How to Fix Slow WordPress Admin: [5 Easy Ways]

Is your WordPress admin dashboard slow? Don’t worry; we have got you covered!

Multiple reasons can cause the slow WordPress admin issue, such as bulky code, too many plugins, unsuitable or poorly coded themes, and more. To make it even worse, a few of these reasons can also impact your WordPress’s performance. 

In this article, we will analyze the common causes, why they occur, and their potential fixes.

Ready? Let’s jump right in!

Slow WordPress Admin: 04 Main Causes

Before we move on to fixes, here’s what causes a slow WordPress admin dashboard.

#1: Excessive Plugins

WordPress plugins are amazing tools for adding new features to your WordPress. However, sometimes users download excess plugins that can slow down your WordPress admin. Before you download a plugin, remember that each plugin can slow your WordPress down. Therefore, always be conscious of the total number of plugins on your WordPress.

It is not only about the number. Sometimes, two or more plugins might conflict with each other, causing WordPress to either shut down completely or malfunction, eventually leading to a slow WordPress.

Also, some plugins may send external requests to third-party servers. If the third-party server is slow or down, your WordPress’s performance will be impacted.

Lastly, poorly coded plugins add a chunk of code to your WordPress. And whenever a visitor lands on your website, WordPress will be forced to load that redundant excess code that serves no purpose. Clearing this code can fix the slow WordPress admin. In the following section, we will show you how.

#2: Outdated PHP or WordPress Version

An outdated PHP version can also slow down your WordPress. Newer PHP versions have performance optimization that is not available in the previous versions. Previous versions deplete server resources, ultimately leading to longer page load times. On the other hand, the newer PHP version is designed to load elements faster, eventually fastening your WordPress’s speed.

Similarly, an outdated WordPress version can also cause slow WordPress admin. 

Kinsta studied PHP and WordPress versions and how the newer versions compare to the previous ones. They found the newer versions outperformed the preceding versions. They tested WordPress 6.4.2 and 6.2.2. Here’s how the results compare:

Results for WordPress 6.4.2

PHP 7.4: 149 res/s.

PHP 8.1: 153 req/s.

PHP 8.2: 158 req/s.

PHP 8.3: 169 req/s.

Results for WordPress 6.2.2

PHP 7.4: 147 res/s.

PHP 8.1: 151 req/s.

PHP 8.2: 153 req/s.

PHP 8.3: 165 req/s.

When it comes to speeding up WordPress, every microsecond counts. Thus, updating your software is vital for enhanced speed and performance.

#3: Inefficient/Nulled Theme

A nulled or poorly coded theme can also cause performance problems, causing your WordPress to load slowly. Themes can also add redundant code (e.g., excessive JavaScript, CSS, or HTML) to your WordPress, which can take longer to load and increase server response times. Unused code also adds unnecessary bulk.

Also, themes sometimes have massive unoptimized images, unnecessary videos, or heavy graphics that can significantly slow down your WordPress. Without proper optimization, these elements increase bandwidth usage and slow down page rendering.

Some themes also come with built-in features, such as sliders, animations, custom fonts, etc., that aren’t always necessary and put excess load on the server whenever a user lands on your website.

It’s important to understand that each extra feature adds HTTP requests, which can slow down your WordPress. 

Moreover, sometimes, themes may conflict with performance plugins, preventing the plugin from working efficiently. This can also cause performance problems.

Lastly, unresponsiveness can also cause performance problems. An unresponsive theme may cause your WordPress to load unnecessary elements on mobile phones, which can lead to higher loading times.

#4: High Database Load

A high database load can slow down WordPress in several ways. When a database is overloaded with requests, each query takes longer to load. This delay directly affects the time it takes for WordPress to generate and deliver pages to users.

When continuous requests are made, query backlogs build up, causing a backlog. This process can be deadly and cause significant delays, especially at peak times when traffic is higher.

Moreover, when multiple users access the site, continuous queries coming at the same time can cause table locking—a database feature that prevents multiple users from simultaneously reading or writing to a table. This makes some data temporarily inaccessible, leading to delays as queries wait for others to finish.

Furthermore, if you don’t utilize a database cache, every page load requires fresh queries to the database, which adds to the load on the server, especially during high-traffic periods. Caching stores frequently accessed data, reducing the need for repeated database requests.

How to Fix Slow WordPress Admin [5 Easy Fixes]

Now that you know the common causes, here’s what to do if your WordPress admin page is slow.

#1: Merge or Optimize Plugins 

As you learned in the previous section, excess plugins can cause slow WordPress admin, and the only way to get rid of excess plugins is to delete them. However, that might cause functionality issues. To combat that, you can merge plugins based on their features. 

For example, let’s establish that to protect your login page from unauthorized access, you plan on limiting login attempts that would require a dedicated plugin. To enhance security further, you decided to add 2FA and reCAPTCHA as well, which would require another dedicated plugin. To take it one step further, you change the default wp-admin to something confidential, which would also require another plugin.

Instead, you can just download All-in-One Login, which provides all these features, along with numerous others. The plugin is also lightweight, and that’s how you can cut excess plugins without losing functionality.

