WP Toolbar Hide Elements

A small WordPress snippet that hides items from the Toolbar (Admin Bar) by their visible name, e.g. "Theme Options", "Rank Math SEO" or "Smart Slider". It applies to every user and role, across the whole admin area and (optionally) the front-end toolbar.

How it works

1. Server-side removal (main method). After every plugin has added its items, the snippet looks at each Toolbar node, turns its title into plain text, and removes it (plus all its sub-items) when it matches your list. Removed items are never sent to the browser, so there is no flicker. It runs twice: on admin_bar_menu at the latest priority, and again on wp_before_admin_bar_render for items added late.
2. JavaScript fallback. A rare plugin injects its item with JavaScript after the page loads. A small script hides those in the browser with the same rules, and keeps watching the Toolbar for new items.

Name matching ignores upper/lower case, accents, extra spaces, icons and counter badges, so:

• Fluent Forms Pro matches "Fluent Forms Pro 22"
• Anadir or Añadir matches "Añadir"
• Write names in the language your site shows (e.g. Fragmentos de código, Vaciar caché).

Installation

Option A: Code Snippets plugin

1. Snippets → Add New, type PHP.
2. Paste the contents of wp-toolbar-hide-elements.php without the first <?php line.
3. Edit the configuration (below), choose Run snippet everywhere, and activate.

Option B: must-use plugin Copy wp-toolbar-hide-elements.php to wp-content/mu-plugins/. It loads automatically and can't be deactivated from the dashboard.

Configuration

Everything is at the top of the file:

function thbe_hidden_titles() {
    return array(
        'Theme Options',
        'Rank Math SEO',
        'Smart Slider',
    );
}

function thbe_hidden_ids() {
    return array(
        // 'wp-logo',
    );
}

define( 'THBE_ALSO_ON_FRONTEND', true );      // false = only inside wp-admin
define( 'THBE_HIDE_SCREEN_OPTIONS', false );  // "Opciones de pantalla" tab
define( 'THBE_HIDE_HELP_TAB', false );        // "Ayuda" tab

• By name (thbe_hidden_titles): the label exactly as you see it, minus any counter. Sub-menu items (inside a dropdown) can be listed too.
• By ID (thbe_hidden_ids): more robust if a plugin's label changes with language or contains only an icon (like the comments bubble or the ✨ icon). To find an ID, right-click the item → Inspect; the surrounding <li id="wp-admin-bar-XXXX"> means the ID is XXXX. Common core IDs: wp-logo, site-name, comments, new-content, updates, search, my-account.
• Hiding a parent item also hides all its sub-items.

Troubleshooting

• Still seeing items? As an administrator, add ?thbe_debug=1 to any admin URL (e.g. /wp-admin/?thbe_debug=1). A blue notice confirms the snippet is running and lists what it removed. No notice means the snippet isn't loading: check it's active, set to Run snippet everywhere, and pasted without the opening <?php line.
• List every item's real name and ID: paste this into the browser console on an admin page:

  console.table([...document.querySelectorAll('#wpadminbar li[id^="wp-admin-bar-"]')].map(li => ({ id: li.id.replace('wp-admin-bar-',''), text: (li.querySelector(':scope > .ab-item')||{}).textContent?.trim() })));

• IDs listed in thbe_hidden_ids() are also hidden with CSS, as a safety net if a plugin re-adds its item.

Notes

• This hides items from the Toolbar only. The pages they link to are still reachable from the left admin menu or by URL; it isn't a permissions control.
• To hide the Toolbar for a specific user instead, use Users → Profile → Show Toolbar when viewing site.