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Use WordPress’s built-in Hide control when you only need to remove a block or make it responsive. Use the Block Visibility plugin when a block must appear only for certain users, dates, URLs, devices, purchases, or other conditions. The critical distinction is privacy: Omit from published content prevents the block from being delivered to visitors and crawlers, while device-based hiding is a presentation technique that can leave the content in the page code.
Choose the right kind of block visibility
“Visibility controls determine whether a block should be visible to users on the front end of your website.” In practice, WordPress offers two different levels of control.
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| Method | Best for | How the result is produced | Privacy implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core: Omit from published content | Temporarily removing a block from a published page | The block is omitted from the published output | Visitors, screen readers, and search engines do not receive or announce it |
| Core: Hide by device | Responsive layouts, such as hiding a large image on phones | The block remains in the page code and is visually hidden for selected desktop, tablet, or mobile sizes | Not access control; the content may remain available to screen readers, search engines, or anyone inspecting source |
| Block Visibility plugin | Schedules, login states, roles, campaigns, commerce, metadata, and other conditional rules | Most conditions are evaluated server-side so a block is not rendered; screen-size rules use CSS | Suitable for conditional delivery, but CSS-only screen-size rules are not private |
Do not use device-based hiding for private or sensitive information. If a visitor must not receive the content, choose Omit from published content or a server-side condition instead.
Check your WordPress setup first
- You need the block editor (Gutenberg) and a theme that supports it.
- Block Visibility requires the latest WordPress version according to its official listing.
- Site Editor support is available from Block Visibility version 1.4.0 for block themes.
- The plugin does not add controls to the Classic Editor and does not control content built with Elementor or another page builder.
Open a post or page in the block editor and select a block. If the block toolbar, List View, and block settings sidebar are available, you can use the core controls. If you are editing a page-builder module rather than a WordPress block, these instructions do not apply.
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Hide a block with WordPress core controls
- Open the post or page in the WordPress block editor.
- Select the block you want to control.
- Open the block toolbar’s Options menu and choose Hide. Depending on your WordPress version and editor layout, the same control may also appear in the block settings/sidebar or the Command Palette.
- Choose Omit from published content to remove the block from the public page, or select one or more device types for responsive hiding.
- Click Apply, then save or update the post or page.
WordPress records the hidden state with an icon in List View. This makes it possible to find blocks that are not currently visible while you continue editing the page.
Use Omit from published content for removal
This option removes the block from the published page rather than merely changing its appearance. Visitors do not receive the block, screen readers do not announce it, and search engines cannot index that omitted content. The block remains in the editor, so you can restore it later without rebuilding the content.
Use this mode for an expired announcement, a draft section that should stay in the editor, or content that must not be delivered until you deliberately re-enable it. It is not a substitute for permissions on an entire post, membership system, or confidential data stored elsewhere; it controls the selected block’s published output.
Use device hiding for responsive presentation
Choose desktop, tablet, or mobile in the Hide control when the same page needs different visual arrangements. For example, you might hide a wide promotional graphic on mobile and show a compact alternative block instead.
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The block is still part of the page code. Depending on the browser, assistive technology, caching, and other markup, it may remain available to screen readers, search engines, or anyone viewing the source. Never place passwords, private customer details, unreleased confidential copy, or other sensitive material in a device-hidden block.
Install and configure Block Visibility
- In the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for Block Visibility, install it, and activate it.
- Open the plugin’s settings if you need to review its available controls.
- Edit the post or page containing the target block.
- Select the block and open its Visibility panel.
- Create a rule by choosing one or more conditions and their values.
- Save or update the post/page, then test the result as a matching and non-matching visitor.
The plugin’s controls are primarily server-side, so a block that fails a condition is not rendered in the page output. Screen-size visibility is the exception: it uses CSS and therefore has the same exposure limitations as core device hiding.
Conditions you can apply
Dates, days, and times
Set a start date and end date for a block such as a sale banner or event notice. You can also repeat visibility by day of the week and time of day. A recurring schedule is useful for opening hours or a weekly registration window; a fixed start and end is better for a one-time promotion. Check the site’s timezone and test the boundary minute, because a rule based on the wrong timezone can appear to change early or late.
Login state, roles, and individual users
Show a block to logged-in users, logged-out visitors, selected WordPress roles, or specific user accounts. The User Role control can target custom membership roles as well as categories such as customers, members, logged-in users, and logged-out visitors. This is useful for a member welcome panel, a sign-in prompt, or instructions that only staff should see.
Role conditions depend on the roles actually assigned to the account. If a membership extension creates a custom role, select that role rather than assuming it is equivalent to the standard Subscriber or Customer role.
URL and referral rules
Use URL query strings to show campaign-specific content, such as a message for visitors arriving with a particular parameter. Referral-source conditions can tailor a block to visitors coming from a qualifying referrer. Treat query strings as discoverable: do not use a URL parameter as the only protection for confidential information.
Location, post context, and metadata
Rules can use location and post context, including where the block is being displayed. Post metadata and user metadata let a block respond to values stored on the current post or user account. These controls are useful for a content flag, an author profile field, or a custom editorial status, but confirm that the metadata key and value are exactly what your site stores.
Cookies and custom fields
Cookie conditions can show or suppress a block after a visitor has taken an action, such as dismissing an announcement. Advanced sites can use ACF fields as conditions, allowing editors to control visibility from custom fields rather than repeatedly editing block settings. Document the cookie name or field key so another administrator can understand why a block is missing.
WooCommerce conditions
For stores, Block Visibility can evaluate products, cart contents, and purchase history. You can show a cross-sell only when a qualifying product is in the cart, display instructions after a particular purchase, or hide a promotion from customers who already bought the item. Test an empty cart, a cart containing the qualifying product, and a completed purchase account before publishing.
