Disable Dashboard Widgets

Summarize with AI

Disable Dashboard Widgets declutter the Dashboard home by turning off widgets nobody uses. Disabled widgets stay out of Screen Options and do not load in the background.

What it does

Removes checked core widgets such as Welcome to WordPress, Activity, At a Glance, Quick Draft, Site Health Status, WordPress Events and News, and related boxes.
Discovers plugin/theme widgets after you visit the Dashboard and lists them under Other Dashboard Widgets.
Disable All Widgets clears every meta box except WP PowerSuite widgets (IDs starting with wpps_).
While Disable All Widgets is on, individual checkboxes are ignored.
Welcome panel is removed when Welcome or Disable All is selected.

When to use it

Enable it if:

The Dashboard is crowded with news, drafts, or plugin boxes your team never opens.
You want a faster Dashboard load without per-user Screen Options hide-and-seek.
Client sites should show only WP PowerSuite (or a few) widgets.

When not to use it

How to enable it

Go to WP PowerSuite -> Modules.
Open Admin or search for “Disable Dashboard Widgets”.
Toggle the module on and open settings.
Under Widgets to Disable, check the widgets to remove, or enable Disable All Widgets.
Visit Dashboard once if you need third-party widgets to appear under Other Dashboard Widgets.

How to test it

Enable the module, disable At a Glance, then open Dashboard.
✅ Pass: At a Glance is gone and not listed under Screen Options.
Enable Disable All Widgets and reload Dashboard.
✅ Pass: only wpps_ widgets remain (if any).
❌ Fail: confirm settings saved and you are on the main Dashboard (index.php).

Troubleshooting

Plugin widget missing from the list. Open Dashboard once so discovery can cache it, then reopen module settings.
Individual checks do nothing. Turn off Disable All Widgets.
WP PowerSuite widget disappeared. Unexpected - Disable All preserves IDs starting with wpps_.

Manage with WP-CLI

Prefer the command line? You can turn this module on or off with WP-CLI instead of the dashboard:

# Turn the module on
wp powersuite module enable disable-dashboard-widgets

# Turn the module off
wp powersuite module disable disable-dashboard-widgets

# Check whether it is on, its category, and where its settings live
wp powersuite module get disable-dashboard-widgets

Managing more than one site? Add --url=https://example.com to point a command at one site. If this is a Pro module, install WP PowerSuite Pro and activate your license first. New to WP-CLI? See the full command guide.

FAQ

What does Disable Dashboard Widgets do?

It removes the dashboard widgets you check under Widgets to Disable so they do not load assets or appear in Screen Options.

Is Disable Dashboard Widgets free?

Yes. Enable it under WP PowerSuite -> Modules.

What does Disable All Widgets keep?

It removes every dashboard widget except WP PowerSuite widgets whose IDs start with wpps_.

How do plugin widgets appear in the list?

Visit the Dashboard once. Discovered third-party widgets show under Other Dashboard Widgets.

How do I turn Disable Dashboard Widgets off?

Go to WP PowerSuite -> Modules, find Disable Dashboard Widgets, and toggle it off.

Developer notes (hooks & filters)

Source: modules/disable-dashboard-widgets/module.php. Boot: admin · context: admin.

Hooks: admin_init (welcome panel), wp_dashboard_setup (discover + remove at PHP_INT_MAX). Settings: per-widget keys, custom_widgets, disable_all.