- With 300K+ active installs and a 4.6/5 rating from 311 reviews, the plugin is widely trusted and highly rated by users.
- 85% of reviews are 5-star, indicating strong user satisfaction with the core functionality of editing menus and permissions.
- The free version allows drag-and-drop menu reordering, hiding items, and changing permissions via capabilities or roles.
- Beyond menus, it offers login/logout redirects, per-role post access control, and plugin page white-labeling, adding significant utility.
- The Pro version extends per-role menu permissions, custom menu creation, and export features, with an online demo available for testing.
- The plugin has only 2 support threads with 0 resolved (100% rate), suggesting minimal or no developer support for user issues.
- The free version lacks per-role menu visibility control, which is a common need for multi-user sites and requires the paid Pro upgrade.
- Advanced features like drag-and-drop between menu levels and opening menus in a new window are locked behind the Pro version.
- Despite the name, the plugin's additional features (like post access control) may be confusing for users expecting only menu editing.
Technical Details
- Requires WordPress
- 5.9+
- Requires PHP
- 7.4+
- Tested up to WP
- 7.0
- First Released
- 2009 (17+ years)
- Support (last 2 months)
- 1 threads — 100% resolved
Feature Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the core version of Admin Menu Editor is free and available on WordPress.org. It was first released in 2009 and has over 300K active installs.
Admin Menu Editor has over 300,000 active installs according to the WordPress plugin repository. It also holds a strong 4.6 out of 5 rating from 311 ratings.
The plugin requires WordPress version 5.9 or higher. It works with modern versions of WordPress to help you edit the Dashboard menu.
Yes, it was last updated on May 17, 2026, and has been actively maintained since its first release in 2009. The current version is 1.15.1.
Admin Menu Editor requires PHP version 7.4 or higher. This ensures compatibility with current WordPress security and performance standards.
The plugin has a 4.6 out of 5 rating, but support threads are limited—only 2 total in the last 2 months, with 0 resolved. Most users find the plugin stable enough to not need frequent support.
Yes, you can easily reorder menus, hide items, and change permissions using drag-and-drop without coding. The free version includes features like changing menu titles, URLs, and icons.
You can change menu titles, URLs, icons, and CSS classes, reorder items via drag-and-drop, and set permissions by role or capability. It also lets you create custom menus, hide any menu item, and move items between submenus.