Did you know you can change the look of the WordPress Admin section by installing themes? We know this may be mind-boggling since themes are frequently reserved for the front-end. However, administrators, editors, designers, and writers may also benefit from improved visual appearance, added functionality, better statistics, and expanded features. All that is possible without affecting what users see, and in some cases, as part of the theme available to visitors. That ensures cohesion and neat workflow when switching from front-end to back-end. However, it demands some resources and could make WordPress Admin become slow. If you can accept that, here’s how to install WordPress Admin dashboard themes.
Difference between Admin color schemes and WordPress Admin dashboard themes
Before we dig into it, we need to make a clear distinction between a theme for the WordPress Admin section and a color scheme. A color scheme unsurprisingly impacts the color palette of the default Admin. It does not alter the height, width, padding, sidebar menu size, spacing of the options, and the appearance and functionality of posts, pages, themes, plugin pages, and so on. WordPress offers that option from the get-go, within the WordPress sidebar → Users → Profile → picking the “Admin Color Scheme” option → Update Profile button.
WordPress Admin section themes can overhaul the appearance, features, and functionality of the dashboard. That makes it practically unrecognizable to a newcomer, yet efficient and feature-rich for advanced users. The possibilities include rearranging the dimensions and color scheme, adding and removing menu items, altering pages in terms of buttons, links, typography, and borders, and adding multiple themes (such as Dark Theme). They are compatible with purpose-built and generic plugins from the same developer or usually with others on the WordPress repository.
1. Install a WordPress plugin to change the Admin Dashboard appearance
We know that may sound unusual, but all themes are plugins, as that’s what lets them modify the back-end functionality and style. You may notice developers refer to these themes as “white label” themes. That’s because developers may use a template as a foundation to make custom versions of themes for their customers. Likewise, users can add finishing touches to a template to personalize their Admin with little effort.
With that said, we’ll demonstrate two types. The first is free and sort of lightweight and can change the appearance and functionality depending on the admins’ goals. The second is for advanced users who want to overhaul their WordPress admin from the get-go, then tweak it to minute details. We are unaffiliated with any plugin or its developers and are merely providing two well-known representatives for demonstration. Let’s begin.
1. Install free WordPress themes to alter the Admin dashboard
If you were to search for a “WordPress admin theme” on the repository, WordPress Backend Customizer by AccessPress Themes will likely come up as one of the top choices. That’s because it’s free, light on resources, and minimalistic, yet provides users with enough functionality. Here’s how that works:
- Install the WordPress plugin and activate it.
- After activation, you get a new bar on the left-hand side, where going to Template gives you an option between 4 templates called from the Everest Admin Theme repository.
- Go to the General tab to access “Theme Management” settings, such as adding or removing a favicon in the dashboard, selecting a background, and editing templates (background, color choice, typography).
- Opening Admin Menu lets you show and hide menu items, change colors, and so on.
- Going to Footer Info permits you to hide the footer area, or add custom texts instead of the default one. You can also show or hide portions of the footer.
- Selecting Custom Login Page permits users to change background and sign-in form to predetermined templates and edit them further.
- Visiting the Custom CSS section permits additional changes to the templates or configured options. Neat option for advanced users that can’t find an option they like.
2. Alter the Admin section via paid WordPress themes
If you have some extra funds in your budget, you can opt for paid Admin themes. To illustrate our point, installing Ultra WordPress Admin Theme by themepassion for $23 (at the time of publication) adds all the features we mentioned. It also brings a bootstrap-based user interface, RTL (right-to-left) support, 34 gorgeous Admin dashboard templates, multisite compatibility and remote control, site settings import/export, and white label branding of themes you create. You get to pick multiple widths, support for multi-fonts and 650+ Google Fonts, and much more. Most importantly, there are plenty of equivalent or superior options on the market.
2. Using CSS to change the appearance of the WordPress Admin section
If you don’t want to install WordPress Admin dashboard themes, and you’re adept at CSS (or can hire a designer), there’s an alternative. You have to create a site-specific WordPress plugin, then make it apply custom CSS settings. The plugin should look like this:
<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Custom Dashboard Theme
Plugin URI: https://www.example.com
Description: Custom Dashboard Theme Admin Theme
Author: Your Name
Version: 1.0
Author URI: https://www.author-name.com
*/
function my_admin_theme_style() {
wp_enqueue_style('my-admin-theme', plugins_url('wp-admin.css', __FILE__));
}
add_action('admin_enqueue_scripts', 'my_admin_theme_style');
add_action('login_enqueue_scripts', 'my_admin_theme_style');
?>
You now need to create a CSS file named wp-admin.css and also upload it to the wp-content/plugins/plugin-name/ folder. As for what it should contain, we can’t say. You will surely include #wphead, #adminmenu ui, #adminmenu2 ui, .wrap, and .wrap h2 lines. You can find others on the Codex page for making WordPress Admin themes.