WP Speed Tip #8 – Remove WooCommerce Dashboard Bloat for Faster Admin

Why It Matters

WooCommerce is great — but the default install clutters your admin dashboard with:

• Analytics blocks you never use
• Marketing suggestions
• Extensions you didn’t ask for
• Admin scripts and styles loading even when not needed

All this:

• Slows down your dashboard
• Eats up memory on shared hosting
• Distracts you from real work

The Fix: Disable WooCommerce Admin Junk

add_filter( 'woocommerce_admin_disabled', '__return_true' );

This disables the entire new admin interface (called wc-admin) including:

• WooCommerce Analytics
• Marketing hub
• Inbox notices
• Background data sync

Your dashboard becomes lighter, faster, and less annoying.

Optional Cleanup – Remove WooCommerce Styles/Blocks

remove_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', 'wc_enqueue_admin_styles' );
remove_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', 'wc_admin_assets' );

Only do this if you don’t need advanced reports or order analytics in the dashboard.

Extra Bloat to Consider Removing:

• Jetpack integration (not required for Woo)
• WooCommerce’s built-in “Marketing” menu
• WooCommerce Blocks plugin (if not using Gutenberg for products)

Use the “Disable WooCommerce Bloat” plugin if you prefer a click-to-disable interface.

Real Impact

After disabling wc-admin, dashboard load time dropped from 3.4s to under 1.2s on a modest shared host.

Less RAM use, fewer background AJAX calls, and a cleaner experience.

What You Still Keep After Disabling

• Orders
• Products
• Coupons
• Standard Woo settings
• Email functionality
• Checkout and cart – untouched

Bonus: Enable Admin Only When Needed

if ( current_user_can('administrator') ) {
    add_filter( 'woocommerce_admin_disabled', '__return_true' );
}

So it only disables for admins, or only on staging/dev.

Bookmark this tip. Coming up next:
“Tip #9 – Clean Up Unused Plugins and Themes (Don’t Just Deactivate Them)”