In some cases, user roles alone don’t provide enough control. That’s where user capabilities come in. With the Hide Admin Bar plugin, you can hide the toolbar for users who have specific WordPress capabilities — offering more granular control across custom roles or complex permission setups.

What Are Capabilities? #

WordPress capabilities are specific permissions granted to users or roles, such as:

• edit_posts
• manage_options
• read_private_pages
• publish_pages
• Custom capabilities from plugins like WooCommerce or LearnDash

When to Use Capability-Based Visibility #

Use this feature if:

• You’ve created custom user roles with specific capabilities
• You want to hide the admin bar for users with a mix of role access
• You’re using plugins that assign unique permissions

Steps to Hide Admin Bar by Capability #

1. Ensure the Plugin is Installed #

Follow this: 👉 Installation Guide

2. Open Plugin Settings #

Go to:
Settings → Hide Admin Bar Settings

3. Locate the Capability Blacklist Section #

You’ll see a field labeled:
Hide admin bar for selected user capabilities

It may appear as a multi-line input or dynamic field (depending on UI).

4. Add the Capabilities You Want to Target #

Enter one or more capabilities, such as:

edit_posts
read_private_pages
manage_woocommerce

5. Save Changes #

Click Save and test by logging in as a user with the specified capability.

If matched, the admin bar will be hidden immediately.

Notes & Troubleshooting #

• You can use the User Switching plugin to test quickly
• Capability names must match exactly (case-sensitive)
• If you’re unsure what capabilities a user has, use a plugin like User Role Editor