Remove Dashboard Access

81 Quality Score

Active Installs

20/30

30,000 active installs is modest; the popularity score is inflated by recency bonuses, but real-world reach is a fraction of category leaders like WPS Hide Login at 2,000,000 installs.

Update Freshness

25/25

Last updated May 2026 and tested against WordPress 7.0, with a low minimum PHP 5.3 requirement, signals a developer who actively maintains the plugin and keeps it forward-compatible.

User Rating

14/15

78 ratings producing a 92/100 score is a strong signal, though the sample size is small enough that one cluster of complaints could move it noticeably.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads in the repository is a yellow flag: it could mean the plugin is stable and self-explanatory, or it could mean users have nowhere to turn when something breaks.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Tested with WordPress 7.0 and a low PHP 5.3 floor gives a perfect compatibility score, meaning it should run on virtually any host still in use today.

Scores higher than 85% of indexed plugins

About

Disable Dashboard access for users of a specific role or capability. Disallowed users are redirected to a chosen URL. Get set up in seconds.

Active Installs 30k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.6/5

Last Updated 2026-05-22 7:01pm GMT

Requires WordPress 3.1.0+

Tested Up To 7.0.4

Requires PHP 5.3+

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

Remove Dashboard Access blocks non-admin users (or any role you specify) from reaching wp-admin and redirects them to a URL of your choice. It works by checking user capabilities before the dashboard loads, so blocked users are bounced without seeing any admin interface. Setup is minimal: pick roles, set a redirect URL, and save.

Who It's For

This plugin fits small to mid-sized sites where you have a handful of custom roles (subscribers, clients, contributors) and just need to keep them out of the back end without configuring a full membership system. It is well suited to client portals, agency sites, intranets, and membership communities where subscribers should land on the front end, not in wp-admin.

Who Should Skip It

If you need fine-grained content restrictions, custom login pages, brute-force protection, or full role editing, this single-purpose plugin will not be enough. Sites already running Members, User Role Editor, or a security suite that includes access control should skip it to avoid redundant logic.

The Bottom Line

Remove Dashboard Access does one thing and does it cleanly, with strong ratings, recent updates, and broad compatibility, making it a sensible pick for sites that need a no-fuss dashboard lockout. The 30,000 installs and 78 ratings show it is trusted but not battle-tested at scale, and the empty support forum is a real gap if you hit an edge case. Treat it as a focused utility, not a replacement for a full membership or security plugin.

Pick Members when you need to create, clone, and edit roles alongside denying dashboard access, since it bundles role editing, content permissions, and access control in one tool.

WPS Hide Login 89/100

Pick WPS Hide Login when the real goal is to obscure wp-login.php and force all login attempts through a custom URL, which is a different threat model than this plugin addresses.

Loginizer 89/100

Pick Loginizer when you need brute-force login protection, two-factor authentication, and login attempt logging in addition to any dashboard restrictions.

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 88/100

Pick this full security suite when you want malware scanning, a firewall, and access controls handled by a single vendor with a broader threat coverage surface.

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 88/100

Pick SG Security when you want SiteGround-style hardening, activity logs, and dashboard restrictions bundled together, especially if you are already on SiteGround hosting.