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WordPress calls the Admin Bar the Toolbar. It appears above the site for signed-in users and provides shortcuts to common administration tasks. You can control whether it appears on the front end in your profile, hide it with a code filter, or customize its menu items.
What the WordPress Toolbar does
The Toolbar sits above the site when you are signed in and gives you links to administration screens and actions. Depending on your access, site configuration, theme, plugins, and WordPress version, it may include shortcuts to WordPress information, creating posts or pages, adding users, reviewing comments, and available plugin or theme updates. The entries are not identical on every site or for every user.
WordPress’s Toolbar documentation, last updated January 16, 2023, describes its purpose and the user profile setting.
Show or hide the Toolbar on the front end
Change the setting for your own account
- In the WordPress Administration Screen, go to Users > Your Profile.
- Under the Toolbar option, toggle Show Toolbar when viewing site.
- Save your profile changes.
This preference controls the Toolbar while viewing the front end. It does not hide the Toolbar from Administration Screens; WordPress says the profile preference cannot be used to turn it off there.
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Hide it through code
For front-end visibility control in code, WordPress documents the show_admin_bar filter. Returning false is the recommended way to hide the Toolbar. For example, a developer can add this filter in a site-specific plugin or theme code:
add_filter( 'show_admin_bar', '__return_false' );The developer reference also documents show_admin_bar( $show ), which sets display status and can be called when a plugin loads or placed in a theme’s functions.php. These are code-level approaches rather than per-user preferences; other plugins can also affect the resulting behavior. See the official show_admin_bar filter reference and show_admin_bar() function reference.
Why the Toolbar may be missing
If the Toolbar is absent while you view the site, check the profile preference first. If Show Toolbar when viewing site is enabled, WordPress documentation identifies two possible causes:
- The active theme’s
footer.phpmay not callwp_footer(). - A plugin may have disabled the Toolbar.
These are possibilities, not a diagnosis of a particular site. Confirm the cause before changing theme code or disabling plugins. If you test plugins, do so carefully on a staging site where possible, and check that the Toolbar returns after each change.
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Customize Toolbar menu items
To add, remove, or modify menu entries, developers can work with the core WP_Admin_Bar class. WordPress says modifications are generally made to the $wp_admin_bar object passed to the admin_bar_menu hook. Consult the WP_Admin_Bar class reference and the admin_bar_menu hook reference for the current API.
When adding a shortcut to an administrative action, check that the user has the capability required for that destination. A menu link should not expose or imply access that the user does not have.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose a customization method
| Need | Approach | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Hide the Toolbar for one account on the front end | Users > Your Profile preference | That user’s front-end display preference; not the Toolbar in Administration Screens. |
| Control front-end visibility in code | show_admin_bar filter or documented function |
Whether the Toolbar is displayed; behavior can interact with other plugins. |
| Change particular Toolbar entries | WP_Admin_Bar with the admin_bar_menu hook |
Menu items rather than simply hiding the entire bar. |
| Prefer a visual configuration interface | Admin Bar Editor plugin | The directory listing describes controls for hiding and rearranging items, styling, and position; adding links is listed as a Pro feature. |
The WordPress plugin-directory listing for Admin Bar Editor describes those visual controls. A plugin listing does not establish compatibility with a particular WordPress version or site setup. Check its current compatibility information, update activity, permissions, and terms before installing it.
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