Trusted WordPress tutorials, when you need them most.
Beginner’s Guide to WordPress
WPB Cup
25 Million+
Websites using our plugins
16+
Years of WordPress experience
3000+
WordPress tutorials
by experts

7 Free WordPress Admin Themes and Plugins

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on WPBeginner. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Learn more about Editorial Process.

WordPress admin themes aren’t as popular because most folks think they’re unnecessary. However if you’re developing a WordPress site for a client, then you could benefit from customizing the experience. In this article, we will show you some of the best free WordPress admin themes that you can try right away.

Difference Between WordPress Admin Themes and Admin Color Schemes

WordPress Admin themes are not the same as WordPress admin color scheme. Users can go to their profile page and select one of the built-in WordPress admin color schemes to use for their admin area. This color scheme does not change the width, height, padding, spacing of the WordPress admin UI.

WordPress admin themes on the other hand can go one step ahead and change the width, padding, margin, borders of WordPress admin user interface. Admin themes can style and control the appearance of different elements like buttons, menus, links, and even typography in your WordPress admin area.

Now that we have covered the differences, lets take a look at some ready to use and free WordPress admin themes.

Note: all admin themes here are actually plugins. You will need to install them just like you would install any WordPress plugin.

Video Tutorial

Subscribe to WPBeginner

If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.

1. Blue Admin

Blue Admin

Blue Admin is a simple minimalistic admin theme for WordPress. As the name suggests it uses Blue as the primary color for the WordPress admin bar. It changes the admin bar on the right to the white instead of matching the top bar color.

2. Tamed Admin Theme

Tamed Admin Theme

Tamed Admin Theme aims to simplify the WordPress admin user interface. This minimalist WordPress admin theme uses a more soothing and calmer approach for the UI colors. It looks very clean and simple while still providing a much familiar looking admin interface.

3. Slate Admin Theme

Slate Admin Theme

Slate is a clean and simple admin theme for WordPress. It uses a dark brown admin bar with blue color for links, buttons, and menus. Slate focuses on improving the content writing experience for bloggers by providing a lean admin user interface.

4. Fancy Admin UI

Fancy Admin UI is a neat WordPress admin theme with a blue top admin bar and soft gray menu bar. Users can change these primary and secondary colors from Settings » General page.

Fancy Admin UI

5. Reimagined Admin

Reimagined Admin

Reimagined Admin is a bold and dark WordPress admin theme. It gives the admin area a more fun look which could be appealing for some users. Its refreshing and strong at the same time.

6. Admin Color Schemer

Admin Color Schemer plugin

Admin Color Schemer is not exactly a WordPress admin theme. It allows you to change the WordPress admin color scheme from an easy to use interface. This means you can create an unlimited number of color combinations to use as your WordPress admin scheme.

7. White Label CMS

White Label CMS

White Label CMS is not an admin theme, but it allows you to customize and rebrand the WordPress admin area. You can remove WordPress logos and change the admin area to meet your needs. It is perfect for users who are developing sites for clients and want to offer them exactly what they asked for.

We hope this article helped you find a new WordPress admin theme for your site. You may also want to check out our tutorial on how to hide unnecessary menu items from WordPress admin area using Adminimize.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us. Here's our editorial process.

Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

Get FREE access to our toolkit - a collection of WordPress related products and resources that every professional should have!

Reader Interactions

10 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

    Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
    Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
    You can get more details about the contest from here.
    Start sharing your thoughts below to stand a chance to win!

    • Patrick Kilian says

      The White Label CMS plugin will not install.

      Installing Theme from uploaded file: white-label-cms.zip
      Unpacking the package…

      Installing the theme…

      The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.

      Theme install failed.

  2. Sue Manah Buteau says

    As an older geek, I’d like to share that some color/design changes are difficult for individuals with vision challenges. I appreciate that at least one option (Admin Color Schemer) allows for some color flexibility.

  3. Angela says

    I know I’m missing something here but what are the purpose for these themes. Are they used in conjunction with the actual theme?

  4. Arevico says

    Normally I don’t find admin themes useful, but I can figure out some usecases in which they might. For example, if you running a WordPress membership website or a website developped for a client, the white label solution is a must.

    How about maintenance? When WordPress is updates some core classes can be changed. Are these themes sensitive to those changes?

Leave a Reply to Sue Manah Buteau Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

WPBeginner Assistant
How can I help you?

By chatting, you consent to this chat being stored according to our privacy policy and your email will be added to receive weekly WordPress tutorials from WPBeginner.