How to Effectively Hide WordPress Update Notifications from Non-Admins

One of the most common settings to manage in WordPress is the update notifications. While it's a good idea to keep your site up to date for security and functionality, the constant notifications can be overwhelming for non-admin users. In this guide, we'll walk you through a simple code to hide these notifications from non-administrators, ensuring a smoother user experience. Discover how to customize your WordPress site while keeping everyone focused on their tasks.

Understanding WordPress Update Notifications

WordPress is an open-source content management system that benefits from regular updates to improve security and functionality. These updates often come in the form of notifications, which remind users to install new versions. While these notifications encourage updates, they can be distracting, especially for non-admin users.

To streamline the workflow for all users and ensure a better user experience, it's essential to hide these update notifications from non-administrators. This way, only the site administrators will receive the updates and be responsible for the installations. Let's dive into how you can achieve this using a simple code snippet.

Disabling Update Notifications for Non-Admin Users

To disable update notifications for non-admins, you'll need to add a custom code snippet to your theme's functions file. By following the steps below, you can effectively hide these notifications without affecting the functionality of your website.

Step 1: Access the Theme Functions File

The first step is to access the theme's functions file. This file is usually named You can find it in your theme directory within the WordPress directory structure.

Step 2: Paste the Code

Once you've opened the file, you can paste the following code:

function hide_core_update_notifications_from_users(
    ?php if (!current_user_can('update_core')) { ?php remove_action('admin_notices', 'update_nag', 3); ?php } ?php }
add_action('admin_head', 'hide_core_update_notifications_from_users', 1);
    

Let's break down this code snippet for a better understanding:

function hide_core_update_notifications_from_users: This function checks if the current user is an admin and removes the update nag from the admin notices if they are not an admin. !current_user_can('update_core'): Checks if the current user does not have the capability to update core. remove_action('admin_notices', 'update_nag', 3): Removes the update nag from the admin notices. add_action('admin_head', 'hide_core_update_notifications_from_users', 1): Ensures that the function runs when the admin head is loaded.

Step 3: Save and Test

After pasting the code, save the changes in your file. You may need to clear your cache or use a plugin like W3 Total Cache to ensure the new code is applied.

Once the code has been executed, non-admin users should no longer see update notifications. This change will apply across all your users, ensuring they are not distracted by constant reminders to update.

Benefits of Hiding Update Notifications

By disabling update notifications for non-admin users, you can enjoy several benefits:

Enhanced User Experience: Non-admin users can focus on their tasks without the constant interruption of update notifications.

Reduce Support Requests: With non-admin users less likely to encounter update nagging, you'll see a reduction in support requests related to updates.

Streamlined Workflow: By keeping the management of updates in the hands of administrators, you ensure that updates are handled in a controlled and managed environment.

Conclusion

Managing update notifications in WordPress is an essential task for any site owner. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively hide these notifications from non-administrator users, ensuring a smoother user experience and a more efficient workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question 1: Can I remove the update notifications completely?

Yes, you can remove update notifications completely, but it's not recommended. It's crucial to keep your WordPress installation up to date for security reasons. Instead, you can hide the notifications, allowing administrators to handle updates without disturb non-admin users.

Question 2: Will this affect my website's security if non-admins can't see update notifications?

Not necessarily. While it's important to keep your site updated, the notifications are meant to remind you to do so rather than to protect against security vulnerabilities. By having administrators handle updates, you ensure that the process is managed more effectively.

Question 3: Is it possible to hide notifications for specific user roles?

Yes, you can modify the code to hide notifications for specific user roles. For example, if you have a role named 'Contributor', you can adjust the function to exclude only that role. However, it's crucial to test thoroughly to ensure there are no unexpected side effects.