Description

Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles lets you choose who sees the WordPress admin bar (the toolbar) on the front end of your site, and who can open the dashboard.

Remove the admin bar for subscribers, hide it from WooCommerce customers, turn it off for everyone, or target specific roles and capabilities. You can also keep chosen roles out of wp-admin, send each role to its own page after logging in, and tidy the admin menu, admin bar, notices and dashboard widgets for each role. All from one settings page, without writing code.

The plugin is lightweight and works as soon as you activate it. Trusted on 20,000+ active WordPress sites.

It’s completely free: no Pro version, no locked features, no upsells.

Simple but great plugin. 🙂
– wptoolsdev

Works flawlessly! 🙂
– thebrazeneye

Why hide the WordPress admin bar?

The black toolbar at the top of your site is useful for admins — but for everyone else it exposes backend links, breaks your design, and confuses non-technical users. Hiding it is essential for:

Membership sites – give members a clean, frontend-only experience with no WordPress branding
WooCommerce stores – stop showing the toolbar to customers after they log in
LMS & course platforms – keep students focused on your content, not the WordPress UI
Client websites – hand over polished sites where editors see only what they need
Communities & directories – hide backend access hints from registered users
Anyone who wants a cleaner frontend – remove the admin bar without touching functions.php

Features

Hide for everyone: remove the admin bar from the front end for every logged-in user.
Hide for logged-out visitors: make sure visitors never see it, even when a plugin such as BuddyPress shows it to them.
Hide by role: pick roles such as Subscriber, Customer or Editor, including custom roles from other plugins.
Hide by capability: hide it for anyone who has a capability, for example edit_posts.
Nothing added to your site’s front end: no CSS, no JavaScript, no extra database queries.

Dashboard & login

Optional extras, each off until you switch it on:

Dashboard access: keep subscribers, customers or any other role out of wp-admin and send them to a page you choose. Administrators always keep access, and the background requests that themes and plugins rely on keep working.
Admin bar in the dashboard: hide the admin bar inside wp-admin for the roles you pick.
Login redirect: choose where each role lands after logging in, such as the home page or a My Account page.
Strict mode: keep the admin bar hidden when another plugin, such as BuddyPress, wpForo or WC Vendors, turns it back on.
Switch to user: see your site exactly as one of your users does, then switch back in one click. Only administrators can switch, and only to users who can’t manage the site.

Admin cleanup

Give each role a tidier dashboard. Also off until you switch it on:

Admin menu: hide the menu items a role doesn’t need, such as Tools, Comments or a plugin’s menu.
Admin bar items: keep the admin bar but remove items such as the WordPress logo, Comments or + New.
Admin notices: hide the notices at the top of dashboard screens for the roles you pick.
Dashboard widgets: choose which boxes each role sees on the Dashboard home screen.

Works with your setup

Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles works with any theme and any plugin that registers user roles — including WooCommerce (Customer role), membership plugins, LMS plugins, and custom roles. Fully compatible with Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, Bricks, and WordPress Multisite.

Screenshots

Choose who doesn't see the admin bar: everyone, logged-out visitors, specific roles, or users with certain capabilities. — Choose who doesn’t see the admin bar: everyone, logged-out visitors, specific roles, or users with certain capabilities.

“Hide for everyone” removes the admin bar for every logged-in user. — Choose who doesn’t see the admin bar: everyone, logged-out visitors, specific roles, or users with certain capabilities.

Installation

In your dashboard, go to Plugins Add New Plugin and search for Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles. Or upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
Activate the plugin.
Go to Settings Hide Admin Bar Settings and choose who shouldn’t see the admin bar.

