Description
DashClean is a modular WordPress admin optimization plugin built for developers, agencies, and site owners who need a cleaner, faster, and more professional wp-admin experience.
Version 2.0.0 introduces a service-layer architecture with administrator protection, schema-aware settings migration, runtime discovery caching, and scalable user targeting — designed for client deployments and large WordPress installations.
Core Capabilities
- Menu Cleaner — Hide admin menu and submenu items by role or user.
- Dashboard Widget Manager — Remove all or specific dashboard widgets.
- Admin Bar Cleaner — Hide toolbar nodes for targeted users.
- Notice Cleaner — Suppress admin notices while optionally keeping critical errors.
- Performance Optimization Tools — Disable emojis, jQuery Migrate, header junk, and selectively dequeue frontend assets.
- Role-Based Visibility Controls — Apply cleaning rules to selected roles.
- User-Specific Targeting — Fine-tune restrictions to individual user accounts.
- Preset Management System — Apply Client or Developer templates; save custom snapshots.
- Import / Export Settings — Move configurations between sites with JSON backups.
- Schema-Aware Settings Migration — Automatic compatibility for legacy export files.
- Runtime Discovery Cache System — Reliable widget, admin bar, and asset inventories.
- Safe Administrator Protection Layer — Users with
manage_optionsare never restricted. - AJAX User Search & Scalability — Paginated user search for large sites (no bulk loading).
- Multisite-Aware Cleanup Support — Uninstall removes data across network sites.
- Translation Ready — Full text domain support with POT catalog included.
Why DashClean
Unlike heavy white-label plugins, DashClean uses a performance-first modular design. Optional modules load only when enabled. Settings are stored in a single option with schema versioning for safe upgrades.
Administrators always retain full access. Presets merge into existing configuration rather than wiping unrelated module settings.
Screenshots
Installation
- Upload the
dashcleanfolder to/wp-content/plugins/. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Open DashClean in the admin sidebar to configure modules.
- Visit the WordPress Dashboard once to populate the widget discovery cache.
- Visit the site frontend once (with Performance enabled) to seed asset discovery.
FAQ
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Is DashClean free?
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Yes. DashClean is open-source software released under the GPL v2 or later.
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Will this slow down my site?
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No. Disabled modules do not register hooks. Asset discovery uses hash-based transient writes to avoid per-request database churn. The Access tab uses AJAX search instead of loading full user lists.
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Can administrators be locked out?
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No. Version 2.0.0 includes an administrator protection layer. Users with the
manage_optionscapability bypass all cleaner restrictions. The DashClean settings page remains accessible for recovery. -
Can I hide DashClean from clients?
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The DashClean settings menu requires
manage_options. Non-administrator roles cannot access plugin settings by default. Use the Access module to apply cleaning rules to specific roles and users. -
Do presets overwrite my entire configuration?
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No. Starting in 2.0.0, applying a preset merges only the keys defined in that preset. Your existing Menu Cleaner, Dashboard, and other module settings outside the preset remain intact.
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Does DashClean work on multisite?
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Yes. Uninstall cleanup runs on all network sites. Configure each site independently through its own DashClean settings.
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Is DashClean translation ready?
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Yes. The plugin loads the
dashcleantext domain and includes a POT file in/languages/.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“DashClean” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “DashClean” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
2.0.0
Major architecture and production hardening release.
Added:
* Administrator protection layer (User_Access service)
* Centralized User Targeting system (User_Targeting service)
* Schema migration framework with schema_version support
* Runtime discovery caching for dashboard widgets and admin bar nodes
* AJAX paginated user search for Access tab (20 results per request)
* Multisite uninstall cleanup across all network sites
* Translation loading via load_plugin_textdomain()
* Silence index.php files throughout plugin directories
* dashclean_bypass_admin_protection filter for extensibility
Changed:
* Preset application now merges preset keys into existing settings (preserves unrelated modules)
* Settings class refactored to pure data layer (controllers own nonce/lifecycle)
* Discovery system redesigned with hook-time collection and cached inventories
* Asset discovery optimized with hash-based transient write skipping
* User targeting centralized in single service (removed duplicated logic)
* Import/export upgraded with schema validation and migration path
* Custom preset snapshots saved from server-side persisted settings
* Discovery cache diff checks to prevent redundant option writes
* Improved selected-user display limits (up to 1,000 users)
* Strict admin tab whitelist validation
Fixed:
* Administrator lockout scenarios via menu hiding and direct URL blocking
* Preset configuration overwrite wiping unrelated module settings
* Nonce lifecycle inconsistencies for active_preset clearing
* Dashboard widget and admin bar discovery reliability on settings page
* Asset transient write inefficiency on every frontend page load
* Unlimited get_users() loading on Access tab
* Hardcoded JavaScript strings not passed through localization
* Presets master toggle outside form submission path
* Documentation inaccuracies (removed nonexistent “Blogger Mode” preset reference)
* Removed deprecated Role_Manager targeting method
Security:
* Protected administrators bypass all cleaner restrictions
* Improved import file path validation (no sanitization of filesystem tmp paths)
* Removed HTTP/$_POST concerns from Settings data layer
Performance:
* Eliminated unnecessary transient writes when asset inventory unchanged
* Removed rewrite flush on activation and deactivation
* Scalable user search replaces bulk role roster loading
* Reduced admin page load on large-user installations
Developer:
* New service-layer architecture (User_Access, User_Targeting, Discovery, Schema)
* Schema migration support for forward-compatible imports
* Cleaner module integrations via shared targeting service
* Improved maintainability and reduced code duplication
* Internal maintainability and final pre-release cleanup improvements
1.0.2
- Production hardening: administrator safety layer, preset merge fix, scalable user search
- Asset discovery hash-based transient writes
- Schema version support for import/export
- Cached dashboard widget and admin bar discovery
- Multisite uninstall support
1.0.1
- Corrected invalid Author URI
- Improved plugin header metadata
- Security and coding standards improvements
- Internal refactoring and cleanup
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Modular cleaners for Dashboard, Menu, and Admin Bar
- Performance optimizations
- Presets and data portability