#2: Upgrade to the Latest PHP and WordPress Version

Another step you can take to combat slow WordPress admin is to upgrade to the latest, faster, and better version. The process of changing PHP versions may vary based on your hosting provider. Yet, most of the time, all you have to do is log in to your hosting control panel, and you should see the PHP version right in front with the main options.

Here’s how it looks in Kinsta. You can simply select your preferred PHP version from the drop-down. Remember: the higher, the better!

Kinsta recommends upgrading to PHP 8.3 for those concerned about the security and performance of their WordPress site. If your host doesn’t support higher PHP versions, that can be a sign to switch hosts.

Also, update your WordPress. You can easily check your WordPress’s version on your dashboard by scrolling down to the end.

WordPress always prompts you to update whenever a new version is available. You can check it out in the top left corner of the WordPress dashboard.

#3: Reduce HTTP Requests

All plugins and other elements sending HTTP requests can slow down your WordPress. Thus, reducing the total requests can reduce the workload on the server, which can eventually speed up the WordPress admin panel.

To reduce unnecessary requests, you must disable or dispose of redundant plugins that you do not need. Many plugins load additional scripts, styles, or images in the admin area. Disable or remove plugins you don’t need, especially ones that add visual elements or complex functionality to the admin dashboard.

You also need to disable unnecessary dashboard widgets. Although having everything under one roof does sound convenient, you should not forget that a fast-loading website is vital for a business. To do so, go to Screen Options in the dashboard and uncheck widgets you don’t use. 

Lastly, use a plugin like WP Rocket to combine and minify CSS and JavaScript files. This reduces the number of separate requests by merging files and minimizing their size. Another benefit of WP Rocket is that it offers numerous WordPress speeding features like cache, image optimization, etc., that can help you delete dedicated plugins for speeding features that WP Rocket already offers, which can reduce total HTTP requests. 

#4: Utilize a Content Delivery Network (CDN) 

Leveraging Content Delivery Network (CDN) can also help speed up your WordPress admin. It works by spreading a copy of your WordPress to multiple geographical locations. And when a visitor visits your website, it sends a request to the closest network instead of reaching out to the main server, which can significantly reduce the load times. 

CDNs store and deliver static files like JavaScript, CSS, and images and fetch them from the closest server to the visitor. WordPress uses many of these static assets to render the admin page. Serving these assets via a CDN reduces load times and can help speed up your WordPress admin.

Another way CDNs can help is by reducing the total workload on your main server. Since CDNs use servers close to the visitors, this can reduce the total workload on your central server, reducing the admin page’s load times. This can cause significant change if your admin area is image-heavy (e.g., with galleries, user-uploaded images, or visual plugins). CDN can speed up image loading by caching and optimizing images for fast delivery. 

Ensure that your CDN settings are set in a way that complements the elements you use in your admin area. For example, if your admin page has a lot of images, set it up to cache and deliver images and bypass other dynamic elements.

#5: Upgrade or Change Your Theme

Although the appearance of your website is critical, it is not worth sacrificing your website speed. If you think the theme is too heavyweight, switch to a different, lighter one. Embrace minimalism, and don’t go for excessively loaded themes.

You can also reduce the bloating by minifying the code. You can do this with a plugin, or a developer can help you clean your theme from any redundant code lines. Which can, in turn, help you reduce your WordPress admin load times. However, please note that the impact would be nominal. Therefore, it’s always wise to switch to a well-coded and lightweight theme.

Upgrading to a light theme reduces unnecessary scripts and styles, reducing the load on your admin area and, eventually, making the admin pages load faster.

Moreover, the latest themes are performance-focused and often include compatibility with caching and performance plugins. This helps eliminate compatibility issues that may lead to slow WordPress admin issues. 

Lastly, the latest themes are mobile-responsive and use modern web technologies, like lazy loading and optimized asset management, which prevent loading unnecessary elements and focus on loading the important elements, not those above the fold. 

Slow WordPress Admin —Recap

In this article, you learned that an excessive number of WordPress plugins, outdated PHP or WordPress versions, lousy themes, and a high database load can be very problematic for your WordPress speed. 

To ensure your WordPress loads blazing fast, disable or delete unnecessary plugins or swap them with a single plugin that offers multiple functions that you need. For example, we discussed All-in-One Login before, which offers entire login page security that would otherwise require downloading at least three or four plugins. 

Moreover, if your wp-admin is slow, switch to the latest WordPress and PHP versions. You can update your PHP version through the backend; contact your hosting provider if uncertain. Updating your software can significantly improve WordPress backend speed.

Furthermore, you should reduce the total number of HTTP requests to prevent slow WordPress admin. You can do that by minifying the bulky code using a reputable code-minifying plugin. Also, eliminate the plugins or widgets that add extra code or visuals on the admin page. 

Additionally, a content delivery network or CDN stores and delivers static files like JavaScript, CSS, and images and fetches them from the closest server to the visitor. If your theme uses files like these on your wp-admin, using a CDN can speed it up.

Lastly, change your theme to the latest one that is performance-focused and lightweight.

To take your login security to the next level, try All-in-One Login.

Frequently Asked Questions