When I first started managing my WordPress site, I created several pages that I didn’t want visible to visitors yet. Maybe they were under construction, meant for private clients, or part of a future launch. I quickly realized I needed to hide pages in WordPress without deleting them.
At first, I was worried this would be complicated, but after exploring WordPress settings, I discovered several easy ways to hide pages. If you’re a beginner and want to control which pages your visitors see, this guide will walk you through the steps I used.
Why I Wanted to Hide a Page
There are many reasons to hide a page on WordPress:
- Pages are under construction
- Content is private for certain users or clients
- Seasonal or temporary content that shouldn’t appear on the menu
- Avoid clutter on the website while keeping the page published
Understanding the reason helps you choose the right method for hiding the page.
Using WordPress Visibility Settings
The easiest way I hid a page was using WordPress’s built-in visibility options:
- Went to Pages > All Pages and selected the page I wanted to hide.
- Clicked Edit to open the page editor.
- In the Publish box, clicked Visibility.
- Chose either:
- Private: Only logged-in users with proper permissions can see it
- Password Protected: Visitors need a password to access
- Clicked Update to save changes
Using this method, the page stayed published but was hidden from the public, which was perfect for client pages or draft content.
Removing the Page from Menus
Even after hiding a page, I noticed it could still appear in my website’s menus. To fix this, I:
- Went to Appearance > Menus
- Checked if the hidden page was included in the menu
- Removed it if necessary
- Saved the menu
This ensured visitors couldn’t access the page by clicking on the navigation.
Using a Plugin to Hide Pages
For more control, I installed a plugin called “Exclude Pages from Navigation”. This plugin allows you to:
- Hide pages from menus
- Keep pages published but invisible on the frontend
- Select which pages are visible to specific user roles
Plugins are useful if you want a more advanced solution without manually editing each page.
Using Custom CSS to Hide Pages
For advanced users, I discovered that you can hide a page with CSS if you know the page ID. I went to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS and added:
.page-id-123 {
display: none;
}
This hides the page from visitors but keeps it published for admin use. It’s a good method for temporary or special-case pages, though I recommend using it carefully.
Common Mistakes I Almost Made
When hiding pages, I almost:
- Forgot to remove the page from the menu, leaving it visible
- Used a plugin without checking compatibility with my theme
- Accidentally made pages private when I wanted only temporary hiding
Learning these mistakes helped me manage hidden pages more effectively.
Final Thoughts on Hiding Pages in WordPress
Hiding a page in WordPress is simple once you know the options. You can use built-in visibility settings, remove pages from menus, use a plugin, or apply custom CSS depending on your needs.
After I started using these methods, my site became easier to manage. I could prepare content, control visibility, and keep pages organized without confusing visitors. For beginners, hiding pages is an essential skill to maintain a professional, organized website.