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WordPress update messages come from separate systems, so there is no single safe switch that hides everything. The red core-update notice, plugin and theme badges, update emails, and automatic installation each require a different control. Hide the core nag only for users who do not maintain the site, manage plugin and theme updates item by item, filter core emails separately, and treat any setting that stops automatic installation as an operational change that requires backups, staging, and a named person responsible for manual updates.
Identify which WordPress notification you want to remove
Before changing code or installing a plugin, reproduce the complaint and note where it appears. WordPress uses several notification channels that look related but are not controlled by the same hook or setting.
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| What you see | Where it appears | What it means | Correct control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core update nag | A notice in the WordPress administration area, often at the top of dashboard screens | A newer WordPress core version is available | Remove the update_nag action for selected capabilities |
| Plugin or theme badge | Red counts or highlights beside Plugins, Appearance, or an individual item | A plugin or theme update is available | Use the built-in per-item update controls, or a maintained notification-management plugin when display suppression is genuinely required |
| Core update email | An email sent to the site administrator | WordPress is notifying the administrator about a core update | Use the send_core_update_notification_email filter |
| Automatic-update result email | An email reporting a background update attempt or result | The automatic updater acted, or was disabled, and reported its status | Check automatic-updater settings and the sender; a dashboard-notice filter does not control this channel |
| Host or plugin email | Email branded or formatted by your host, security service, maintenance tool, or another plugin | A separate system is monitoring updates | Change that product’s notification setting or contact its administrator |
Hiding a notice changes what a user sees. It does not, by itself, stop WordPress from checking for updates or installing them. Conversely, turning off automatic installation does not necessarily remove menu badges. Keep those goals separate throughout your troubleshooting.
Use this decision path before making a change
- Only editors or authors are distracted by the red core nag: hide the core notice for users who lack the
update_corecapability, while leaving it visible to an administrator or maintenance role. - A plugin or theme badge is the problem: open the relevant Plugins or Themes screen and decide whether the item should update automatically. The built-in toggle controls installation, not every visual alert.
- The problem is an email: identify whether it is a core update email, an automatic-updater report, or a message from your host or another plugin. Apply the control belonging to that sender.
- You need to stop automatic installation: use the documented constants or update filters in a must-use plugin, then establish a manual patch and rollback process. This is not merely a cosmetic change.
Always retain at least one administrator or maintenance owner who can see update warnings and act on security releases.
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Hide the core update nag for selected users
The core reference defines update_nag() as the function that returns the core update notification. You can remove that action for users who cannot update core, while administrators continue to receive the warning.
Install the capability-based snippet
- Test the change on staging or a current backup first.
- Place the following PHP in a site-specific plugin or a must-use plugin that is loaded for the administration area. Do not paste it into a theme that may be replaced during a redesign.
- Log in with a non-maintenance account and confirm that the core notice is gone. Then test an administrator account and confirm that the notice remains.
<?php
function hide_core_update_notifications_unless_admin() {
if ( ! current_user_can( 'update_core' ) ) {
remove_action( 'admin_notices', 'update_nag', 3 );
}
}
add_action( 'admin_head', 'hide_core_update_notifications_unless_admin', 1 );The condition is capability-based rather than username-based. Anyone granted update_core keeps the warning; everyone else loses this particular core notice. That makes the rule continue to work if staff accounts change.
Understand the multisite limitation
The documented example is intended for installations that are not multisite. In a network, core updates and permissions can be governed from Network Administration, and a site’s local administrator may not have the authority represented by a single-site update_core check. Review network-admin roles and test with the accounts that actually perform network updates before deploying this pattern across a multisite installation.
What this snippet does not hide
It targets the core update nag only. It does not remove plugin or theme badges, suppress emails, disable update checks, or prevent an automatic update. If another plugin adds its own notice, that plugin’s code may still display it.
Handle plugin and theme update alerts
WordPress surfaces available plugin and theme updates in the Plugins and Appearance screens and through an admin-menu alert bubble. Those indicators are useful because they identify work that may include security fixes. A setting that permits automatic updates is therefore not a universal “hide every notice” switch.
Turn automatic updates on or off for plugins
- In the dashboard, open Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Find the plugin and use its Automatic updates control. Depending on your version and permissions, the control appears as a link or a column action.
- For several plugins, select their checkboxes, choose the available automatic-update action from the bulk-actions menu, and apply it.
- Leave security-sensitive components assigned to a documented update policy. If you turn automatic updates off, record who will review and install releases.
The toggle determines whether WordPress may install updates for that item automatically. It does not promise that the Plugins menu will stop showing an available-update count.
Turn automatic updates on or off for themes
- Open Appearance > Themes.
- Select the theme to open its details.
- Use the theme’s Automatic updates control when it is available and when your account has permission to change it.
- Repeat for each installed theme that has a separate update policy, including inactive themes that you retain for rollback.
Do not delete an inactive theme solely to remove its alert without checking whether it is your fallback theme or required by a site workflow.
Suppressing the visual information with a settings plugin
If a site needs an administration screen that separately controls core, plugin, theme, translation, and notification displays, the WordPress.org listing for Disable & Manage Updates describes controls for update checks, automatic-update behavior, notices, badges, counts, and alerts. Treat it as an optional third-party component: review its maintenance history, compatibility with the site’s WordPress version, code quality, and security posture before activation. A settings interface can make a policy easier to manage, but it does not remove the need for a person to monitor security releases.
