WordPress Menu Bar: A Simple Introduction

Login

This is the login screen. You can log in to the control panel using your username or the email address associated with your account.

If you’ve lost or simply can’t remember your password, click “Lost your password?” You will be prompted to enter your username or email address. After clicking the “Get New Password” button, you will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password.

Changing Languages

If your website has multiple languages installed, a dropdown field will appear on the login screen allowing you to switch languages. Simply select a language from the available options and click the “Change” button next to the dropdown field. The screenshot above doesn’t show the language selection because only Chinese is installed.

Currently, the language selector only changes the language in the login form. After logging in to the website, the control panel will still be displayed in the default website language. To actually change the language used in the control panel, click the “Users” menu in the left navigation bar, then click the “Profile” menu. On the “Profile” page, select a language from the available options in the “Language” dropdown menu. Click the “Update Profile” button at the bottom of the page to save the changes.

Menu Bar Introduction

After logging in, the WordPress control panel will appear. This is your main administration homepage. The control panel has a top menu bar and a side menu bar.

The WordPress logo on the far left provides access to official WordPress resources where you can learn about the latest WordPress knowledge. The house icon next to it is for previewing the website. You can go here to preview the effect after making changes. The following shortcut entries are set up to facilitate access to related functions, which overlap with the sidebar. You can access the same pages from the sidebar menu.

Hovering over each main menu option will display related submenus containing various selections for that specific menu option. Clicking on each main menu option will expand the menu to show all available options (if any) for that section.

The following is an introduction to the functions of each menu in the sidebar:

• Dashboard: This displays the main control panel “Home” page. In the upper left of the control panel, you’ll see some brief statistics about the number of posts, pages, and comments. If you have an anti-spam plugin activated, you will also see the number of spam comments and comments awaiting moderation.
• Posts: Here you can create new blog posts. You can also update categories and tags for your posts.
• Media: This is where all your uploaded images, documents, or files are stored. You can browse the media library, or edit and update files.
• Pages: This is where you create and maintain all your pages.
• Comments: You can manage all comments in this section, including replying to comments or marking them as spam.
• Appearance: In this menu, you can control the look and feel of your website. You can choose a new theme, manage website widgets or menus, and even edit website theme files.
• Plugins: Extend the functionality of WordPress. You can add or remove plugins here, as well as activate or deactivate them.
• Users: This page lists all existing users of the website. Depending on the role, you can also add new users and manage their roles.
• Tools: This section gives you access to various handy tools, such as options to import and export data to and from your WordPress website. You can also run a “Site Health Check” that displays important information about your WordPress configuration and any items that may require your attention.
• Settings: This is where you configure most of your website’s functionality. Among other things, it allows you to configure the website name and URL, where posts are displayed, whether people can leave post comments, and many other settings. Most of the time, once your website is set up, you don’t need to change any settings in this section.

At the bottom of the menu, there is a function to collapse the menu. Clicking it will hide the menu and only show its icons. Click the small arrow icon again to expand the menu.

When installing plugins, they sometimes have their own configuration or settings pages. The location of these pages depends entirely on the individual plugins, but in most cases, these pages will appear in the “Tools” section, the “Settings” section, or in a brand new menu section.

Key Takeaways

• The WordPress menu bar provides access to all the essential functions for managing your website.
• The sidebar menu offers quick access to key areas like Posts, Media, Pages, and Settings.
• Plugins can add their own menu items to the WordPress dashboard.

FAQ

1. How do I change the language of my WordPress dashboard? Go to Users > Profile and select your preferred language from the “Language” dropdown.
2. Where do I find the settings for a specific plugin? Plugin settings are usually located in the “Settings” or “Tools” menu, or sometimes in their own dedicated menu.
3. How do I preview my website changes? Click the “house” icon in the top menu bar to preview your website.