Configure client access to WordPress.com features

Last reviewed on March 31, 2026

In this Guide

By default, WordPress.com sites include a Hosting section and a Help Center in wp-admin. You can hide these features to provide a white-labeled experience for your clients.

In this guide, you will learn what these features control, how to enable or disable them during and after site creation, and how to manage hosting settings when they are turned off.

What this setting controls

WordPress.com adds two features to a site’s wp-admin:

  • Hosting section: Displays plan information, upgrades, and hosting-related options on the wp-admin dashboard.
  • Help Center: Appears in the admin bar and provides direct access to the WordPress.com support team.

When you disable these features, they are hidden from all users on the site, including you.

Set client access during site creation

You can configure this setting when you create a WordPress.com site from a license. In the site configuration window, locate the “Allow clients to use the WordPress.com Help Center and hosting features” checkbox.

  • Checked (default): The Hosting section and Help Center are accessible through wp-admin for all users on the site.
  • Unchecked: The Hosting section and Help Center are hidden from wp-admin for all users on the site.
The site configuration settings during creation of a new site.

For full site creation steps, see Set up a WordPress.com site from a license.

Change client access after site creation

Follow these steps to enable or disable client access on an existing site:

  1. Navigate to your Sites Dashboard on the Automattic for Agencies dashboard.
  2. Open the action menu for the site you want to manage.
  3. Click “Hosting configuration“.
The action menu on the Sites Dashboard with the "Hosting configuration" option highlighted.
  1. Click to open the Agency Settings section.
The agency settings on the hosting configuration screen.
  1. Toggle the “Allow clients to use the WordPress.com Help Center and hosting features” option on or off.
The Agency Settings section in Site Settings showing the toggle for hosting and support access.
  1. Save your changes.

Manage hosting features when client access is disabled

When you disable the Hosting section and Help Center on a site, you and your clients no longer have access to those features from the site’s wp-admin. This includes:

  • Hosting configuration
  • Staging sites
  • Scheduled plugin updates
  • Email settings
  • Domain management

To access these settings, use your Automattic for Agencies dashboard instead of wp-admin. Follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to your Sites Dashboard on the Automattic for Agencies dashboard.
  2. Locate the site you want to manage.
  3. Use the site’s action menu or Preview Pane to access hosting configuration, domain settings, or site settings directly.

📌

Disabling client access does not remove any hosting functionality. It only changes where you access those features — from your Automattic for Agencies dashboard instead of the site’s wp-admin.

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