Elementor’s Overview widget — shortcuts, tutorials, news — clutters the dashboard of every subsite that has Elementor active. On a single site you’d just ignore it; across a multisite network you want it gone everywhere at once, without touching the subsites where Elementor isn’t even installed.
wp-content/mu-plugins/ that calls remove_meta_box('e-dashboard-overview', 'dashboard', 'normal') on wp_dashboard_setup. Because mu-plugins load on every subsite automatically, it clears the widget across the whole network in one file — and only where the widget exists, so subsites without Elementor are unaffected. Prefer not to touch files? The Code Snippets plugin, network-activated, does the same thing from a UI.The Overview widget isn’t harmful, but at network scale it’s noise: it takes dashboard space, distracts admins from site-specific work, and loads a few extra scripts. Removing it leaves Elementor’s page builder fully intact — you’re only hiding one dashboard box.
One PHP file in wp-content/ mu-plugins/. Loads on EVERY subsite automatically. Update- safe, zero deps. Acts only where the widget exists. Revert = delete.
Same remove_meta_box call pasted into a GUI, run in the admin area. No file access. Toggle off in the UI. Small plugin overhead vs the zero-dependency mu-plugin.
Table of Contents
Why remove it network-wide
On one site the widget is a shrug; across a network it multiplies. Disabling it once, network-wide:
- De-clutters every dashboard so admins see site work, not Elementor’s news feed.
- Trims a little load — the widget pulls extra dashboard scripts you don’t need.
- Stays consistent — no “present on this subsite, missing on that one” drift.
And it’s surgical: it removes the widget, not Elementor. The builder keeps working everywhere.
The recommended way: one mu-plugin
A must-use plugin is the cleanest network-wide mechanism — files in wp-content/mu-plugins/ load automatically on every site in the network, with nothing to activate per subsite.
- Ensure
wp-content/mu-plugins/exists (create it if not). - Add a file, e.g.
disable-elementor-overview.php:
<?php
/**
* Plugin Name: Disable Elementor Overview Widget (network-wide)
* Description: Removes Elementor's dashboard Overview widget on every subsite that has it.
*/
add_action( 'wp_dashboard_setup', function () {
// remove_meta_box() only acts where the widget is registered, so Elementor-free subsites are untouched.
remove_meta_box( 'e-dashboard-overview', 'dashboard', 'normal' );
}, 100 );
Code language: PHP (php)remove_meta_box at priority 100 runs after Elementor has registered the widget, so there’s something to remove. Load any subsite’s dashboard and the Overview box is gone. Because remove_meta_box simply does nothing when the widget isn’t present, subsites without Elementor are unaffected — no conditional needed. To reverse it, delete the file.
One mu-plugin file loads on every subsite automatically — the whole network, cleaned from a single place.
The no-code way: Code Snippets, network-activated
If you’d rather not touch files, the Code Snippets plugin runs the same removal from a UI:
- Install and network-activate Code Snippets.
- Snippets → Add New, set it to run in the administration area.
- Paste the
remove_meta_box(...)call inside awp_dashboard_setupaction (as above), save, and activate.
This is the right pick for non-coders, and it’s the classic snippet-vs-plugin trade-off: a focused behavior you could ship as a file, handled through a UI instead. The cost is the plugin’s own small overhead versus a zero-dependency mu-plugin.
Which to choose
- Network admins / developers → the mu-plugin. Update-safe, zero dependencies, loads everywhere, reverts by deleting one file. This is the default for a professional multisite.
- Non-technical admins → Code Snippets, network-activated. No file access, toggle off in the UI.
Either way it’s network-wide and reversible; the difference is whether you deploy through a file or a plugin screen. (Network-wide deployment needs super admin access — see also reaching a parked multisite subsite for other multisite-scoped operations.)
The short version
Elementor’s Overview widget clutters every Elementor-active subsite’s dashboard. Remove it network-wide with one mu-plugin in wp-content/mu-plugins/ calling remove_meta_box('e-dashboard-overview', 'dashboard', 'normal') on wp_dashboard_setup at priority 100 — it loads on every subsite automatically and does nothing on subsites without Elementor, so nothing else is affected. Non-coders can do the same via the network-activated Code Snippets plugin. Both are reversible and remove only the widget, never the builder; network deployment needs super-admin access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this remove Elementor entirely?
No — it removes only the Overview dashboard widget. Elementor’s page builder and everything you’ve built with it keep working exactly as before. You’re hiding one box on the WordPress dashboard, nothing more.
Does it affect subsites that don’t have Elementor?
No. remove_meta_box simply does nothing when the widget isn’t registered, so subsites without Elementor are untouched — no conditional check needed. The mu-plugin loads everywhere but only acts where the widget exists.
Why a mu-plugin instead of a normal plugin?
Must-use plugins in wp-content/mu-plugins/ load automatically on every site in a multisite network, with nothing to activate per subsite and no risk of a subsite admin deactivating them. That makes them the cleanest, most reliable way to apply a network-wide dashboard change.
Can I reverse it later?
Yes, easily. Delete the mu-plugin file (or toggle the snippet off in Code Snippets) and the Overview widget returns on the next dashboard load. Nothing about Elementor or your content is changed.
Does removing it improve performance?
Marginally. The widget loads a few extra dashboard scripts and a remote news/tutorials feed; removing it avoids that small cost on every admin page load. It’s a tidiness win first, a minor speed win second.
