Chris P.

DashLinks – Dashboard Shortcut Buttons adds a customizable widget to the WordPress Dashboard so admins can jump to important areas in one click.
Use the plugin settings page to build your own shortcut button set, reorder buttons with drag-and-drop, and style the widget to match your admin theme.
<h3>Main Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Custom buttons with links set by the user.</li>
<li>Custom dashboard widget title.</li>
<li>Configurable button grid with 1-10 columns.</li>
<li>Drag-and-drop button ordering.</li>
<li>Dashicon picker for each button.</li>
<li>Fully customizable button appearance and style.</li>
<li>Per-button link target behavior (open in same tab or new tab).</li>
<li>Optional row fill behavior for incomplete rows.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Appearance controls</h3>
<ul>
<li>Button colors (normal and hover)</li>
<li>Text color, font size, and font weight</li>
<li>Icon size, spacing, and icon position (left, top, right, bottom)</li>
<li>Button padding, button gap, and shadows</li>
<li>Live preview in settings, including dashboard column preview modes.</li>
</ul>
Default shortcuts are included for common actions like View Site, New Post, Media Library, Plugins, and Settings.
<h3>Development & Support</h3>
This plugin is fully developed by Chris P.(exp7) [<a href="https://github.com/exp7" rel="nofollow ugc">Github</a>], mainly after a specific use case for personal use and it is published as is, with no quarantees of future updates or support included.

DashLinks – Dashboard Shortcut Buttons

Adds a customizable Dashboard widget with quick shortcut buttons for common WordPress admin tasks and pages.

hannesklingvall

SCAD (Simple Custom Admin Dashboard) transforms your WordPress admin into a beautiful, efficient workspace. Perfect for content creators, agencies, and store owners who want a better admin experience.
🎯 Free Features:
<ul>
<li>Custom Dashboard – Replace the default WP dashboard with shortcuts to your most-used admin pages</li>
<li>Modern Design – Clean, professional interface with light/dark/auto color schemes</li>
<li>Quick Access Cards – One-click shortcuts to Posts, Media, Pages, Comments, WooCommerce, and more</li>
<li>Fully Responsive – Works perfectly on desktop, tablet, and mobile</li>
<li>White Label – Customize menu titles and welcome text</li>
<li>Easy Setup – Works out of the box with sensible defaults</li>
</ul>
💎 Pro Features (separate plugin):
<ul>
<li>Notifications – See plugin updates, pending comments and form submissions at a glance</li>
<li>Admin Menu Styling – Custom background, text, hover and active colors for the sidebar</li>
<li>Widgets – WooCommerce stats and Quick Actions on your dashboard</li>
<li>Custom Shortcuts – Add your own cards linking to any URL</li>
<li>Drag & Drop – Reorder cards with drag and drop</li>
<li>Export / Import – Save your setup and deploy it to any site in seconds</li>
<li>Custom Color Theme – Create a fully custom color scheme</li>
</ul>
Pro is available as a separate add-on at <a href="https://hannesklingvall.se/scad-plugin/" rel="nofollow ugc">hannesklingvall.se/scad-plugin/</a>
🔌 Works Great With:
<ul>
<li>WooCommerce</li>
<li>Gravity Forms</li>
<li>WP Super Cache / W3 Total Cache / WP Rocket</li>
<li>Elementor</li>
</ul>
🛡️ Security First:
<ul>
<li>Follows WordPress coding standards</li>
<li>All inputs sanitized and escaped</li>
<li>Nonce verification on all AJAX requests</li>
<li>Capability checks throughout</li>
<li>No data collection or tracking</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
This plugin does not: 
* Track users 
* Send data to external servers 
* Use cookies 
* Collect any personal information
All settings and data stay on your WordPress installation.

SCAD – Custom Admin Dashboard

A modern, customizable WordPress admin dashboard. Clean interface, quick access shortcuts, and intuitive workflow.

DashLinks – Dashboard Shortcut Buttons vs SCAD – Custom Admin Dashboard