The Admin Bar (officially called the Toolbar) is the thin, dark horizontal strip located at the very top of the screen when you are logged into your WordPress website. It serves as a permanent shortcut hub, allowing you to jump between the “back end” (the Dashboard) and the “front end” (what your visitors see) instantly.
Where does it appear?
- The Dashboard: It stays at the top while you are writing posts or changing settings.
- The Live Site: As long as you are logged in, you will see it floating at the top of your actual website. Note: Your regular visitors cannot see this bar; it is only visible to registered users with the right permissions.
Key Features & Shortcuts
The Admin Bar is designed to reduce the number of clicks you need to perform common tasks. Here are the most useful icons:
- The WordPress Logo: Quick links to WordPress.org, documentation, and support forums.
- The House Icon (Site Name): Hover over this to see the “Visit Site” link. If you are already on the live site, this will change to “Dashboard” to take you back to your settings.
- The Refresh Icon (Updates): A small circular arrow that shows a number if your themes or plugins need updating.
- The Speech Bubble (Comments): Shows how many pending comments are waiting for your approval.
- The “+ New” Menu: One of the most useful buttons. Click this to immediately start a new Post, Page, Media upload, or User.
- “Edit Post / Page”: When you are viewing a live article on your site and notice a typo, click this button in the Admin Bar to go directly to the editor for that specific page.
- Search: A quick way to find specific posts or pages within your database.
- User Profile (Top Right): Where you can edit your profile or log out.
Pro Tip: How to Hide the Admin Bar
Sometimes, the Admin Bar can get in the way of your design work (like when checking if a sticky header looks right). If you want to hide it while viewing your live site:
- Go to your Dashboard.
- Navigate to Users > Profile.
- Uncheck the box that says “Show Toolbar when viewing site.”
- Scroll to the bottom and click Update Profile.
Common Troubleshooting
“Why can’t I see the Admin Bar?” If you are logged in but the bar is missing, it’s usually because of a caching plugin (like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache) or a browser extension. Try clearing your browser cache or checking your User Profile settings mentioned above.