Custom Adminbar Menus
by Linesh Jose · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 510+ installs across the portfolio →
This is a simple plugin for adding custom navigation menus to your WordPress Adminbar.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈350 estimated
Momentum
+9%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “adminbar”, “menu” and “nav menu” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
48 health vs 56 average across 5,899 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.8%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 10.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,191 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 7+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.2.30, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2741 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.2.30; the current branch is 6.8
4.8★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2741 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| custom adminbar menus your tag | #8 | #7 | 0 |
| wp adminbar menus | #11 | #8 | 0 |
| adminbar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| nav menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| toolbar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “adminbar”, “menu” and “nav menu” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 172 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 10 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 26 Jan 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ McCage9.5y ago
In building a site you often search for and add new plugins so I was looking for a quick way to access plugins and new plugins in the admin menu. This plugin does precisely that and more. I even didn’t have to build new admin menus to find the answer to my quest; the extra menu items are just there after activation of this usefull plugin. In my case, I could lose the theme option in the default admin menu. One does not change themes as often as one looks for a new plugin, but no problem if it still exists. I am sure I will find some new ways to use the extra admin menu items this plugin offers. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cjgrasso10.5y ago
good support, and great plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bubba12.5y ago
This is a nice, simple, intuitive plugin that does exactly what you’d expect, and feels like a natural part of WP. In fact, in my opinion this should be added right into the core WP installation. The only thing it’s missing that I’d like to see is the ability to import/export the menu you’ve customized. When I have a few different WP installations, but want to add the same admin menu links, it’s painstaking to recreate the exact same menu structure and items; if this could just allow me to export a finished/customized menu and then import it into a different WP install, it’d make life SO much easier. (that’s why I gave it 4/5 stars, with that feature I’d give it 5 stars). Unfortunately it appears that the author has long abandoned this plugin. :/
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ adaldesign13.1y ago
This plugin does exactly what it says with hardly any code (I love that!) or ambiguities. Exemplary plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ morespinach13.1y ago
Amid the clutter of admin plugins, this is simplest, and does what it claims to do. Great stuff.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Morteza Nazari13.2y ago
very very very tanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jim Krenz13.3y ago
With Custom Adminbar Menus, I am able to add the menus that I use the most to the admin bar. You create the menus with WordPress’ own menu system, so it couldn’t be easier. This should be built into the WordPress core functionality! Thank you for making this—you made my day!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kisshomaru13.5y ago
Very good plugin. Had to take 1 star off because it would not let me manage and/or remove the existing ones in there, or even add to existing menus in the admin bar. Other than that, does the job.
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Multisite.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 541 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "toolbar" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-12-24 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-23 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-22 400+ → 300+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-12-20 300+ → 400+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-12-18 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-17 300+ → 400+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2025-12-12 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-11 300+ → 400+ up after 2 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Menu Image, Icons made easy 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A - N Nav Menu Images 6K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
LuckyWP ACF Menu Field 5K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Custom Adminbar Menus into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/custom-adminbar-menus" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Custom Adminbar Menus — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Custom Adminbar Menus: 300+ active installs, 4.8★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/custom-adminbar-menus
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