Customization and flexibility are probably the two words that describe WordPress the best. Yet with all the extensive features and endless options available, there is a lot of functionality missing from the core software of the site. That’s where plugins come in!

WordPress plugins work like magic! They simplify things, allowing users to control every part of the WordPress experience from customizing their frontend website to freshening up things at the backend by stylizing their Admin. From design customization and control to enhanced usability of your dashboard, WordPress offers a plugin for almost everything. However, despite the variety of options available, it can be exhausting to select the right plugins that would work best for you. That’s where we come in!

We’ve selected 9 best WordPress plugins of 2017 that you could use right away to style your admin.

Admin Columns

Customizing the information displayed in your administration is made easier with the Admin Columns plugin. With drag and drop and sort and filter features, the plugin takes away the trouble of opening the post to edit it.

Through un-complicating the editing process, Admin Column allows you to edit all fields’ right from your dashboard. Next time you want to change the featured image or perhaps write a new title for your blog post, you can count on Admin Column to make the editing process simpler for you. The plugin supports columns for all content types such as posts, users, media, and comments. Not only does the plugin save a lot of time, it’s very easy to use. With over 300 columns to choose from, you can start managing and organizing your WordPress dashboard right away.

Short video introduction of the Admin Columns plugin

Admin Columns greatly enhances your WordPress installation. Whether you’re running a simple blog or a full-blown enterprise website, it will prove its worth within minutes.

Adminimize

A must-have plugin for multi-author websites, Adminimize allows you to clean the admin area for your users. The plugin allows you to remove items from view depending on the users’ role. The plugin changes the administration backend and gives you the power to assign rights on certain parts. Admins can activate/deactivate every part of the menu and even parts of the sub-menu. Meta fields can be administered separately for posts and pages.

Administration with most of the extra buttons removed

That way users will only be able to see and access items that are important, keeping the clutter out of the view. Adminimize basically allows you to simplify the admin panel by removing unwanted items that you do not actively need.

Admin Tweaks

Admin Tweak lets you customize various areas of your dashboard with ease. The plugin comes with several features such as removing, adding or modifying menu items, customizing rows and columns, remove and add widgets among others.

MAIN FEATURES

• Appearance: hide general elements; admin notices.
• Bar: remove, add and modify menu items.
• Admin Menus: remove items; sort Settings menu; rename “Posts”.
• Dashboard: remove and add widgets.
• Post and Page Listing: customize rows and columns.

Quick and easy to use

If you are looking for a way to be able to deeply customize your WordPress admin without having to go through extensive options, Admin Tweaks is the plugin for you. With simple on and off buttons, Admin Tweaks allows you to customize your dashboard within minutes. The plugin has the ability to let you customize just about everything on your dashboard. No extra steps.

AG Custom Admin

A single plugin for all your admin customization needs! AG Custom Admin plugin can let you customize your WordPress admin panel, login page, admin menu and admin bar. That’s a whole bunch of customization options all packed into a single plugin.

You can get crazy with the colorizer.

AG Custom Admin features many customization options including those of adding or removing items from the admin panel, bar and menu.

There are custom skins as well but they are not free.

The plugin also lets you colorize your admin panel and apply responsive admin panel themes to spice things up on your dashboard. Using AG Custom Admin would free you from having to download separate plugins for all your different customization needs.

Admin Menu Editor

The name is pretty self-explanatory; the plugin does exactly what the name suggests. You can edit your dashboard menu by choosing from a wide array of options that let you show, hide, remove or add items for your convenience.

MAIN FEATURES

• Change menu titles, URLs, icons, CSS classes and so on.
• Organize menu items via drag & drop.
• Change menu permissions by setting the required capability or role.
• Move a menu item to a different submenu.
• Create custom menus that point to any part of the Dashboard or an external URL.
• Hide/show any menu or menu item. A hidden menu is invisible to all users, including administrators.

Slick interface

Admin Menu Creator also lets you organize and arrange the items with a smooth drag and drop option. Create sub-menus, change menu titles, URLs, icons, CSS classes and much more.

Flatty – Flat Admin Theme

If you’re tired of looking at your bland outdated dashboard, Flatty has your back. This plugin lets you give your WordPress dashboard a much-needed uplift. Change the design and layout of the admin so as to modernize the look and freshen up the page.

MAIN FEATURES

• Complete restyle of the login page
• Add Google Recaptcha to the login page
• Custom Login Background
• Login CSS custom code
• Show custom footer on Login
• Custom Login Logo

Some of the key features include a complete re-design of the login page; custom login logo and background, modern look for admin page and sidebar and the freedom to choose any WordPress admin color scheme.

Flatty allows you to add your own custom logo and also this huge header menu.

Flatty is definitely a plugin that all WordPress users should try out. Not only is it a modern-looking dashboard easy on the eyes, it is easy to use as well.

Admin Color Schemes

Admin Color Schemes is a very simple plugin that offers the option of selecting and using color across the different areas of the dashboard. There are a variety of color schemes available for you to choose from. Using this plugin would enhance the look of your dashboard tremendously making it instantly visually appealing.

The standard color of the dashboard often gets very boring to look at; Admin Color Schemes plugin allows you to experiment with colors and select one that satisfies your personal aesthetics. Those of you who are looking to make their admin far cleaner and simpler should give this plugin a try.

Custom Dashboard Widgets

Custom Dashboard Widgets is an efficient tool to reduce the clutter from your WordPress dashboard. Once you install the plugin, you can easily replace the standard WordPress widget with simple and clean icons on your homepage.

MAIN FEATURES

• Easy to use.
• Contains all default links that exist in all WordPress dashboards (Pages, Posts, View Site … etc).
• Allows you to add and delete new links easily.
• Allows you to choose icons to the links you added.
• Use font awesome icons.
• Allows you to display links based on WordPress admin roles (admin, author … etc).

Simple History

Simple History displays all of the recent changes made within WordPress right on your dashboard. You can track which users added, updated or deterred a post or an attachment. Simple History also lets you monitor failed user log-in attempts and other information such as when users log in and when they add or remove a widget or taxonomy.

Other activities such as the comments made, plugins activated or deactivated or menu edits are all easily trackable. Simple History is a smart choice for WordPress users who want to stay updated on all the activity that takes place on their site.

Author

Shariq Toor is Content Strategist working with NoStop Blogging Services, a boutique writing agency focusing on helping small business clients take their websites to the next level. From social media topics to articles on niche industry issues, NoStop’s articles are written with style, attention to detail, and with the client’s audience in mind.

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