FAQ

How do I hide the admin bar for all users?: Go to Settings Hide Admin Bar Settings and turn on “Hide for everyone”. The admin bar disappears from the front end for every logged-in user, administrators included.
How do I hide the admin bar for subscribers or WooCommerce customers only?: Under “Hide for these roles”, select Subscriber or Customer and save. Administrators and any roles you leave unselected keep the admin bar. Custom roles from membership, LMS and other plugins appear in the list too.
How does hiding by capability work?: Add a capability, such as edit_posts, and anyone who has it won’t see the admin bar. This helps when a membership or LMS plugin grants capabilities rather than roles.
Can I disable the WordPress admin bar without code?: Yes — that’s exactly what this plugin does. Instead of adding show_admin_bar snippets to functions.php (which are lost when you switch themes), you get a settings page with role, capability and guest rules.
Does this plugin affect administrators?: Only if you choose to. Administrators keep the admin bar unless you turn on “Hide for everyone”, select the Administrator role, or add a capability they have.
Does it hide the admin bar inside the dashboard too?: The main rules control the admin bar on the front end of your site. To hide it inside the dashboard as well, go to the Dashboard & login tab, turn on “Hide it in the dashboard” and pick the roles. On phones and small tablets the admin bar stays, because it holds the button that opens the WordPress menu.
Can I stop subscribers or customers from opening wp-admin?: Yes. On the Dashboard & login tab, turn on “Block the dashboard”, pick the roles and, if you like, the page to send them to. Roles that can manage the site, such as Administrator, can’t be blocked. You can still let blocked users edit their profile.
Can I redirect users to a different page after they log in?: Yes. On the Dashboard & login tab, turn on “Redirect after login” and enter a page for each role. It works with the WordPress login form. Login links that ask for a specific page, such as “Log in to comment”, still go to that page.
Another plugin keeps showing the admin bar. What can I do?: Some plugins, such as BuddyPress, wpForo or WC Vendors, turn the admin bar back on. Go to the Compatibility tab and turn on Strict mode. It applies your admin bar rules once more, after every other plugin.
Can I hide admin menu items for a role?: Yes. On the Admin cleanup tab, turn on “Hide admin menu items” and tick the items to hide in each role’s column. Hiding a menu tidies it but doesn’t lock the screen; to keep a role out of wp-admin altogether, use Dashboard access. The Settings menu always stays, so you can get back to these settings.
Can I remove items from the admin bar instead of hiding the whole bar?: Yes. On the Admin cleanup tab, turn on “Remove admin bar items” and, in each role’s column, tick items such as the WordPress logo, Comments or + New. It applies on your site and in the dashboard.
Can I hide admin notices for my clients?: Yes. On the Admin cleanup tab, turn on “Hide admin notices” and pick the roles. It hides every notice for those roles, including update reminders, so keep it off for the people who look after the site.
How can I check what a user sees?: On the Dashboard & login tab, turn on “Allow switching to users”. Then, on the Users screen, click the “Switch to” button next to a user. A bar at the bottom of the screen shows who you’re viewing as, with a link to switch back.
I locked someone out of the dashboard. How do I undo it?: Add define( 'HAB_DISABLE_MODULES', true ); to wp-config.php. It switches off everything on the Dashboard & login, Admin cleanup and Compatibility tabs and keeps your settings. Your admin bar rules keep working. Remove the line once you’ve fixed the settings.
Will this plugin slow down my site?: No. It adds no CSS or JavaScript to the front end, and the visibility check runs once per page, before the page is built.
Does it work with my theme and page builder?: Yes. It works with any theme and with page builders such as Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder and Bricks.
Does it work on multisite?: Yes. The plugin supports WordPress Multisite networks.
Is there a Pro version?: No. Hide Admin Bar is completely free, with no locked features and no upsells.

Reviews

davidraudales 20 desèmber, 2025 2 replies

I LOVE IT

Norman Cates 13 desèmber, 2023 2 replies

Hides the admin bar for Administrator role, even though I've told it to allow Administrators to see the bar.

syyymonsyy 12 desèmber, 2023 2 replies

hide admin bar even though I’m admin

mich08 09 March, 2023

It's working very well after recent update.

upwithit 06 yüli, 2022 4 replies

I had to uninstall this plugin. After a recent update – I'm not sure when – the admin bar appeared for all users on the front end, whether they were logged in or not. Apparently, the update requires you to opt out of that functionality. That is literally the opposite of what the plugin was supposed to do. Since I'm more or less always logged in to the site, I didn't realize the admin bar was appearing on the front end for over a week.

ceef454 05 April, 2022 1 reply

I usually don't take time to give reviews, this thing is quick and magic! thank you!

Read all 20 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

“Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability” has been translated into 4 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

7.5.0

New: Admin cleanup tab. Hide admin menu items, admin bar items, admin notices and dashboard widgets for each role.
New: Switch to user. See your site as one of your users, then switch back in one click.
Every new feature is off until you switch it on. Your admin bar settings and how they work are unchanged.

7.4.0

New: Dashboard access. Keep chosen roles out of wp-admin and send them to a page you pick. Administrators always keep access.
New: Hide the admin bar inside the dashboard for chosen roles.
New: Login redirect. Choose where each role lands after logging in.
New: Strict mode keeps the admin bar hidden when another plugin, such as BuddyPress or wpForo, turns it back on.
New: The settings page has tabs: Admin bar, Dashboard & login, and Compatibility.
Every new feature is off until you switch it on. Your admin bar settings and how they work are unchanged.

