Where to Find Screen Options in WordPress

Screen Options is in the upper-right corner of the relevant WordPress admin page. It appears as a hanging tab directly below the toolbar or admin bar. Click it to open a panel of checkboxes, select the fields, widgets, columns, or modules you want, then click the tab again to close it. The available choices depend on the admin screen you are viewing.

This guide explains where to find the tab, what it controls on each common screen, how to restore hidden fields, why it may be missing, and how to capture a clean reference image of the result.

1. Open the correct WordPress admin screen

Sign in to your WordPress site.
Go to the WordPress Dashboard, Posts, Pages, or the editor screen where you need to change the layout.
Look at the top-right of the page, immediately below the dark toolbar/admin bar.
Find the tab labeled Screen Options.

WordPress describes Screen Options as a “hanging tab under the toolbar” that controls which fields or modules are presented for a particular Administration Screen. The tab is available on most administrative pages, but it is not a global settings page. Its controls change with the screen you are using.

Official references: WordPress Administration Screens and Learn WordPress Dashboard Overview.

2. Open and close the Screen Options panel

Click Screen Options once. A panel drops down below the tab. It normally contains checkboxes and, on list screens, a number field. Check an item to show it or clear the item to hide it. Click the tab again when you are finished.

Your choices affect your own admin layout and are generally remembered for that screen. They do not change what visitors see on the public website. They also do not automatically change another administrator’s layout.

3. What Screen Options controls on each WordPress screen

Dashboard → Home

On the main Dashboard screen, Screen Options lists dashboard widgets. These can include At a Glance, Activity, Quick Draft, WordPress Events and News, Site Health, and widgets added by plugins or themes.

Screen Options changes its checkboxes to match the current WordPress admin screen.

Show a widget: check its box.
Hide a widget: clear its box.
Rearrange widgets: after making them visible, drag their headings on the Dashboard where supported.

Hiding a widget only removes it from your view. It does not uninstall the plugin that supplied it or delete its data.

Posts → All Posts

On the Posts list, Screen Options controls two practical parts of the table:

Columns: choose fields such as author, categories, tags, comments, date, or plugin-provided columns.
Number of items per page: set how many posts WordPress displays before pagination.

If the author or category column disappeared, open Screen Options and check that column. If the list is too short or too long, change the items-per-page value and apply it.

Pages → All Pages

The Pages list works like the Posts list. Screen Options controls visible columns and the number of pages displayed per page. Plugin columns, such as SEO or page-builder status, may also appear here.

Pages → Add New or Edit Page

On the page editing screen, Screen Options can expose editor modules that are hidden by default. Depending on your WordPress version, theme, plugins, and user permissions, available boxes can include:

Custom Fields
Discussion
Slug
Post Author

Check a module to make its panel available in the editor. Some modules appear below the main editor, in a sidebar, or inside a collapsed section. The exact placement depends on the editor and installed plugins.

Other administration screens

Screen Options may also appear in media, comments, users, plugins, and custom post-type screens. The pattern is the same: the upper-right tab controls elements on the current screen. A plugin can add its own columns, panels, or widgets, so two WordPress sites can show different checkboxes on the same type of page.

4. Show hidden fields: practical examples

Show Custom Fields while editing a page

Open Pages → Add New or edit an existing page.
Click Screen Options in the upper-right.
Check Custom Fields.
Close the panel and scroll through the editor until the Custom Fields area appears.
Add or edit the key and value, then update the page.

If Custom Fields is not listed, your editor, WordPress version, user role, or a plugin may be disabling it. Use the troubleshooting section below before changing theme files.

Restore the Discussion box

Open the post or page editor.
Open Screen Options.
Check Discussion.
Close Screen Options and locate the Discussion panel.
Enable or disable comments and trackbacks, then save the content.

Restore a missing table column

Open Posts → All Posts or Pages → All Pages.
Open Screen Options.
Check the missing column.
Optionally adjust the number of items per page.
Click Apply if the screen provides an Apply button.

5. Why Screen Options is missing

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
No tab on the public site	You are not in WP Admin	Open `/wp-admin/` or use the Dashboard link after signing in.
No tab on one admin page	That screen does not expose Screen Options	Try the Dashboard, Posts, Pages, or another standard admin screen.
Tab exists but the needed box is absent	Theme, plugin, editor, or permissions hide it	Check your role and plugin documentation; test with nonessential plugins disabled in a staging site.
Columns keep disappearing	A saved screen preference or plugin changes the list	Recheck Screen Options and inspect recent plugin or role changes.
Checkboxes are disabled or read-only	Your user role lacks permission	Ask an administrator to grant the required capability.
Panel will not open	JavaScript error, browser extension, caching, or an admin UI conflict	Refresh, test a private window, disable extensions, and inspect the browser console.

