Title: The 9 Dollar Menu Valet
Author: The 9 Dollar Plugins
Published: <strong>11 April 2026</strong>
Last modified: 10 September 2026

---

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# The 9 Dollar Menu Valet

 By [The 9 Dollar Plugins](https://profiles.wordpress.org/the9dollarplugins/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/the-9-dollar-menu-valet.1.5.zip)

 * [Details](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/#installation)
 * [Development](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/)

## Description

Take full control of your WordPress admin sidebar — without touching a single line
of code. Hide any menu item with a checkbox click, reorder everything via drag &
drop, and keep your backend clean and focused.

**Why you’ll actually like it**
 Let’s be honest: the WordPress admin sidebar can
be a mess. Plugins keep adding their own menu items, custom post types pile up, 
and suddenly you’re scrolling past fifteen things you never use. Menu Valet gives
you back control — no CSS hacks, no `remove_menu_page()` functions in your `functions.
php`, no frustration. Just checkboxes and drag & drop.

**Core Features — LITE (free)**
 – **See everything in one overview** — all admin
menu items and their submenus, clearly laid out – **Hide any menu item with one 
click** — checkbox toggles via Ajax, instant result – **Reorder via drag & drop**—
grab any item and move it up or down. Also Ajax, also instant – **Changes apply 
to all users** — anyone with `manage_options` sees the same clean sidebar – **Auto-
hide submenus** — hide a parent item, all its children disappear too – **Smart submenu
locking** — when parent is hidden, submenus are automatically disabled – **Supports
everything** — WordPress core, plugins, custom post types, you name it – **Snapshot
system** — captures original menu before you change anything. Safety net included–**
High priority hooks** — changes apply late, so no conflicts with other menu-altering
plugins – **Delete data on uninstall option** — your call whether to leave a trace–**
Lightweight** — no bloat, no external dependencies, no drama

**PRO Version extras**
 – **Live search in the admin sidebar** — start typing, menu
items filter instantly. Great for deep backends – **Rename any menu or submenu item
inline** — click, edit, done. Original name preserved as tooltip – **Custom sidebar
width** — live slider from 160 px to 380 px. Make it narrow or spacious, your call–**
Priority support** — because sometimes you need a human

**How it works**
 1. Install and activate the plugin. 2. Go to **Menu Valet** in
your WordPress admin sidebar. 3. See your entire menu structure — parents, children,
everything. 4. Hide what you don’t need (checkboxes). Reorder the rest (drag & drop).
5. That’s it. Your admin sidebar is now yours.

**Behind the scenes (for the curious)**
 The plugin hooks into the WordPress admin
menu system and captures the full menu structure before any modifications are applied.
That snapshot is your safety net. When you hide or reorder items, your changes are
saved via AJAX — no page reloads, no waiting. Hidden items are removed from the 
global `$menu` and `$submenu` arrays before rendering. They simply don’t exist as
far as the sidebar output is concerned. Menu order uses WordPress’s built-in `custom_menu_order`
and `menu_order` filters. The plugin merges your saved order with newly registered
menu items — so when you install a new plugin, its menu item appears at the bottom(
until you move it).

No core files are ever touched. Everything runs through standard WordPress hooks.
Safe, clean, reversible.

## Screenshots

[⌊Dashboard view⌉⌊Dashboard view⌉[

Dashboard view

[⌊Table view⌉⌊Table view⌉[

Table view

[⌊Sort menus your way⌉⌊Sort menus your way⌉[

Sort menus your way

## Installation

 1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` or install via the WordPress
    Plugins screen.
 2. Activate the plugin — the usual way.
 3. Open **Menu Valet** in your WordPress admin sidebar.
 4. Check items to hide them, drag to reorder them. Done.

That’s literally it.

## FAQ

### Will hidden menu items be deleted?

No. They are only hidden from the admin interface. The menu items still exist, WordPress
still knows about them, and any user with the right permissions can still access
them via direct URL. The plugin just tells the sidebar: “don’t show this.”

### Can I hide submenu items individually?

Yes — unless the parent item is hidden. If you hide a parent, all its submenus are
automatically hidden too (because there’s no parent to attach them to). If the parent
is visible, you can hide individual submenus independently.

### Can I reorder menu items?

Yes. Drag & drop. Anywhere. Up, down, wherever you want. The order saves instantly
via AJAX.

### What happens when new plugins add menu items?

They are automatically appended at the bottom of your menu — and they stay visible
until you decide to hide or move them. The plugin never assumes you want to auto-
hide new things.

