MainWP User Interface

Learn how to navigate the MainWP Dashboard interface, customize widgets, manage tables, and use the navigation system effectively.

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Part 4: Pre-install FAQ →

The MainWP Dashboard provides a centralized interface for managing all your connected WordPress sites. Understanding the layout, widgets, navigation, and table controls allows you to work efficiently across hundreds of sites.

What You Will Accomplish

After reviewing this page, you will be able to:

• Customize widget layout and visibility on Operations pages
• Navigate between global and individual site views
• Sort, filter, and act on data in MainWP tables
• Select sites for bulk actions using the Select Sites metabox

Prerequisites

• MainWP Dashboard installed and activated on your Dashboard site
• At least one Child Site connected (see Getting started with MainWP)

If you upgraded from a MainWP version before 4.5 and see visual issues, perform a hard refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows, Command + Shift + R on Mac) or clear your browser cache.

Widgetized Pages

MainWP Operations pages display multiple widgets that summarize your Child Sites and the actions needed to maintain them. You can customize the layout to match your workflow.

Reorder Widgets

Drag and drop widgets to customize their order. MainWP Dashboard remembers your arrangement for future visits.

Resize Widgets

Grab the lower-right corner of any widget and drag to adjust its size.

Save or Load Layouts

Use Layout in the header to save your current widget arrangement or load a previously saved layout.

Enable or Disable Widgets

Open Page Settings, check or uncheck widgets in the list, and click Save Settings.

Widgets

Update Overview

The updates section displays separate cards for each update type:

Card	Function
Total updates	Update everything across all Child Sites
WordPress updates	Update WordPress Core on all sites
Plugin updates	Update all plugins on all child sites
Theme updates	Update all themes on all child sites
Translation updates	Update all translations on all child sites
Abandoned plugins	View potentially abandoned plugins
Abandoned themes	View potentially abandoned themes

Connection Status

This widget displays the current status of your Child Sites and their recent sync activity. On an individual Child Site dashboard, it shows information for that site only. Use the dropdown menu in the top-right corner to reveal additional details.

Network Activity

The Network Activity widget tracks recent activity including changes made outside MainWP and those made from your Dashboard. Each entry includes the event type, action taken, timestamp, website, and user responsible. Filter options let you view Non-MainWP Changes only, Dashboard Changes only, or both. You can also dismiss selected changes directly from the widget.

Recent Posts

This widget displays the five most recent posts across your Child Sites, showing the post title, date, and source website.

Action	Description	Availability
Unpublish	Changes post status to draft	Published posts
Edit	Opens the post editor	Published, Draft, Pending, and Scheduled posts
Trash	Moves post to trash	Published, Draft, Pending, and Scheduled posts
View	Opens post on front-end	Published posts
Preview	Opens scheduled post preview	Scheduled posts
Publish	Publishes the post	Draft, Pending, and Scheduled posts
Restore	Restores previous status	Trashed posts
Delete Permanently	Removes post completely	Trashed posts

The dropdown menu at the top toggles between post statuses. Click Create a New Post to create content on your Child Sites from the post creation screen. On an individual Child Site dashboard, the widget shows posts from that site only.

Recent Pages

This widget displays the five most recent pages across your Child Sites, showing the page title, date, and source website.

Action	Description	Availability
Unpublish	Changes page status to draft	Published pages
Edit	Opens the page editor	Published, Draft, Pending, and Scheduled pages
Trash	Moves page to trash	Published, Draft, Pending, and Scheduled pages
View	Opens page on front-end	Published pages
View All	Opens the full pages management screen	Published, Draft, Pending, and Scheduled pages
Preview	Opens scheduled page preview	Scheduled pages
Publish	Publishes the page	Draft, Pending, and Scheduled pages
Restore	Restores previous status	Trashed pages
Delete Permanently	Removes page completely	Trashed pages

The dropdown menu at the top toggles between page statuses. Click Create a New Page to create content on your Child Sites. On an individual Child Site dashboard, the widget shows pages from that site only.

Site Hardening

This widget shows a recommendation count for Site Hardening checks across your Child Sites. Use the action menu to switch between Show All, Show Issues, and Hide All. On an individual Child Site dashboard, the widget displays recommendations for that site only.

Plugins (Individual Site Operations)

This widget lists all plugins installed on the Child Site. The left column shows plugin names and versions, and clicking a plugin name displays detailed information.

Action	Description	Availability
Deactivate	Deactivates the plugin	Active plugins
Activate	Activates the plugin	Inactive plugins
Delete	Removes the plugin	Active and inactive plugins
History	Opens plugin history details for this site	Plugin rows in this widget

Use the widget navigation to switch between active and inactive plugins.

Themes

This widget lists all themes installed on the Child Site. The left column shows theme names and versions, and clicking a theme name displays detailed information.

Action	Description	Availability
Activate	Activates the theme	Inactive themes
Delete	Removes the theme	Inactive themes
History	Opens theme history details for this site	Theme rows in this widget

Navigation

The MainWP Dashboard navigation panel appears on the left side and provides quick access to all sections.

Sidebar Navigation

Section	Purpose
Operations	Dashboard summary and widgets
Sites	Manage connected Child Sites
Clients	Client management and profiles
Costs	Track and manage costs
Insights	Activity logs and trends
Add-ons	Extension management
API Access	API key and Application Passwords management
Settings	Dashboard configuration
Info	System, cron, logs, event monitor, and privacy pages
Support	Open the Support modal for AI assistance, tours, video guides, and contact options

For a full breakdown of Support modal behavior, see MainWP Support Modal.

