As an experienced WordPress user with over 15 years in the industry, I‘m excited to provide you with a comprehensive guide to mastering Screen Options.
With WordPress now powering over 40% of all websites, understanding Screen Options can help millions of users customize their admin experience.
Contents
An Introduction to Screen Options
The Screen Options tab is located in the top right of admin pages in WordPress. Click it to open a menu for configuring what is displayed on that screen.
Screen Options allow you to:
- Show or hide sections
- Add or remove columns
- Adjust items per page
- Enable accessibility modes
- Much more!
The settings you choose will be saved and applied every time you visit that page.
Here is a screenshot showing some available Screen Options on the Posts page:
As you can see, tremendous customization is available here.
Key Benefits of Using Screen Options
From my experience helping thousands of users, here are the main benefits of tapping into Screen Options:
Remove Clutter and Distractions
Hide elements you don‘t use regularly to declutter the screen. This helps you concentrate on the tasks that really matter.
Focus on Frequently Used Sections
Emphasize the boxes and sections you use most by collapsing others. This makes your critical tools more prominent.
Work Faster and More Efficiently
Save time by eliminating scrolling through irrelevant sections. Streamline your workflow.
Reduce Overwhelm
Too many settings on one screen can feel overwhelming. Use Screen Options to simplify and just show what you need.
Avoid Mistakes
Remove sections you don‘t need to prevent accidental changes.
Customize to Your Exact Preferences
WordPress gives you total control to tailor admin screens to your style.
Real-World Examples of Screen Options
Let‘s explore some specific examples of how toggling Screen Options can improve your admin experience:
Manage Posts More Efficiently
On the Posts screen, you can:
- Increase posts per page from 20 to 50 or 100 – edit faster!
- Remove the Categories metabox if unused
- Add the Excerpt column to expose post summaries
- Toggle the SEO Score column to analyze optimization
Streamline the Edit Post Page
When editing a specific post, hide distracting boxes like:
- Discussion meta box
- Custom Fields
- Format section
This simplifies the editing view considerably.
Boost Productivity in the Media Library
Enable super handy options like:
- Attachment Display Settings to bulk edit media
- Pagination to browse files faster
- List View for certain workflows
You have full control over the media experience.
Improve Comment Moderation
On the Comments page, increase comments shown per page to 50 or 100. This makes moderation much faster when dealing with many comments.
Manage Users More Efficiently
In the Users section, configure columns to expose helpful user data like:
- Registered date
- Last login date
- Role
- Posts published
With the right columns chosen, you can assess and manage users much more effectively.
And there are countless more examples across all admin screens.
Pros and Cons of Screen Options
Let‘s summarize the key advantages and disadvantages of tapping into WordPress Screen Options:
Pros
- 100% free feature built into WordPress
- Fully customize admin screens
- Streamline and simplify workflows
- Save time with better focus
- Reduce mistakes and changes
- Better productivity and efficiency
Cons
- Can feel overwhelming at first
- Changing screens requires re-configuring
- Easy to forget it‘s there!
Overall the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Activating Screen Options is one of the best things you can do to optimize your WordPress admin experience.
Adjusting Columns via Screen Options
In addition to toggling sections, Screen Options also allows you to configure columns shown in admin tables and listings.
For example, you can add, remove, or rearrange columns:
- On Pages to display authors, comments, page templates, etc.
- In the Media Library to reveal description, caption, ALT text, etc.
- On Posts to show SEO score, scheduled date, tags, categories, etc.
This gives you 100% control over the columns and information displayed in all admin listings across WordPress.
Troubleshooting Screen Options
Based on assisting thousands of WordPress users over the years, here are some common troubleshooting tips for Screen Options:
Settings not saving – This is often due to a plugin conflict. Try disabling plugins one by one until the issue is resolved.
Missing options – Some options may be hidden by plugins or theme customizations. Switch to a default WordPress theme and disable plugins to restore full default Screen Options.
Can‘t increase items per page – Some shared hosts set PHP configs that limit page size. Contact your host to have them increase the max_input_vars value. Or consider upgraded WordPress hosting with optimized configs.
Options not taking effect – Try logging out and back in. Sometimes viewer cache needs to be cleared.
Overall Screen Options are very reliable, and glitches are rare if using a well-configured WordPress site.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for taking the time to learn all about Screen Options. As you can see, this incredibly powerful feature allows you to tailor WordPress admin screens to match your exact preferences.
I highly recommend exploring Screen Options on every page. Don‘t be afraid to tweak and experiment until you find the optimal setup that suits your personal workflow and style.
Here‘s to better WordPress productivity! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
