In this guide you will learn how to navigate your site’s dashboard to edit your site, your sites list to manage multiple sites, and your profile to manage your account settings.
Edit your site’s content, design, and core functionality through the site’s dashboard. When you visit WordPress.com and log in, you will be in your site’s dashboard by default (unless you have changed your default landing page.)
WordPress.com provides two different interface styles (views) to manage your WordPress site:
- Default style: Modern, clean interface, integrated into WordPress.com.
- WP Admin: Traditional WordPress interface, familiar to power users of WordPress.
Both interfaces provide access to the same features—the difference is only in how they look and are organized.
Learn how to choose and switch between dashboard styles in our admin interface style guide.
In your site’s dashboard, you can edit your site’s content through these primary menu items:
- Write posts: Use the Posts menu. Learn how to create a post.
- Create pages: Use the Pages menu. Learn how to create a page.
- Manage site media: Use the Media menu. Learn how to manage your site’s media.
You will use the Appearance menu to change themes, edit your site’s layout, and customize your site’s styles.
- Launch your website through the Settings menu.
- Manage your subscriptions and billing under the Upgrades menu (or, Hosting → Upgrades if using WP Admin.)
- Add and manage domains under Upgrades → Domains (or Hosting → Domains if using WP Admin.)
If you have more than one site under your WordPress.com account, you will have a centralized dashboard where you can manage your multiple sites.
To access your dashboard, click the WordPress W icon in the upper-left corner from anywhere in WordPress.com. From here, you can:
- See all your sites.
- Access any site’s dashboard or hosting overview.
- Manage domains for all sites.
- Manage themes and plugins for all sites.
You can also visit your profile, access help, or view notifications using the respective icons at the top right using the admin bar.
To move from one site to another within your WordPress.com account, follow these steps:
- From anywhere within your WordPress.com dashboard, click the WordPress W icon in the upper-left corner.
- Click on the site name of the site you want to edit.
- From your hosting overview page, click the “My Home” or “WP Admin” button (depending on your interface) in the top-right corner to access that site’s dashboard.
You can choose what you see first when you log in to WordPress.com. It’s helpful to set your Hosting Dashboard or Sites list as your default landing page if you manage multiple sites.
To set your default landing page, follow these steps:
- Hover over your profile icon in the top-right and select My WordPress.com account.
- Click Account Settings.
- In the Interface settings section, locate the Default landing page option.
- Select the sites radio button to set your default landing page to your hosting dashboard/sites list.
Your settings will be updated automatically.
Switch between a grid view or table view using the Layout icon (a grid or a table) in the top-right corner of the Sites list. Or, click the Settings icon (a gear/cog) to pick which columns to display in the Sites list or Domains list views.
WordPress.com is introducing a redesigned view of the Sites list called the Hosting Dashboard. The Hosting Dashboard simplifies the operational management of your sites, including domain names, emails, backups, activity, and plans, into one place.
To opt in or out of the Hosting Dashboard, follow these steps:
- Hover over your profile at the top right, and select the “My WordPress.com account” button.
- Select the Account Settings option on the left side.
- In the “Try the new Hosting Dashboard” section, check the “I want to try the beta version” option to opt in, or uncheck it to return to the Sites list view.
- Click the “Save” button.
The change will apply to all of your sites in your account.
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Changing your Hosting Dashboard view will not change anything about how you edit your website.
Your profile contains account-wide settings that affect all your sites.
In your WordPress.com account, hover over your profile icon in the top-right and select the “My WordPress.com account” button to access your profile.
- Profile: Edit your display name, bio, and public information. Learn more about your WordPress.com profile.
- Account Settings: Manage email, password, security, and interface preferences. Learn more about account settings.
- Purchases: View billing history and manage payments for all of your sites. Learn more about managing purchases and billing.
- Email and password: Update your login credentials. Learn how to change your password.
- Security: Enable two-factor authentication for account protection. Learn how to secure your account with two-factor authentication.
- Notifications: Control which email updates you receive. Learn about notification settings.
