Everything that happens inside wp-admin — custom menu pages, notices, screen-specific logic — runs through this group of hooks. They're the backbone of every plugin settings page and admin dashboard widget. 3 actions, 3 filters in this category.
admin_initFires at the beginning of every admin page
admin_init is the admin counterpart to init: settings, redirects, and capability checks that must not run on the front-end.
Signature
do_action( 'admin_init' );Example
add_action( 'admin_init', function() {
register_setting( 'my_options_group', 'my_option_name' );
} );Common Use Cases
wp_mail_fromFilters the from-address used by wp_mail()
wp_mail_from fixes the wordpress@yourdomain.com sender WordPress uses by default — pair it with wp_mail_from_name to fully brand outgoing mail.
Signature
apply_filters( 'wp_mail_from', string $from_email );Example
add_filter( 'wp_mail_from', function() {
return 'no-reply@example.com';
} );
add_filter( 'wp_mail_from_name', function() {
return get_bloginfo( 'name' );
} );Common Use Cases
admin_footer_textFilters the text shown in the bottom-left of every admin page
admin_footer_text is a lightweight branding hook — agencies commonly use it to replace WordPress's default footer credit with their own support link.
Signature
apply_filters( 'admin_footer_text', string $text );Example
add_filter( 'admin_footer_text', function() {
return 'Managed by Acme Agency — <a href="https://example.com/support">Get support</a>';
} );Common Use Cases
admin_menuFires before the admin menu is rendered — register menu pages here
admin_menu is exclusively for add_menu_page() / add_submenu_page() calls; anything else belongs on admin_init.
Signature
do_action( 'admin_menu' );Example
add_action( 'admin_menu', function() {
add_menu_page( 'My Plugin', 'My Plugin', 'manage_options', 'my-plugin', 'my_plugin_render_page', 'dashicons-admin-generic', 66 );
} );Common Use Cases
admin_noticesFires to print admin notices at the top of admin pages
admin_notices runs on every admin screen — always check current_user_can() or a specific screen ID so your notice doesn't nag every user on every page.
Signature
do_action( 'admin_notices' );Example
add_action( 'admin_notices', function() {
if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
return;
}
echo '<div class="notice notice-warning"><p>Please configure My Plugin.</p></div>';
} );Common Use Cases
manage_posts_columnsAdds or removes columns on the admin post list table
manage_posts_columns controls what shows up in wp-admin's post list table — add a custom column here, then fill it with manage_posts_custom_column.
Signature
apply_filters( 'manage_posts_columns', string[] $columns );Example
add_filter( 'manage_posts_columns', function( $columns ) {
$columns['word_count'] = 'Word Count';
return $columns;
} );Common Use Cases