Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

You can hide the WordPress Welcome panel without code: open Dashboard > Home, expand Screen Options, and clear Welcome. For a site-level developer customization, remove the default panel with the documented remove_action() call.

Hide the Welcome panel for your own dashboard

Screen Options controls which dashboard widgets are displayed for the current dashboard user. Follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to the WordPress administration area and open Dashboard > Home.
  2. Select Screen Options near the top of the page.
  3. Clear the checkbox labeled Welcome.
  4. Close the Screen Options panel and confirm that the Welcome widget is no longer visible.

The default Welcome widget contains links to common tasks involved in setting up a new site, according to WordPress documentation. Clearing its checkbox changes the dashboard display preference for that user; it does not remove the panel from WordPress for everyone.

Remove the default panel through site code

For a developer-controlled removal, WordPress documents the welcome_panel action hook. Add this call in a maintained, site-specific customization location such as a custom plugin or a child-theme functions file:

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
remove_action( 'welcome_panel', 'wp_welcome_panel' );

The official welcome_panel hook reference identifies this call as the way to remove the default Welcome panel. The Dashboard Widgets API documentation also covers dashboard-widget customization.

This is a code customization rather than a built-in global checkbox. Do not edit WordPress core files: updates can overwrite those changes. Use a location your team can maintain and deploy, then reload Dashboard > Home to verify the result.

Which method should you use?

Method Scope Best for Maintenance
Screen Options The individual dashboard user’s view Personal preference or a quick cleanup No code; the user can re-enable it
remove_action( 'welcome_panel', 'wp_welcome_panel' ); Site customization removing the default panel Developers standardizing dashboards Code must remain in an appropriate maintained plugin or theme customization

Why your controls or result may differ

WordPress dashboard layouts can vary with plugins, hosting configurations, and personal settings. A plugin may add its own welcome panel or modify the dashboard, so clearing the standard Welcome checkbox only affects the default widget exposed through that control. If the panel remains, inspect the other dashboard widgets and any active dashboard-customization plugin before changing code. WordPress administration-screen terminology is documented in the Administration Screens guide, and dashboard variation is also described by Learn WordPress.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What the Welcome panel is for

The default panel is a set of shortcuts for common new-site setup tasks. Removing or hiding it does not disable those underlying WordPress features; it only removes that dashboard entry point.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.