7.3.0

New: Redesigned settings page that looks and works like the rest of WordPress. Changes save without reloading the page.
New: Add capabilities as tags. They are no longer cut off at 20 characters.
Improved: The plugin no longer loads any CSS or JavaScript (including jQuery) on the front end of your site.
Improved: The settings page loads one small stylesheet and script instead of Bootstrap and other libraries, making the plugin about 2 MB smaller.
Improved: The plugin is now completely free. Upgrade prompts and ads for paid plans are gone.
Updated: Freemius SDK 2.13.4.

7.2.5

Fixed: Minor compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version.

7.2.4

Fixed: Minor compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version.

7.2.3

Fixed: Minor compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version.

7.2.1

Fixed: Minor compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version.

7.2.0

Improved: Admin settings UI refresh for better usability.
Fixed: Minor compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version.

7.1.0

Improved: Admin settings UI refresh for better usability.
Improved: Code quality and inline documentation.
Fixed: Minor compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version.

7.0.3 – 31-01-2026

Fixed: Minor bugs and stability improvements.

7.0.1 – 25-11-2025

Fixed: Minor bugs and stability improvements.

6.0.3 – 03-07-2025

Fixed some bugs and improvements.

6.0.2 – 03-06-2025

Fixed some bugs and improvements.

6.0.0 – 20-04-2025

Major release: Pro version launched (optional, upgrade via Freemius)
Added: Auto Hide Admin Bar (Pro)
Added: Page-based, device-based, and time-based visibility modules (Pro)
Added: Per-user override, redirect on hide, import/export
Improved: Settings layout and compatibility with other plugins
Refactored: Modular architecture for clean feature handling

5.2.0 – 02-04-2025

I18N Issues Fixes
Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

5.0.0 – 16-02-2025

Admin ui updated.
Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

1.4

Code Improvements, GUI Updated, New Feature Integration.

1.3

Code Improvements, GUI Updated.

1.2

Fixed some bugs and improvements and new feature added -> Hide admin bar for all guest users.

1.1

Fixed some bugs and improvements.

1.0

First release

BEST OF THE BEST

Hides the admin bar even when I’m an administrator

hide admin bar even though I’m admin

It’s working very well after update

After an update, the admin bar appeared for all users.

AWESOME

Description

Why hide the WordPress admin bar?

Features

Dashboard & login

Admin cleanup

Works with your setup

More from the makers of Hide Admin Bar

Screenshots

Installation

FAQ

How do I hide the admin bar for all users?

How do I hide the admin bar for subscribers or WooCommerce customers only?

How does hiding by capability work?

Can I disable the WordPress admin bar without code?

Does this plugin affect administrators?

Does it hide the admin bar inside the dashboard too?

Can I stop subscribers or customers from opening wp-admin?

Can I redirect users to a different page after they log in?

Another plugin keeps showing the admin bar. What can I do?

Can I hide admin menu items for a role?

Can I remove items from the admin bar instead of hiding the whole bar?

Can I hide admin notices for my clients?

How can I check what a user sees?

I locked someone out of the dashboard. How do I undo it?

Will this plugin slow down my site?

Does it work with my theme and page builder?

Does it work on multisite?

Is there a Pro version?

Reviews

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Changelog

7.5.0

7.4.0

7.3.0

7.2.5

7.2.4

7.2.3

7.2.1

7.2.0

7.1.0

7.0.3 – 31-01-2026

7.0.1 – 25-11-2025

6.0.3 – 03-07-2025

6.0.2 – 03-06-2025

6.0.0 – 20-04-2025

5.2.0 – 02-04-2025

5.0.0 – 16-02-2025

4.1.0 – 28-12-2024

4.0.0 – 09-11-2024

3.9.1 – 30-10-2024

3.9.0 – 25-09-2024

3.8.3 – 13-08-2024

3.8.2 – 01-07-2024

3.8.1 – 24-05-2024

3.8.0 – 15-05-2024

3.7.2 – 03-03-2024

3.7.1 – 06-02-2024

3.7.0 – 01-01-2024

3.6.2 – 09-11-2023

3.6.1 – 01-10-2023

3.6.0 – 02-08-2023

3.5.6

3.5.5

3.5.4

3.5.3

3.5.2

3.5.1

3.5.0

3.4.1

3.4.0

3.3.0

3.2.0

3.1.0

3.0.0

2.9.0

2.8.0

2.7.0

2.6.0

2.5.0