Recommended Setup

There is no single Admin UX Cleaner (AUC) configuration that works for every WordPress website.

Different websites have different users, plugins, workflows, and administrative requirements.

However, following a consistent setup order can make AUC easier to configure, test, and maintain.

This guide provides a recommended starting workflow for most websites.

Caption: AUC features work together to create a focused WordPress admin experience for your users.

1. Configure Trusted Access First

Before applying any cleanup or access restrictions, decide who should maintain AUC.

Configure:

Owner for the primary trusted administrator.
Managers for additional trusted users who need to maintain AUC.

Caption: Configure trusted administrative access before applying restrictions to other users.

Do this before configuring Page Locks or targeting Administrator accounts.

Also make sure you know where your Recovery URL is stored and how to enable Safe Mode if necessary.

See Owner & Manager Access, Recovery URL, and Safe Mode for details.

2. Define Your Audience

Next, decide who should receive the customized admin experience.

Use Audience to target the appropriate WordPress roles or individual users.

A simple configuration is usually easier to maintain.

For example:

Include
└── Editor

Exclude
└── Senior Editor

Avoid creating unnecessary exceptions when a simple role-based rule is sufficient.

Caption: Define the roles and users that should receive your AUC configuration.

Before continuing, verify that your trusted administrative accounts are handled correctly.

3. Start With Menu Cleaner

Menu Cleaner is a good place to begin because it immediately shows how AUC affects the user experience without necessarily restricting access to the underlying pages.

Identify the admin sections your audience actually uses.

For example:

Keep
├── Dashboard
├── Posts
├── Pages
├── Media
└── Forms

Hide
├── Appearance
├── Plugins
├── Tools
└── Unnecessary plugin menus

Caption: Start by removing admin navigation that is unnecessary for your selected audience.

Do not try to create the smallest possible menu.

Keep everything users genuinely need for their normal work.

4. Preview the Initial Configuration

After your first Menu Cleaner changes, use Preview.

Check the affected role or user before continuing with more configuration.

Caption: Preview your configuration early instead of waiting until the entire setup is complete.

Verify that:

Required menu items remain available.
Hidden items are no longer distracting.
Renamed labels make sense.
Navigation remains easy to understand.

Testing early makes mistakes easier to identify.

5. Add Page Locks Only Where Necessary

Once the basic navigation is correct, decide whether any admin pages require actual access restriction.

Use Page Locks only when the selected audience should not be able to open a page directly.

For example:

Menu Cleaner
└── Plugins: Hidden

Page Locks
└── Plugins page: Locked

Remember:

Hide for clarity. Lock for access control.

Not every hidden menu needs a corresponding Page Lock.

Add locks only where there is a clear reason to restrict access.

6. Clean Up the Remaining Admin Experience

Once navigation and access are working correctly, configure the remaining Cleaner features as needed.

Notice Cleaner

Reduce unnecessary notices that do not require action from the selected audience.

Keep important system information available.

Dashboard Cleaner

Hide Dashboard widgets that do not provide useful information or shortcuts for your users.

Keep the Dashboard focused rather than empty.

Admin Bar Cleaner

Remove toolbar shortcuts that are unnecessary for the selected audience.

Keep useful navigation and account controls available.

You do not need to use every Cleaner feature.

Configure only the areas where AUC improves the user experience.

7. Preview the Complete Setup

After configuring the main AUC features, Preview the affected roles and users again.

Caption: Review the complete admin experience after configuring the features your website needs.

Look at the admin area as a complete experience rather than checking each feature independently.

Ask:

Can users quickly find what they need?
Is anything important missing?
Are technical areas unnecessarily exposed?
Are important notices still visible?
Is the Dashboard useful?
Does the Admin Bar remain practical?
Are restrictions applied to the correct users?

If the interface feels confusing, simplify the configuration before adding more rules.

8. Test With a Real User Account

Preview is useful during setup, but important workflows should also be tested with an appropriate WordPress user account.

Test the tasks that user normally performs.

For example:

Login
  ↓
Open Dashboard
  ↓
Edit content
  ↓
Upload media
  ↓
Use required plugin features
  ↓
Complete normal workflow

If you use Page Locks, also test direct access to the restricted pages.

This helps identify interactions with WordPress capabilities or third-party plugins that Preview alone may not fully represent.

9. Verify Recovery Access

Before considering the setup complete, confirm that:

Owner access is correct.
Trusted Managers can maintain AUC where required.
Your Recovery URL is stored securely.
You know how to enable Safe Mode.
You have an appropriate way to access the website files if emergency recovery is required.

Recovery preparation is especially important when Page Locks affect users with broad WordPress permissions.

10. Create a Backup

Once the configuration has been tested and is working correctly, create an AUC backup.

Caption: Create a backup after verifying a known working configuration.

This gives you a recovery point before future changes.

A useful workflow is:

Configure
    ↓
Preview
    ↓
Test
    ↓
Everything works
    ↓
Create Backup

Create additional backups before significant changes rather than after every minor adjustment.

Recommended Setup Order

For most websites, the complete setup order is:

Owner & Managers
        ↓
Audience
        ↓
Menu Cleaner
        ↓
Preview
        ↓
Page Locks
        ↓
Notice Cleaner
        ↓
Dashboard Cleaner
        ↓
Admin Bar Cleaner
        ↓
Preview Again
        ↓
Test With Real User
        ↓
Verify Recovery Access
        ↓
Backup

Following this order is not required, but it reduces the chance of building a complicated configuration before verifying the basics.

Keep It Simple

AUC provides several ways to customize the WordPress admin experience, but using more configuration does not automatically create a better result.

Start with the user's actual responsibilities.

If a user needs a feature, keep it accessible.

If an admin element is harmless and does not create confusion, you may not need to change it.

If a page needs real access restriction, use Page Locks intentionally.

The best AUC configuration is usually the smallest configuration that creates the experience you need.

Simple configurations are easier to understand, test, troubleshoot, and maintain.

Review After Significant Website Changes

AUC configuration does not normally require constant attention.

However, review your setup after significant changes such as:

Installing or removing major plugins.
Changing themes.
Adding new WordPress roles.
Changing user responsibilities.
Introducing new admin workflows.
Major updates that change WordPress or plugin admin interfaces.

New plugins may introduce menus, Dashboard widgets, notices, or Admin Bar items that were not present when the original AUC configuration was created.

For Client Websites

If you are preparing a website specifically for client handoff, continue with the Agency Handoff Guide.

It provides a more detailed workflow covering client responsibilities, final testing, recovery preparation, and handoff.