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You've installed WordPress and you're staring at the admin dashboard for the first time. There's a left sidebar full of menu items, a main area with panels and stats, and a top bar with icons you don't recognise.
Where do you start? What does everything do?
This guide walks you through the WordPress admin dashboard section by section — explaining what each menu item does in plain language, so you can navigate confidently from day one.
Your WordPress admin area is always at:
https://yourdomain.com/wp-adminAfter logging in, you land on the Dashboard → Home screen. This is your starting point for everything.
The dashboard has three main navigation areas:
The horizontal bar at the top is visible on both the admin dashboard and your live site (when logged in).
WordPress logo (left): Opens a dropdown with links to WordPress.org resources — About, Documentation, Support, and Feedback.
Home icon (your site name): Visit the live front end of your site in a new tab.
+ New: Quick-add menu — create a new Post, Page, Media upload, or User from anywhere in the dashboard.
Comments icon: Shows the number of comments awaiting moderation. Click to jump to the Comments section.
Profile icon (far right): Shows your display name. Click to edit your profile or log out.
The left sidebar is your primary navigation tool. Here's what every section does:
| Menu Item | Purpose | How Often You'll Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard | Overview of your site — stats, health, quick actions | Daily |
| Posts | Blog content management — write, edit, categorise | Frequently |
| Media | File library — images, PDFs, videos | Frequently |
| Pages | Static content — About, Contact, Services | Occasionally |
| Comments | Manage visitor comments | If you allow comments |
| Appearance | Theme, menus, widgets, site design | During setup, then occasionally |
| Plugins | Add-on functionality management | During setup, then monthly |
| Users | Account management and roles | Occasionally |
| Tools | Import, export, site health | Occasionally |
| Settings | Core site configuration | During setup, then rarely |
Posts → All Posts: Lists every post on your site — published, drafts, scheduled, and trashed. From here you can edit, delete, or quickly preview any post.
Posts → Add New: Opens the block editor to create a new blog post.
Posts → Categories: Manage your post categories — create new ones, edit existing ones, and delete unused ones.
Posts → Tags: Manage post tags — the secondary keywords you apply to posts.
Pages → All Pages: Lists all your site's pages. Edit, delete, or view any page from here.
Pages → Add New: Create a new page with the block editor.
Media → Library: Every image, PDF, audio file, and video you've uploaded to WordPress. Filter by type, search by filename, or click any item to view and edit its details (title, alt text, caption).
Media → Add New: Upload files directly to the library without creating a post or page.
Themes: Browse, install, activate, and delete themes. Your currently active theme is highlighted. Click Add New to search the wordpress.org theme directory.
Customise: Opens the WordPress Customiser — a live preview editor for adjusting theme settings like colours, fonts, logo, header, footer, and menus. Changes are shown in real-time and only saved when you click Publish.
Widgets: Add, remove, and arrange widgets in your theme's widget areas (sidebars, footer columns).
Menus: Create and manage navigation menus. Add pages, posts, categories, or custom links. Assign menus to locations (Main Menu, Footer Menu, etc.).
Editor (Full Site Editing themes): The Site Editor — where you design every template on your site (header, footer, post template, archive template) using blocks. Only appears for FSE-compatible themes.
Plugins → Installed Plugins: All installed plugins — active and inactive. Click Activate/Deactivate, Settings, or Delete for each.
Plugins → Add New: Search and install plugins from the wordpress.org directory. Search by name or keyword, review ratings and install counts, install with one click.
Users → All Users: Lists all accounts with WordPress access. See each user's username, email, role, and posts count. Edit or delete accounts.
Users → Add New: Create a new user account — set username, email, password, and role.
Users → Your Profile: Edit your own account — change display name, email, password, and admin colour scheme.
| Role | Can Do | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Everything — full site control | You, trusted developers |
| Editor | Edit all posts/pages, manage categories | Content managers |
| Author | Write, edit, publish own posts | Regular bloggers |
| Contributor | Write posts, submit for review | Guest writers |
| Subscriber | View content, edit own profile | Members, newsletter signups |
Tools → Import: Import content from other platforms (Blogger, Medium, other WordPress sites) into your WordPress installation.
Tools → Export: Export your WordPress content as an XML file — useful for migrations and backups.
Tools → Site Health: This is important. Site Health checks your WordPress configuration and reports:
Tools → Export Personal Data / Erase Personal Data: GDPR-related tools for responding to data requests.
Settings → General:
Settings → Reading:
Settings → Discussion: Comment settings — allow comments, comment moderation, email notifications, avatar settings.
Settings → Permalinks: URL structure for posts and pages. Always set to "Post name" for SEO-friendly URLs like yourdomain.com/my-post/ instead of yourdomain.com/?p=123.
Settings → Media: Default image sizes WordPress generates on upload.
Settings → Privacy: Assign your Privacy Policy page.
When you first land on the Dashboard, the main area has several Dashboard Widgets:
| Widget | What It Shows | Usefulness |
|---|---|---|
| At a Glance | Quick count of posts, pages, comments, active theme, WordPress version | High — quick site overview |
| Activity | Recent posts, recent comments, upcoming scheduled posts | High — see what's happening |
| Quick Draft | Write and save a post draft without leaving the dashboard | Medium — if you draft ideas here |
| Site Health Status | Summary of your site's health checks | High — catch issues early |
| WordPress News | Latest news from WordPress.org | Low — can be dismissed |
Widgets can be rearranged by dragging them. Click Screen Options (top right of the dashboard) to show or hide specific widgets.
Every plugin you install can add items to the left sidebar. After installing a few plugins:
As you install more plugins, your sidebar grows. This is normal — navigate the plugin sections as you configure each tool.
Once you're familiar with the dashboard, your typical workflow looks like this:
yourdomain.com/wp-admin| Mistake | Why It's a Problem | What to Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving "admin" as username | First target for attackers | Create a unique username during installation |
| Ignoring "Search engine visibility" | Blocks Google from indexing your site | Ensure it's unchecked on live sites |
| Never running updates | Security vulnerabilities | Update weekly or enable auto-updates |
| Using default permalinks | Bad URLs for SEO | Change to "Post name" immediately |
| Editing theme files directly | Changes lost on theme update | Use a child theme or Customiser |
| Installing too many plugins | Slows site, creates conflicts | Only install what you actually need |
The WordPress dashboard looks complex at first but becomes second-nature within days of use. You'll find yourself navigating to Posts → Add New, Appearance → Themes, and Plugins → Installed Plugins almost automatically after a few sessions.
Explore each section without fear — the worst you can do in most areas is change a setting you can undo. Take your time, read each label, and you'll have a solid mental map of the WordPress admin area in no time.
Need help setting up your WordPress dashboard or training your team? We offer professional WordPress setup and training services to get you up to speed quickly.
Contact us today and we'll sort it out.