Widget Visibility Control

Description

Widget Visibility Control lets you decide exactly where each widget appears on your site. Show widgets only on specific pages, hide them for logged-out users, display different content for different categories – all without writing a single line of code.

Looking for Widget Visibility and Scheduling?

This plugin gives you control over where your widgets appear:

  • Page targeting – Show widgets on the front page, blog page, specific pages, or 404 error page
  • Content targeting – Display widgets only on certain categories, tags, or custom taxonomies
  • User targeting – Show different widgets to logged-in users vs. visitors
  • Role-based display – Target specific user roles (administrators, editors, subscribers, etc.)
  • Author pages – Control visibility on author archive pages
  • Date archives – Target daily, monthly, or yearly archives
  • Post type support – Works with custom post types and their archives
  • Time scheduling – Schedule widgets to appear only during specific date and time ranges. Perfect for promotional banners, seasonal offers, holiday announcements, flash sales, event countdowns, and time-limited content

Multiple Conditions

Create sophisticated visibility rules by combining multiple conditions:

  • Use OR logic – Show if ANY condition matches
  • Use AND logic – Show only if ALL conditions match
  • Mix and match – Create exactly the rules you need

Built for Performance

  • Minimal database queries with intelligent caching
  • Only loads assets where needed (widget screens)
  • Clean, optimized code following WordPress standards

Why Choose This Plugin?

  • Lightweight – Focused functionality without unnecessary features
  • All features included – No premium version required
  • Jetpack Compatible – Migrate from Jetpack Widget Visibility without reconfiguring anything
  • Independent Storage – Your rules are stored separately, safe from Jetpack changes
  • Block Editor Ready – Works with both classic widgets and block-based widgets
  • Privacy Focused – No external connections, no tracking, no data collection

Coming from Jetpack?

If you’ve been using Jetpack just for widget visibility and want to reduce your site’s load, this plugin can help:

  • No configuration needed – Your existing visibility rules are automatically imported on activation
  • Same familiar interface – The visibility panel works as you’re used to
  • Keep or clean legacy data – Choose to maintain Jetpack compatibility or clean up completely
  • No disruption – Your widgets will continue working as before

Developer Friendly

  • Follows WordPress Coding Standards
  • Fully translatable with complete i18n support
  • Action and filter hooks for customization
  • Clean uninstall – removes only its own data

Support

Need help or have suggestions?

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About AyudaWP

We are specialists in WordPress security, SEO, and performance optimization plugins. We create tools that solve real problems for WordPress site owners while maintaining the highest coding standards and accessibility requirements.

Screenshots

  • Visibility Options settings on classic widgets
  • Visibility Options settings on block based widgets
  • Multiple conditions with AND/OR logic
  • Settings page with data management options

Installation

  1. Upload the widget-visibility-control folder to /wp-content/plugins/
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
  3. Configure visibility rules for your widgets (see “ Where to find visibility settings” below)

Where to find visibility settings

The location of visibility settings depends on your widget editing interface:

In Appearance > Widgets (block editor):
When using native block widgets, select any block in a widget area, then look in the right sidebar under Advanced > Visibility. Here you can add rules to show or hide the block.

In Appearance > Widgets (with Classic Widgets plugin):
If you have the Classic Widgets plugin active, click the “ Visibility” button that appears below each widget’s settings.

In Appearance > Customize > Widgets:
The Customizer always uses the classic interface. Click the “ Visibility” button below each widget’s settings to configure rules.

Legacy Widgets in block editor:
When you add a Legacy Widget block, expand the widget settings and you’ll find the “ Visibility” button in the classic interface within the block.

Coming from Jetpack? Your existing visibility rules will be automatically imported. Visit Appearance > Widget Visibility to review your imported data.

FAQ

Does this work with the block-based widget editor?

Yes! Widget Visibility Control works with all widget editing interfaces:

  • Block-based widgets (Appearance > Widgets): Visibility settings appear in the block’s Advanced panel in the right sidebar.
  • Legacy Widgets in the block editor: The classic “ Visibility” button appears within the legacy widget interface.
  • Classic Widgets plugin: If you prefer the traditional widget interface, the “ Visibility” button appears below each widget.
  • Customizer (Appearance > Customize > Widgets): Always uses the classic “ Visibility” button interface.

