Title: SAA Admin Menu Controls
Author: sdnet
Published: <strong>July 27, 2026</strong>
Last modified: July 27, 2026

---

Search plugins

![](https://ps.w.org/saa-admin-menu-controls/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3624973)

![](https://ps.w.org/saa-admin-menu-controls/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3624973)

# SAA Admin Menu Controls

 By [sdnet](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sdnet/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/saa-admin-menu-controls.1.0.1.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/saa-admin-menu-controls/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/saa-admin-menu-controls/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/saa-admin-menu-controls/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/saa-admin-menu-controls/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/saa-admin-menu-controls/)

## Description

SAA Admin Menu Controls gives you complete per-role control over the WordPress admin
menu. Decide exactly which links each role can see — hide the clutter or show only
the essentials — including menus added by third-party plugins like Elementor and
WooCommerce.

Perfect for agencies and freelancers shipping sites to clients: each role gets a
tailored admin menu while administrators keep the full toolkit.

**[Official Plugin Website](https://wpplugins.saadigital.com/saa-admin-menu-controls/)**
| **[Documentation & Setup Guide](https://wpplugins.saadigital.com/saa-admin-menu-controls/guide.html)**

Administrators are always protected: the plugin never applies its effects to administrators
unless they deliberately enter Preview Mode to see exactly what a role sees. A built-
in safe-mode bypass (`?saamc_safe=1`) guarantees you can never lock yourself out.

Key features:

 * **Per-role admin menu control** — independent rules for each role (Editor, Author,
   Contributor, Subscriber, plus any custom roles).
 * **Two menu modes** — “Hide selected” (tick what to remove) or “Show only selected”(
   tick what to keep, hide everything else).
 * **Automatic menu detection** — every registered admin menu appears as a tickable
   choice, including third-party plugin menus.
 * **Admin toolbar control** — also hide admin bar nodes per role.
 * **Optional client dashboard** — replace default widgets with a welcome panel (
   title, message, quick links, help box).
 * **Preview Mode** — see the admin exactly as any role sees it, with a bright “
   Exit Preview Mode” button.
 * **Lockout-proof** — administrators are never affected unless previewing, and `?
   saamc_safe=1` instantly restores every menu.
 * Modern tabbed settings screen, no external dependencies, no build step, translation
   ready.

## Screenshots

[⌊The SAA Admin Menu Controls settings page showing the General, Target Roles, and
Admin Menu sections.⌉⌊The SAA Admin Menu Controls settings page showing the General,
Target Roles, and Admin Menu sections.⌉[

The SAA Admin Menu Controls settings page showing the General, Target Roles, and
Admin Menu sections.

[⌊The Client Dashboard configuration with welcome message and quick links.⌉⌊The 
Client Dashboard configuration with welcome message and quick links.⌉[

The Client Dashboard configuration with welcome message and quick links.

[⌊The simplified client dashboard with the branded welcome widget and quick links.⌉⌊
The simplified client dashboard with the branded welcome widget and quick links.⌉[

The simplified client dashboard with the branded welcome widget and quick links.

## Installation

 1. Upload the `saa-admin-menu-controls` folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory,
    or install the plugin through the WordPress Plugins screen directly.
 2. Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” screen in WordPress.
 3. Go to **Settings > SAA Admin Menu Controls** to configure the plugin.
 4. Select the target roles, choose a menu mode (Hide selected / Show only selected),
    and tick the admin menu links.
 5. Use Preview Mode to verify the menu as that role sees it, then Save.

For a complete walkthrough, see the **[Setup Guide](https://wpplugins.saadigital.com/saa-admin-menu-controls/guide.html)**.

## FAQ

### Will this affect administrators?

No. Administrators (users with the `manage_options` capability) are always protected
and never have effects applied, unless they explicitly enable Preview Mode from 
the settings page.

### I hid too much and cannot find the settings. What do I do?

Add `?saamc_safe=1` to any admin URL (for example `/wp-admin/index.php?saamc_safe
=1`). This instantly disables all effects for administrators and clears Preview 
Mode.

### Does hiding a menu item actually block access?

No. Hiding a menu item only removes it from the admin menu for the selected roles.
It does not change WordPress capabilities. Use a dedicated role/capability plugin
if you need to restrict access itself.

### Can I hide menus added by other plugins?

Yes. The plugin detects every top-level admin menu currently registered — including
menus added by plugins such as Elementor and WooCommerce — and lists them automatically
as tickable choices, so you no longer have to type them by hand.

If a menu is not listed (for example one that only appears in certain contexts),
you can still add it via the “Custom menu slugs” textarea, one slug per line. Use
the menu slug the plugin registered, not the URL: for example `elementor`, not `
admin.php?page=elementor`. The plugin also accepts the full `admin.php?page=...`
form and normalises it for you. Core custom post type menus use their full slug,
for example `edit.php?post_type=product`.

### What is the difference between “Hide selected” and “Show only selected”?

Each role’s Admin Menu section has a mode switch. In “Hide selected” mode (the default)
the items you tick are removed and everything else stays. In “Show only selected”
mode the plugin keeps only the items you tick and removes everything else — ideal
when a client should see just a couple of menus. The Dashboard is always kept in“
Show only” mode so the client still has a home screen.

### Does the plugin store any personal data?

No. It stores a single settings option and a per-administrator preview flag in user
meta. Both are removed when you uninstall the plugin.

### Is the plugin translation ready?

Yes. All user-facing strings use the `saa-admin-menu-controls` text domain and a
POT template is included in the `languages` folder.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“SAA Admin Menu Controls” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ sdnet ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sdnet/)

[Translate “SAA Admin Menu Controls” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/saa-admin-menu-controls)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/saa-admin-menu-controls/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/saa-admin-menu-controls/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/saa-admin-menu-controls/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/saa-admin-menu-controls/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.1

 * Patch: Force CSS cache refresh to ensure styling loads correctly after updates.

#### 1.0.0

 * Initial release.
 * Independent per-role configuration — each role has its own hidden menus, hidden
   toolbar items, and client dashboard.
 * Automatic detection of all registered admin menus, including third-party plugin
   menus.
 * Per-role “Hide selected” / “Show only selected” mode for admin menus.
 * Modern settings screen with hero header, tabbed navigation, and per-role panels.
 * Branded client dashboard widget with gradient header, quick links, and help box.
 * Preview Mode to experience the admin as any configured role.
 * Safe-mode bypass (`?saamc_safe=1`) for lockout protection.
 * Translation ready.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.1**
 *  Last updated **10 hours ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.0.2**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 * Tags
 * [admin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/admin/)[admin menu](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/admin-menu/)
   [Client](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/client/)[dashboard](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/dashboard/)
   [White Label](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/white-label/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/saa-admin-menu-controls/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/saa-admin-menu-controls/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/saa-admin-menu-controls/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ sdnet ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sdnet/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/saa-admin-menu-controls/)