Troubleshooting WPS Hide Login Issues on WordPress Multisite
Content
The Core Problem: Inconsistent Dashboard Links
When using WPS Hide Login on a WordPress Multisite network, a common and frustrating issue arises: the internal 'Dashboard' links within the network admin area (like those on the wp-admin/network/sites.php page or in the 'My Sites' admin toolbar dropdown) continue to point to the default wp-admin URL instead of your new, hidden login slug.
This happens because these specific links are generated by the WordPress core for the multisite network admin and are not automatically filtered by the plugin's URL rewriting logic. When you click one of these links, you are sent to a .../wp-admin/ URL, which WPS Hide Login correctly blocks and redirects to a 404 page, breaking navigation between sites.
Most Common Solutions and Workarounds
1. Verify the Plugin is Correctly Configured
First, ensure the plugin is set up properly for a multisite environment.
- Network Activation: For a network-wide default login slug, network-activate the plugin. You can then set the slug under Network Admin > Settings > WPS Hide Login.
- Per-Site Activation: Alternatively, you can activate the plugin individually on each subsite to set a unique slug for each one. The network-wide setting provides a default that individual sites can override.
- Refresh Permalinks: After changing your login slug, always refresh your permalink structure. Simply visit Settings > Permalinks on each site (or the network admin for the main site) and click 'Save Changes' without making any changes.
2. Clear All Caching Layers
Caching is a frequent culprit behind 404 errors and redirect loops. You must ensure your hidden login page is excluded from all caching.
- Plugin Caching: If you use a caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket), find its settings to exclude pages from cache. Add both
/wp-admin/and your custom login slug (e.g.,/my-secret-login/) to the exclusion list. - Server Caching: Check with your hosting provider to exclude the same URLs from any server-level caching (like Varnish or Nginx fastcgi cache).
- Browser Cache: Test changes in a browser's incognito or private browsing window to avoid false positives from a locally cached page.
3. Perform a Conflict Test
Inconsistent behavior across different sites in your network often points to a conflict with another plugin or theme.
- Temporarily deactivate all other plugins across the network except for WPS Hide Login.
- Switch your theme on the problematic site(s) to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
- Test if the dashboard links now work correctly. If they do, reactivate your plugins and theme one by one, testing after each, to identify the source of the conflict.
4. Understand the Known Limitation and Potential Code Fix
It's important to understand that some of these broken links are a known limitation of the plugin. The 'WPS Hide Login' team has addressed some of these multisite link issues in past updates (e.g., version 1.9.16.7 fixed links in the French admin), but others may persist depending on your setup.
For users comfortable with code, the most effective solution is often a custom filter to correct the specific non-functional links. Based on community feedback and code snippets shared by users in the support forums, a function like the one below can be added to a network-wide must-use plugin or your theme's functions.php file to fix the 'Dashboard' links on the network admin sites list.
// Fix network admin dashboard links for WPS Hide Login in Multisite
add_filter( 'manage_sites_action_links', function( $actions, $blog_id, $name ) {
if ( isset( $actions['backend'] ) ) {
// Replace the incorrect wp-admin link with the correct home URL + custom slug
$actions['backend'] = sprintf(
'<a href="%1$s" class="edit">%2$s</a>',
esc_url( get_home_url( $blog_id, '/' . get_blog_option($blog_id, 'whl_page') ) ),
__( 'Dashboard' )
);
}
return $actions;
}, 10, 3 );Warning: This is an example snippet. The exact implementation may vary depending on your WordPress version and how you store the custom slug. Always test code on a staging site first. For many users, waiting for an official plugin update that incorporates this fix is the safest course of action.
When All Else Fails
If you continue to experience issues like fatal errors (e.g., 'Class not found'), complete logout malfunctions, or 404 errors on the main site of a subdomain multisite, please note that these are more complex problems that have been acknowledged and patched in specific version updates. The first step should always be to ensure you are running the latest version of the WPS Hide Login plugin.
Related Support Threads Support
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multsite > network > my sites > subsite dashboard > 404https://wordpress.org/support/topic/multsite-network-my-sites-subsite-dashboard-404/
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Multisite internal linkshttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-internal-links-2/
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Multisite Linkshttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-links-3/
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Is this plugin broken for Multi-Site?https://wordpress.org/support/topic/is-this-plugin-broken-for-multi-site/
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Please make this compatible with multisite and subdomain addon siteshttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/please-make-this-compatible-with-multisite-and-subdomain-addon-sites/
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404 error while accessing the Dashboardhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/404-error-while-accessing-the-dashboard/
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Problème lien backoffice sur multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/probleme-lien-backoffice-sur-multisite/
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404 redirectionhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/404-redirection-3/
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Multisite: Breaks Dashboard Links on Admin bar Dropdownhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-breaks-dashboard-links-on-admin-bar-dropdown/
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Once logged in I can’t access dashboard directly WPMUhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/once-logged-in-i-cant-access-dashoboard-directly-wpmu/
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Multisite switchinghttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-switching/
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Fix for multisite My Sites menuhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/fix-for-multisite-my-sites-menu/
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Multisite env urls for dashboardhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-env-urls-for-dashboard/
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WordPress multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-multisite-114/
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>> Why Multisite Login give “This has been disabled” ?https://wordpress.org/support/topic/why-multisite-login-give-this-has-been-disabled/
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Get all sites in multisite it’s Dashboard urlhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/get-all-sites-in-multisite-its-dashboard-url/
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BUG on the last UPDATEhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/bug-on-the-last-update/
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Multisite – Domain Mappinghttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-domain-mapping-8/
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How to hide site network loginhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/how-to-hide-site-network-login/
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Dashboard link broken WP Multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/dashboard-link-broken-wp-multisite/
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Multisite error – class not foundhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-error-class-not-found/
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Not working on multisite at network levelhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/not-working-on-multisite-at-network-level/
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Fix Dashboard Links on Network Admin Menuhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/fix-dashboard-links-on-network-admin-menu/
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My Sites menu in Multisite don’t workhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/my-sites-menu-in-multisite-dont-work/
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Multisite network link to site dashboard doesn’t workhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-network-link-to-site-dashboard-doesnt-work/
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Two bugs on multisiteshttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/two-bugs-on-multisites/
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Multisite dashboard menuhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-dashboard-menu/
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Multisite – switching between siteshttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-switching-between-sites/
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Multisite not loginhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-not-login/
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multisite modehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-mode-2/
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Redirect not working on multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/redirect-not-working-on-multisite-2/
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404 error on multisite installhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/404-error-on-multisite-install/
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404 redirect on multi-site subdomain installhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/404-redirect-on-multi-site-subdomain-install/
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Inconsistent Logout Behavior on Multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/inconsistent-logout-behavior-on-multisite/
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Multisite Supporthttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-support-275/
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Still trying to get this functional on WP Multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/still-trying-to-get-this-functional-on-wp-multisite/
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Multisite Linkshttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-links-2/
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Multisite Domain Mapping errorhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-domain-mapping-error-4/
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404 only on main site of subdomain multisitehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/404-only-on-main-site-of-subdomain-multisite/