I’m using Jetpack. Will my visibility rules be preserved?

Yes. On activation, the plugin automatically imports all your existing Jetpack Widget Visibility rules. No reconfiguration needed.

Can I use this alongside Jetpack?

Yes, but to avoid conflicts, our visibility interface is automatically disabled while Jetpack Widget Visibility module is active. You can continue using Jetpack’s interface, and when you disable the Jetpack module, our interface will take over automatically. Your visibility rules are stored in both formats, so the transition is seamless.

What happens if I deactivate or uninstall this plugin?

On deactivation, your rules are preserved for when you reactivate. On uninstall, only this plugin’s data is removed. If you haven’t cleaned the legacy data, Jetpack can still read your original rules.

Can I use multiple conditions on a single widget?

Yes. You can add multiple conditions and choose whether ALL conditions must match (AND logic) or just ONE condition needs to match (OR logic).

Does this plugin slow down my site?

No. The plugin is optimized for performance with intelligent caching. Assets only load on admin widget screens, and frontend checks are minimal and cached.

Does this require a WordPress.com connection?

No. This plugin works completely standalone without any external connections or dependencies.

Does this work with full site editing (FSE) themes?

This plugin is designed for widget areas (sidebars, footers, etc.). Full Site Editing themes typically don’t use traditional widget areas – instead, they manage all content through the Site Editor using template parts and blocks.

If your FSE theme includes widget areas, the plugin will work in those areas. If you need conditional visibility for blocks in FSE templates, you would need a different solution designed for the Site Editor.

How does time scheduling work?

Time scheduling allows you to show or hide widgets during specific date and time ranges. This is ideal for:

  • Promotional banners – Display ads only during sale periods
  • Seasonal content – Show holiday greetings or seasonal offers automatically
  • Flash sales – Schedule countdown widgets for limited-time deals
  • Event announcements – Display event info until the event date passes
  • Time-sensitive notices – Show maintenance warnings or temporary announcements

You can configure:

  • Show only during period – Widget appears only between the start and end dates
  • Hide during period – Widget is hidden between the start and end dates
  • No end date – Widget starts showing from a specific date and continues indefinitely

The schedule uses your WordPress timezone setting (Settings > General). If you also have visibility rules configured (like “ show only on homepage” ), both conditions must be met – the widget will only appear on the homepage AND within the scheduled time range.

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Contributors & Developers

“Widget Visibility Control” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

“Widget Visibility Control” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Widget Visibility Control” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

1.1.1

  • Fixed: Classic/legacy widgets visibility rules not working (missing filter arguments)
  • Fixed: Block widgets showing empty container when hidden (now completely hidden)
  • Fixed: Improved handling of block widgets in widget_display_callback filter
  • Fixed: Schedule not working when combined with visibility rules
  • Fixed: Timezone handling in schedule evaluation
  • Improved: Better block visibility filtering using pre_render_block
  • Improved: Better condition checking for schedule and rules

1.1.0

  • New: Time scheduling feature – schedule widgets to show/hide during specific date and time ranges
  • New: “ No end date” option for indefinite scheduling (ideal for permanent changes starting from a specific date)
  • New: Schedule conditions work alongside existing visibility rules (AND logic)
  • New: Time Schedule section in widget visibility panel for both classic and block editor
  • Uses WordPress timezone settings for accurate scheduling

1.0.1

  • Fixed: Customizer visibility button not appearing when block editor was active
  • Fixed: Suppressed harmless wp-editor dependency notice on widgets screen
  • Improved: Customizer now works independently of block editor settings
  • Improved: Better separation between classic and block editor interfaces

1.0.0

  • Initial release
  • Full support for classic widgets and block-based widgets
  • Independent data storage system
  • Automatic Jetpack Widget Visibility migration
  • Settings page for data management
  • Condition types: category, tag, author, page, post type, date, taxonomy, user role, login status
  • AND/OR logic for multiple conditions
  • RTL language support
  • Complete internationalization