### Will hidden menu items still be accessible via direct URL?

Yes. Important: this plugin only hides items **visually**. It does **not** change
user capabilities or block direct URL access. If someone knows the URL (`/wp-admin/
edit.php?post_type=page`), they can still get there. This is by design — Menu Valet
is a UI cleaner, not a security or permissions plugin.

### I accidentally hid the Menu Valet itself — what do I do?

Oops. Navigate directly to `wp-admin/admin.php?page=the-9-dollar-menu-valet`. Once
you’re there, simply uncheck the box for Menu Valet and save. You’re back in business.

### Can I rename menu and submenu items?

Yes — but only with **PRO**. Click the “Rename” button on any item, edit the label
inline, and hit enter. The original name is always preserved and shown as a tooltip
when you hover over the renamed item. So you never forget what it originally was.

### Can I adjust the width of the admin sidebar?

Yes — but only with **PRO**. A live slider lets you set any width from 160 px up
to 380 px. Changes apply immediately across the entire WordPress backend. No CSS
fiddling, no custom stylesheets.

### Does it work with custom post types and third-party plugin menus?

Yes. Every item registered in the WordPress `$menu` and `$submenu` globals is supported.
That means:
 – WordPress core menu items (Posts, Pages, Comments, etc.) – Custom
post types (including those from CPT UI or ACF) – Plugin menu items (WooCommerce,
Yoast, Elementor, you name it) – Network admin menu items (if you’re on Multisite)

### What happens if I deactivate the plugin?

All menu items return to their default state — original order, everything visible.
Your settings are preserved in the database, so when you reactivate, everything 
goes back to how you left it.

### What happens if I uninstall the plugin?

Your settings are only deleted if you enabled the **“Delete data on uninstall”**
option in the plugin settings. By default, your menu configuration stays in the 
database (just in case you reinstall later). If you want a complete wipe, check 
that box before uninstalling.

### Does it work with admin themes or white-labeling plugins?

Generally yes, but it depends. Menu Valet hooks into WordPress at a high priority(
late), which means it usually plays nice with other menu-altering plugins. However,
if another plugin completely rebuilds the menu from scratch or uses aggressive filtering,
conflicts can happen. Test it — 99% of cases work fine.

### Is there a REST API?

Yes. Menu Valet includes REST API endpoints for headless or programmatic access.
You can:
 – Get the current menu structure – Hide/unhide items – Reorder items

This is primarily for developers who want to sync menu settings across environments
or build custom interfaces.

### Does it work with the WordPress Toolbar (admin bar)?

No. Menu Valet only affects the **admin sidebar** (the main left-hand menu). The
top admin bar is completely untouched. Different plugin, different problem.

### Do I need an API key or an account anywhere?

No. Never. Menu Valet runs entirely on your own server. No external services, no
registration, no monthly fees for the LITE version.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors and Developers

“The 9 Dollar Menu Valet” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ The 9 Dollar Plugins ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/the9dollarplugins/)

[Translate “The 9 Dollar Menu Valet” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Change Log

#### 1.5 – 2026-09-10

 * Fixed: Hidden menu items are no longer access-restricted — visual only, as intended.
 * Tested up to WordPress 7.1

#### 1.4 – 2026-08-06

 * Fixed: Menu table in admin page now reflects the correct order of the WordPress
   sidebar menu.
 * Fixed: Minor CSS bug.
 * Freemius SDK Updated to 2.13.4

#### 1.3 – 2026-06-08

 * Code cleanup and bug fixes
 * Review Notice fixed

#### 1.2 – 2026-05-20

 * Fixed: WordPress.org review link corrected.
 * Improved: Menu Valet’s own entry is now highlighted in the menu table to prevent
   accidental changes.
 * Updated: readme.txt.

#### 1.1 – 2026-04-12

 * Fixed: Admin page returned “You do not have permission.

#### 1.0 – 2026-02-22

 * Initial release.
 * Hide admin menu items via checkbox (Ajax).
 * Reorder admin menu items via drag & drop (Ajax).
 * PRO: Live search field in the admin sidebar.
 * PRO: Rename any menu or submenu item inline.
 * PRO: Custom Sidebar Width — live slider from 160 px to 380 px.
 * REST API endpoints for headless/programmatic access.
 * Full i18n support.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.5**
 *  Last updated **4 weeks ago**
 *  Active installations **10+**
 *  WordPress version ** 5.5 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.1.2**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/)
 * Tags
 * [admin menu](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/admin-menu/)[admin sidebar](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/admin-sidebar/)
   [hide menu items](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/hide-menu-items/)[menu manager](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/menu-manager/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ The 9 Dollar Plugins ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/the9dollarplugins/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/the-9-dollar-menu-valet/)

## Donate

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