Easy Digital Downloads and WP Fusion
Easy Digital Downloads integrations can use downloads, cart contents, and purchase history. WP Fusion tags can drive visibility from CRM or marketing segmentation. These rules depend on the integration’s data being present and current; if a tag, download, or purchase is added asynchronously, verify when the visibility check occurs and clear relevant caches while testing.
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Schedule a promotion
- Create the promotion banner or call-to-action block.
- Open its Visibility panel.
- Add a start date and an end date, and add a time-of-day rule if the offer begins or ends at a specific hour.
- Save the page and preview it outside the scheduled window as well as inside it.
- After the promotion, remove or revise the block so an expired offer cannot be mistaken for a current one.
Show content only to logged-in customers
- Place the customer-only block in the page.
- In Visibility, choose the User Role condition.
- Select the customer or membership role used by your site, or choose logged-in users if every authenticated account should see it.
- Test while logged out, with a qualifying account, and with an account that has a different role.
If the content is genuinely confidential, verify the rendered HTML while logged out. A server-side omission should leave no copy of the block in that response.
Use different content on mobile
- Create the desktop and mobile versions as separate blocks.
- On the desktop version, choose Hide and select mobile.
- On the mobile version, choose Hide and select desktop and tablet as appropriate.
- Apply the settings and test at each breakpoint, including a tablet-sized viewport.
This improves layout without duplicating a private data set. It is still not a security boundary because the hidden blocks remain part of the page output.
Core controls versus Block Visibility
| Decision factor | WordPress core | Block Visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Remove a block from published output | Yes, with Omit from published content | Yes, when a server-side condition excludes it |
| Device-specific presentation | Yes; desktop, tablet, and mobile options | Yes; screen-size control uses CSS |
| Schedules and recurring times | Basic hide only; no documented conditional schedule in the core control | Start/end dates, days of week, and times of day |
| Users and roles | Not supplied by the basic Hide control | Login state, roles, and individual users |
| URL, referral, metadata, and cookies | Not supplied by the basic Hide control | Supported as visibility conditions |
| Commerce and CRM integrations | Not supplied by the basic Hide control | WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, ACF, and WP Fusion controls are documented |
| Editor scope | Block editor controls | Block editor; Site Editor support from version 1.4.0 for block themes |
| Page-builder modules | Not applicable | Does not control Elementor or other page-builder content |
Another plugin, Responsive Visibility, is an alternative for sites that need CSS/media-query device rules plus login, role, user, post, post-type, page-type, URL-parameter, and shortcode conditions. Its documented logic can use All or Any matching. Compare it with Block Visibility on server-side omission, condition coverage, privacy exposure, integrations, theme compatibility, and editor usability rather than on the number of checkboxes alone.
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Privacy, accessibility, and search considerations
- Private content: use Omit from published content or a server-side condition. Do not rely on a desktop/mobile CSS rule.
- Search visibility: omitted blocks are not delivered to crawlers; CSS-hidden blocks may still be present for indexing or source inspection.
- Accessibility: device hiding can create confusing experiences when assistive technology encounters content that is visually suppressed. Test the resulting page with your accessibility tools.
- Caching: a page cache, reverse proxy, or fragment cache can serve a previously generated result. Purge caches after changing conditions and test in a private browser session.
- Disclosure: a URL parameter, cookie, role name, or CSS class can reveal that conditional content exists. Avoid putting sensitive details in labels, HTML attributes, or client-side data.
Troubleshoot a block that appears or disappears incorrectly
The block is missing in the editor
Open List View and look for the visibility icon. Select the block there and inspect its Hide or Visibility settings. If it is omitted, restore the setting and apply the change; the block should remain available for editing even when absent from the public page.
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The condition works for you but not for another visitor
Check the account’s actual role, login state, purchase history, cart contents, cookie, metadata value, and URL parameter. Test in a private window, sign out completely, and clear page or object caches. A cached response can make a correct rule appear broken.
A device-hidden block is still discoverable
That is expected behavior. Device hiding is CSS-based. Replace it with Omit from published content or a server-side plugin condition if the block must not be delivered.
The Visibility panel is unavailable
Confirm that the plugin is active, the content is a block, and the editor is supported. The plugin does not operate in the Classic Editor or inside other page builders. For Site Editor templates, confirm that the installed plugin version is at least 1.4.0 and that the theme is a block theme.
A scheduled block changes at the wrong time
Check the WordPress site timezone, the rule’s start and end values, recurring day selections, and any cache expiration time. Test just before and just after each boundary rather than relying only on the editor preview.
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A WordPress 7.0 development note describes viewport visibility rules for desktop, tablet, and mobile, with Hide/Show controls in the toolbar, List View, and Command Palette. It also describes additional rule types as planned rather than as a guarantee for every installation. Editor labels and behavior can therefore differ by the WordPress version you have installed. Verify the controls in your site before writing version-specific documentation or troubleshooting a client site.
Quick Recap
Block visibility checklist
- Decide whether the requirement is removal, responsive presentation, or conditional access.
- For removal, use Omit from published content.
- For layout changes, use device hiding and keep sensitive information out of those blocks.
- Install Block Visibility for schedules, roles, users, URL campaigns, metadata, cookies, commerce, downloads, or CRM tags.
- Confirm the block editor and a compatible theme; remember that page-builder content is outside the plugin’s scope.
- Test matching and non-matching users, devices, dates, and cache states before publishing.
- Inspect the logged-out response when privacy matters; a hidden block should not be present in the HTML.
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