10 Awesome WordPress Admin Themes to Revamp Your Website’s Backend

WordPress is the most popular content management system because it allows you to customize nearly every aspect of your website. The WordPress Core, which you can download from WordPress.org, serves as the foundation for your site and can be further personalized and improved with the help of various plugins and themes.

When it comes to the look and feel of your website, the theme you choose plays a crucial role. WordPress requires you to select a theme for each site, but you also have the option to stick with the default theme. Fortunately, an extensive ecosystem of WordPress Themes exists, catering to both free and premium users, so you can easily find a theme that suits your needs. What many people don’t know, however, is that you can also install a custom theme for the admin area of your WordPress site.

Why Should You Use an Admin Theme?

An admin theme can give a unique look and feel to a site, which is not only important for how it looks but also from a user-friendly perspective. Admin themes can make the dashboard easier to navigate and understand, especially for sites with multiple authors and contributors. If you’re creating a WordPress site for a client, it’s a good idea to simplify the dashboard to make it more user-friendly.

But how do admin themes work? Unlike regular front-end themes that you can find in the WordPress Theme Directory, admin themes are not installed in the same way. Instead, they are plugins that need to be installed separately.

Be careful! If you’re not paying attention, you might accidentally activate more than one admin theme at the same time – this happened to me when I was testing the themes for this post. So if your dashboard looks strange, it’s worth checking if you mistakenly activated two admin theme plugins at once.

Before you install an admin theme, you need to set the Admin Color Scheme back to default in the Users > Your Profile admin menu.

Each admin theme has its own color scheme, usually based on the default WP color scheme. That’s why there may be cases where an admin theme doesn’t look good with another predefined Admin Color Scheme (like “Light,” “Blue,” “Coffee,” etc.) activated – for example, white letters on a white background. You can install admin themes just like regular plugins.

1. Material Admin Theme

If you’re a fan of Google’s sleek and modern Material Design, then the Material Admin Theme is perfect for you. It gives your WordPress dashboard a fresh new look and enhances accessibility with vibrant colors that are easy on the eyes, making it a user-friendly experience.

2. Cool Admin Interface

The Cool Admin template jazzes up the WordPress dashboard, making it sleeker and more user-friendly. It doesn’t just give the admin panel a makeover; it also revamps the Admin Bar at the top. The default color scheme is blue and grey, but you have the freedom to personalize it by accessing the color settings on the bottom of the Settings > General admin page.

3. Slate Admin Theme

Hey there! Have you heard about the amazing Slate Admin Theme? Its main purpose is to make your experience of writing content on your WordPress site even better. If you have a blog with multiple authors, you should definitely give this beautiful admin theme a try. It not only simplifies the Admin Bar, but also makes it stand out from the vertical admin menu on the left side of the screen.

4. A Soothing Admin Theme

Welcome to the Soothing Admin Theme! I’m here to make your experience navigating WordPress a little easier and more enjoyable. You know how sometimes the backend can feel overwhelming with all the busy visuals? Well, I’m here to help with that. By reducing visual clutter and increasing contrast, I bring a sense of calm and clarity to your WordPress dashboard.

With my clean and serene color scheme, I create a less chaotic and stressful user interface. No more straining your eyes or feeling overwhelmed by an assortment of colors and elements. Instead, I offer a palette of soothing hues that will help you stay focused and in control of your website management.

One of the best things about me is that I’m responsive, meaning you can access me on your mobile devices as well. Whether you’re on the go or sitting at your desk, you can rely on me to provide a seamless experience across all your devices.

5. The Cool SHIFT WP Admin Makeover

Hey there! Have you heard about the awesome SHIFT Short WP Admin Theme? It’s a super cool WordPress admin theme that transforms the look and feel of your dashboard.

One of the coolest features of this theme is that it removes the Admin Bar from the top of the dashboard. No more clutter or distractions, yay! Instead, the theme moves the Profile-related “Howdy” menu to the left-hand side. You can easily access it whenever you need it.

But here’s the really neat thing. If you want to quickly switch to the front-end of your website, all you have to do is click on the little house icon next to your profile picture. Boom! Just like magic, you’ll be transported to the front-end where the Admin Bar appears again. Pretty nifty, right?

With the SHIFT Short WP Admin Theme, you’ll enjoy a cleaner and more streamlined WordPress experience. Say goodbye to clutter and hello to simplicity. Give it a try and see the difference it makes!

When it comes to managing a WordPress site, the SHIFT Short admin theme is a great option because it simplifies the dashboard menu, making it easier to navigate. This makes it particularly appealing for clients who are not as familiar with WordPress.

A Fresh Take on Admin Themes

If you’re someone who appreciates vibrant colors and bold designs, then the Reimagined Admin Theme is perfect for you. It offers a unique set of customization options, accessible through the Appearance > Reimagined menu. With these options, you can personalize the icons and background of the admin area, as well as change the logo and background of the login page.

Not only can you customize the Admin Bar with a personal logo, but you can also remove the default links to WordPress.org. Additionally, you have the option to change or hide the copyright text and version number in the admin footer. If you’re in the market for a stylish, brandable dashboard, you should definitely check out the Reimagined admin theme.

7. Blue Admin

The Blue Admin dashboard theme features an attractive white and blue color scheme, along with a sleek drop-down effect in the Admin Bar. It even allows you to create your own custom navigation menus right in the Admin Bar. With its clean and user-friendly design, Blue Admin provides a more relaxed and intuitive admin interface.

8. OT Admin Theme

With the OT Admin Theme, you have the power to personalize the colors of your WordPress dashboard. Say goodbye to the generic look! Now, you can make it truly yours. This handy tool introduces a fresh menu item to your dashboard. Once there, you can effortlessly tweak the colors of the admin interface, the text in the admin menu (both default and active states), and even the background color of the active menu item.

The OT Admin Theme doesn’t give the dashboard a new look, it simply makes it easy to modify the 8 predefined admin color schemes to your liking.

Now, let’s talk about the Live Admin Customizer. This tool is really cool because it allows you to fully customize the admin panel. With this plugin, you can create your very own admin themes without needing to know any coding. It’s super handy because you can save and edit your creations with ease.

Hey there! Did you know that you have the power to make the dashboard look exactly how you want it to? That’s right – you can change the color of almost everything on the dashboard. From action buttons to menu icons, and even avatar frames, you have control over it all.

10. Improve Admin Visibility

Now, let’s talk about a handy plugin called “Improve Admin Visibility.” This plugin doesn’t make any big changes to the admin area, but what it does is pretty cool. It enhances the visibility of form fields like input fields, checkboxes, and text areas, as well as tables. How does it do that? Well, it adjusts the contrast in just the right places to make things easier to see.

Check out the screenshots below to see the difference in action. The first one shows the dashboard with the plugin activated, while the second one shows it without the plugin. See how much clearer everything becomes with just a little tweak? It’s pretty neat!

If you’re okay with how the WordPress admin area looks, but you’re frustrated by the lack of contrast and low visibility, you might want to give the Fix Admin Contrast plugin a try on your site.