6. A repeatable way to document the setting

If you support several sites, document the exact screen and the selected options. Record:

The site and WordPress version.
The admin URL and screen name.
Your user role.
The Screen Options boxes that are checked.
The items-per-page value, if present.
Any plugin that adds a field, column, or widget.

Take the screenshot after closing the Screen Options panel if you want to show the final working layout. Leave the panel open if the purpose is to teach someone where the controls are.

7. Capture the admin screen with Playwright

For a repeatable internal guide, browser automation can sign in, open a screen, and capture the Screen Options panel. Store credentials in environment variables and use a test or staging account.

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const browser = await chromium.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1440, height: 1000 } });

await page.goto(`${process.env.WP_URL}/wp-login.php`);
await page.fill('#user_login', process.env.WP_USER);
await page.fill('#user_pass', process.env.WP_PASSWORD);
await page.click('#wp-submit');
await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');

await page.goto(`${process.env.WP_URL}/wp-admin/edit.php`);
await page.getByText('Screen Options', { exact: true }).click();
await page.screenshot({ path: 'wordpress-screen-options.png', fullPage: true });

await browser.close();

Selectors can differ when a plugin replaces the standard admin interface. If the text locator finds more than one element, scope it to the admin toolbar or use the tab’s stable ID from your site’s markup.

8. Troubleshooting automated captures

Check that the account can log in manually, that cookies are enabled, and that the automation uses the correct site URL. Security plugins may require an allowlist or block automated browsers.

The tab is visible but the click does nothing

Wait for the admin JavaScript to finish loading. Capture console errors and network failures. A content-security policy, minification plugin, or browser extension can prevent the Screen Options script from running.

The screenshot contains private data

Use a staging account with sample content. Crop or mask usernames, email addresses, API keys, customer records, and other sensitive fields before sharing the image.

The page is incomplete

Wait for the specific Screen Options tab or a known admin element instead of relying only on a fixed delay. For long tables, set a viewport that includes the relevant section or capture the element rather than the entire page.

9. Performance, reliability, and cost considerations

Manual screenshots are inexpensive but difficult to repeat consistently. Browser automation adds startup time and can fail when login flows, plugins, network requests, or admin markup change. Reduce failures by reusing an authenticated browser context, waiting for selectors, keeping a stable viewport, and running captures against staging.

A screenshot service can remove obstructing overlays before saving the image.

For many URLs, avoid launching a new browser for every image. Queue work, limit concurrency to what the site can handle, and retry only transient navigation failures. Do not retry authentication failures indefinitely. Keep screenshots at the smallest dimensions that document the issue, because large full-page images take longer to transfer and store.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF, so you can capture a WordPress admin page after your own authenticated workflow without maintaining a screenshot browser service. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all options.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

For a WordPress documentation workflow, relevant options include a custom viewport or device preset, retina scale, full-page capture, a CSS selector for one element, custom CSS to hide sensitive fields, JavaScript to open Screen Options, waits for a selector or network idle, cookies and Authorization headers, caching with a chosen TTL, and signed links for private images. You can also block ads, trackers, requests, or resource types; use timezone and geolocation controls; resize the result; submit bulk captures for up to 100 URLs; or run asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks.

ScreenshotNeo removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and whether it was billed. Its MCP server includes take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots; yearly billing provides two months free. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

10. FAQ

Is Screen Options available to every WordPress user?

The tab appears on most applicable admin screens, but the available controls depend on the screen, user permissions, theme, plugins, and editor.

Does Screen Options change the public website?

No. It changes the administrator’s view of the current screen. Content settings such as comments still require saving the post or page after you change them.

Where are Screen Options preferences stored?

They are saved as screen-specific admin preferences for your user. Another administrator may see a different layout.

Can I show every hidden WordPress field at once?

No. Each screen exposes its own supported modules and columns. Plugins and permissions can further limit what is available.

Why do I see different options on Posts and Pages?

Screen Options is contextual. Posts and Pages can have different columns, modules, custom post-type settings, and plugin integrations.