Stop WordPress update emails
Email is a separate layer from the dashboard. Removing an admin notice will not reliably stop mail, and an email filter will not remove menu badges.
Filter core update notification email
For the administrator email specifically associated with a core update, add the following filter in a site plugin or must-use plugin:
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<?php
add_filter( 'send_core_update_notification_email', '__return_false' );This affects the core update-notification decision. It does not automatically suppress messages generated by a host, a maintenance service, a security plugin, or a report about a plugin or theme update.
Find the real sender when mail continues
- Read the From address, subject, and footer. A host or external maintenance service often identifies itself there.
- Temporarily review notification settings in plugins that scan files, manage backups, or perform updates.
- Check whether the message reports an automatic update attempt rather than merely announcing an available core version.
- Change the setting in the system that generated the message. A WordPress core filter cannot control a message sent outside WordPress.
Understand the broad automatic-updater switch
The automatic_updater_disabled filter controls whether background updates are disabled; the reference also notes that disabling the automatic updater disables update-notification emails. Because this is a broad operational switch, use it only when you intend to change background update behavior, not as a cosmetic way to silence one email. If you use it, put the filter in a must-use plugin and document the resulting manual process.
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Disable automatic installation when that is the actual requirement
Some organizations need updates installed only after compatibility testing, a maintenance window, or a client approval. WordPress documents the WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE and AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED constants, along with filters for core, plugin, theme, and translation decisions. These settings affect update behavior, not just what appears on screen.
Use a must-use plugin for filters
Create a PHP file in the site’s wp-content/mu-plugins directory, or add the filters to an existing must-use plugin managed by your deployment process. A minimal example that prevents automatic plugin and theme installation is:
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add_filter( 'auto_update_plugin', '__return_false' );
add_filter( 'auto_update_theme', '__return_false' );The dynamic auto_update_{$type} hook covers core, plugin, theme, and translation decisions; the documented hook names include auto_update_core, auto_update_plugin, auto_update_theme, and auto_update_translation. Add only the policies you have decided to own. A rule that blocks every category can leave security fixes waiting for a manual operator.
Place constants and filters in the right files
Constants such as WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE and AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED are configuration values, normally set in wp-config.php according to the policy you have chosen. The Advanced Administration Handbook specifically advises against putting add_filter() calls directly in wp-config.php: WordPress is not fully loaded there, and load-order conflicts can result. Put filter callbacks in a plugin or must-use plugin instead.
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Know the version context
WordPress 5.5 introduced the dashboard controls for plugin and theme automatic updates. The hook documentation also records the default major-core behavior for new WordPress 5.6 and later installations. Older sites, upgraded sites with legacy configuration, and managed hosting environments can behave differently, so verify the effective settings on the site rather than assuming a version-history default applies.
Build the manual update process before disabling automation
The handbook strongly discourages broadly disabling automatic updates because minor and security updates help keep sites current. If your policy requires manual installation, write down the replacement process before enabling the filter:
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- Apply updates on staging first and exercise the site’s critical forms, checkout, login, search, and integrations.
- Record the target versions, test result, approver, maintenance window, and rollback plan.
- Assign one person or team to review the dashboard and release notices on a defined schedule.
- After updating production, verify the site and remove or revise temporary blocks that are no longer needed.
Without that ownership, suppressing automation trades a visible inconvenience for a higher chance that an important security fix will be forgotten.
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The red core nag remains for an editor
- Confirm that the account truly lacks
update_core. Custom roles can grant capabilities unexpectedly. - Check that the snippet is loaded in the current site, not only in a theme or plugin that is inactive.
- On multisite, test the network-administration context and network roles; the single-site example is not a complete network policy.
- Inspect the page source or temporarily disable other administration plugins if a second plugin is generating a similar notice.
The plugin or theme bubble remains after automatic updates are disabled
That is expected. The automatic-update toggle decides whether WordPress may install the item; it is not a universal notice-removal switch. Use a notification-management setting only if the site has a clear reason to hide the availability information and a maintenance owner still monitors releases.
Emails continue after the core email filter
Compare the sender and subject with the event you intended to suppress. The message may be from an automatic-updater result, a plugin, or your host. The send_core_update_notification_email filter cannot intercept mail created by another system.
Updates still install after adding a filter
- Look for another plugin or must-use plugin that returns a different value later in the filter chain.
- Check hosting or deployment tooling that may update files outside WordPress’s normal updater.
- Confirm that the filter file is syntactically valid and actually loaded.
- Review the specific update type: blocking plugin updates does not automatically block themes, core, or translations.
The Automatic updates control is missing
Your WordPress version, account capability, plugin or theme packaging, or hosting policy may not expose the control. Update WordPress through the site’s approved maintenance route and check with the person who administers the network or hosting environment before changing code.
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- Remove or comment out the relevant filter in the must-use or site plugin, then test with an administrator account.
- Restore any configuration constant to the site’s documented default rather than guessing at a value.
- Re-enable per-plugin or per-theme automatic updates from their dashboard screens where that matches your policy.
- Send a controlled test or wait for the next normal notification cycle to confirm that the intended channel is active again.
- Update your maintenance documentation so the next administrator knows which settings were changed and why.
The safest configuration is not the one with the fewest badges; it is the one that keeps irrelevant users focused while ensuring that a clearly assigned maintainer can see, test, and apply security updates.