Header Elements

Element	Function
Sync	Synchronize all connected sites (or the current site context); shows a red pulsating badge when sync data is older than 24 hours. See Overview of MainWP Dashboard icons.
Add	Add websites, clients, costs, posts, pages, plugins, themes, or users
Layout	Save or load widget layouts on supported pages
Page Settings	Configure settings for the current page
Quick Site Shortcuts	Open sidebar with quick access to child sites
Theme Switcher	Uses quick Light/Dark switching for default themes without custom theme files; otherwise opens the theme selection modal
User Menu	Access MainWP Settings, MainWP Tools, System Info, Privacy Policy, Get Help (Help sidebar), WP Admin, community, account, and logout

MainWP Dashboard also provides page navigation tabs that vary by section. Each MainWP section has different page navigation options, and some sections have no tabs.

Tables

MainWP uses DataTables for advanced interaction controls throughout the interface.

Actions Menu

The actions menu appears in the far right column of most MainWP tables.

Sorting Options

Click any column header to sort table data by that column.

Columns Order

Drag and drop columns to set a custom order. MainWP remembers your arrangement, so this adjustment persists across page loads.

Bulk Actions

The bulk action menu appears in the top-left position above tables. Select items, choose an action from the dropdown, and click Apply.

Table Filter

Use the filters in the top-right to narrow down table data.

On MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites, you can filter by tags, status, and clients. When selecting multiple tags, choose Match any (OR) or Match all (AND) to control how tag matches are evaluated.

Pagination

When tables contain more data than a single page can display, pagination controls allow you to navigate through the data.

Manage Plugins and Themes Table Features

The Manage Plugins and Manage Themes tables include icons for quicker identification and display the number of child sites where each plugin or theme is installed. You can select child sites individually or select all sites where a particular plugin or theme is installed. Plugins and themes can be activated, deactivated, or deleted individually or in bulk. Each row also includes a History action so you can review change activity in the same modal used across Manage and Updates pages.

Select Sites

The Select Sites metabox appears throughout MainWP and determines which Child Sites an action affects. Common uses include searching for content, publishing posts, and installing plugins or themes.

Check the box next to a Child Site name to include it. Disconnected sites appear disabled because MainWP Dashboard cannot update sites that lack a proper connection.

Selection Methods

Method	How It Works
By Site	Select individual sites directly
By Tag	Select all sites assigned to specific tags
By Client	Select all sites associated with specific clients

Quick Selection

The All and None buttons above the site list provide fast selection or deselection.

Sites Filter

Type a site name in the filter field at the top of the metabox to locate specific sites quickly. This feature proves especially useful when managing many Child Sites.

Sidebar Accordion

The MainWP Sidebar contains collapsible sections with different option groups. Common sections include Select Sites, search parameters, and action buttons at the bottom.

Collapse sections you use less frequently to keep the interface clean, and expand them when needed.

Individual Site Mode

Most MainWP features work at both global level (affecting all Child Sites) and individual site level.

Single Site Overview

Individual Child Site mode lets you control settings per site and monitor site-specific data.

1. Navigate to Manage Sites

   Go to MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites.

2. Select a site

   Locate the Child Site and click its name under the Site column.

The individual site page includes these tabs:

Tab	Purpose
Overview	Site-specific information and actions
Settings	Modify Child Site settings
Updates	Manage available updates
Backups	Manage backups (shown when backup features are enabled)
Site Hardening	View security issues and reports

Installed MainWP Add-ons display additional tabs as applicable.

Page Settings

Most MainWP Dashboard pages include a Page Settings button in the top-right corner. These settings apply to the specific page where you configure them.

Custom Event Monitor

The Custom Event Monitor logs system events and helps with troubleshooting. Access it from MainWP > Info > Custom Event Monitor.

The Custom Event Monitor remains in alpha phase with a limited number of tracked actions. Coverage will expand in future releases.

Common Real-World Use Cases

Scenario	How to Use the Interface
Check which sites need updates	View the Update Overview widget on the main Operations page
Update plugins on specific client sites	Use Select Sites > By Client, then navigate to plugin updates
Find a specific site quickly	Use the Sites Filter in the Select Sites metabox or Quick Site Shortcuts in the header
Focus on one site’s details	Click the site name in Manage Sites to enter Individual Site Mode
Reduce dashboard clutter	Open Page Settings and disable widgets you don’t need

Common Problems and Fixes

Problem	Likely Cause	Fix
Widgets appear broken or misaligned after upgrade	Browser cache contains old CSS/JS	Hard refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R / Cmd + Shift + R) or clear browser cache
Cannot select a site in the Select Sites metabox	Site is disconnected	Reconnect the site from MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites
Widget customizations reset between sessions	Browser blocking local storage	Check browser privacy settings and allow local storage for your Dashboard URL
Page Settings button missing	Page does not support customization	Some pages have fixed layouts without configurable settings

Self-Check Checklist

Confirm you understand the MainWP interface:

• You can locate the main navigation sidebar and identify its sections
• You can reorder and resize widgets on an Operations page
• You can enable or disable widgets using Page Settings
• You can sort and filter data in tables
• You can select sites by site, tag, or client in the Select Sites metabox
• You can access an individual site’s overview by clicking its name

Related Topics

• Getting started with MainWP - Installation and initial setup
• Manage Child Sites - Adding and managing sites
• Manage Clients - Organizing sites by client