Ptah Dunbar

This plugin adds the ability to link to specific sidebars in the widgets admin page and have them open up automatically. In addition, by default when visiting the widgets admin page, none of the sidebars are open.
<pre><a href="<?php echo admin_url( 'widgets.php' ) .'?sidebar=aside'; ?>">Add Widgets</a></pre>
You’ll need to know the IDs of the sidebars you’d like to have opened. For multiple sidebars, simply separate them with commas.
<pre><a href="<?php echo admin_url( 'widgets.php' ) .'?sidebar=aside,body_open,before_the_loop'; ?>">Add Widgets</a></pre>
Alternatively, you can use the <code>add_widgets_link()</code> function:
<pre><?php echo waf_widgets_link( 'aside', 'Add Widgets to Aside' ); ?> <?php echo waf_widgets_link( 'aside,body_open,before_the_loop' ); ?></pre>

Widgets Admin Fix

This plugin adds the ability to link to specific sidebars in the widgets admin page and have them open up automatically.

Pascal Birchler

Dominik Schilling

required

Ulrich

Silvan Hagen

Stefan Pasch

This simple plugin allows you to disable any sidebar and dashboard widget for the current WordPress site you are on. It provides a simple user interface available to users with <code>edit_theme_options</code> capabilities (usually Administrator role) available under Appearance -> Disable Widgets. 
After saving the settings, the sidebar and dashboard widgets are removed from and the user can’t see those widgets anymore.
Developer? Get to know the hooks
Have a look at the filters we provide:
<ul>
<li><code>wp_widget_disable_default_sidebar_widgets</code> – Allows you to exclude certain sidebar widgets from being disabled.</li>
<li><code>wp_widget_disable_default_dashboard_widgets</code> – Allows you to exclude certain dashboard widgets from being disabled.</li>
</ul>
Contributions
If you would like to contribute to this plugin, report an issue or anything like that, please note that we develop this plugin on <a href="https://github.com/wearerequired/WP-Widget-Disable" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub</a>.
Developed by <a href="https://required.com/" title="Team of experienced web professionals from Switzerland & Germany" rel="nofollow ugc">required</a>

Widget Disable

I've been getting annoyance on the growing amount of default widgets (I'm looking at you JetPack) but didn't realize there was an easy way to get rid of them till someone linked this in one of the WP FB groups.

Removed 27 of them. Dang, I think that's pretty invasive!

Thanks for making this possible.

Wow, didn't realize how much I needed this

Disable sidebar and dashboard widgets with an easy to use interface.

Widgets Admin Fix vs Widget Disable