Now that you’ve installed Joomla 5, it’s time to explore the admin panel, the control center for building your website, whether it’s a blog, an online store, an e-learning platform, or a membership site. If you’re coming from WordPress, Joomla’s admin panel might seem overwhelming at first because it offers so many options. Don’t worry! I’ll guide you through the main sections in simple terms, like touring a new app. Think of this as getting to know the WordPress dashboard, but with Joomla’s unique style.
Logging into the Joomla 5 Admin Panel
To access the admin panel, open your browser and go to your website’s admin URL, which is usually your domain followed by “/administrator” (e.g., www.yourwebsite.com/administrator). Enter the username and password you set during installation. This is like logging into WordPress’s dashboard at wp-admin. Once logged in, you’ll see the Joomla 5 control panel—a dashboard with menus, icons, and tools to manage your site.
Overview of the Joomla 5 Admin Dashboard
The Joomla 5 admin dashboard is your hub for creating and managing content, similar to WordPress’s dashboard but with more options for complex sites. On the left side column, you’ll see a set of menu sections like System, Content, Menus, and Extensions. In the main window, you’ll find quick action links and other informational content, things like stats, update notices, user requests, recent activity, and more. The bonus with the home dashboard is that it's modular, which means you can customize what you see, similar to the WordPress dashboard customization. I’ll break it down into the main areas to keep it simple.
Note: For simple websites, such as blogs, you won't have to worry about using every tool in Joomla.
When you first log into your admin area, you will be redirected to the Global Configuration screen. I would recommend holding off on this section because I will expand on these elements in another tutorial. In the meantime, click on the Home Dashboard menu link in the left navigation column.
The Admin Home Dashboard
Once you go to the Home Dashboard, you will see a different layout, which is where you will be redirected for all future logins. I’ll explain what each does in plain terms, and we’ll dive deeper into these in later tutorials.
What I will do is go through every feature and function, beginning with the home dashboard and give a brief introduction. Later, as I previously mentioned, I will go deeper into each one in greater detail.
Collapsable Navigational Column
With Joomla, you can save space by collapsing the navigational left column. Using the toggle, you can do this by clicking on it.
Show Column
Hide Column
Admin Top Navigation Bar
Regardless of the page you are on, the Top Navigation Bar will always show unless you make changes.
Here is what each menu item is:
- Take a Tour: In addition to my tutorial here, this feature in Joomla is great when you want it to show you key features of your home dashboard and other sections. It also changes based on where you are in the admin.
- Post Installation Messages: When you install Joomla, you will see what messages you have.
- View Website: This button will open a new window so that you can view your website.
- User Menu: This is where you can customize your user account, including the admin area style.
Guided Tour
Let's explore a little about the guided tour feature for the admin area. When you click on the Take a Tour button, you're greeted with a welcome message.
When you click Start, it will take you through key features for the dashboard page you are on; in this example, it's the home dashboard. As you go through the tour, it will give you pop-up (modal) information while pointing to the area it's referencing.
Let's look at another tour example:
Help
I'm providing you with updated documentation and tutorials for Joomla 5, but you also have a ton of resources available to you. In the admin area, you will see a Help menu link in the left navigational column at the bottom. When you click on this, you get redirected to a page of available resources to explore.
Install Demo Content
When you install Joomla, you get an option to install demo content. On the home dashboard main window, you will see a module titled "Sample Data". This gives you the option to start off learning Joomla with sample content, which makes it a bit easier instead of starting with a blank/empty website.
Admin Modules
In the main window pane of your admin area (dashboard), you will see groups of sections:
- Site
- System
- Notifications
- Logged in users
- ...and more.
You can disable any of these or add more. This will also depend on what extensions you are using because some will have their own admin modules. For example, my membership extension has one that displays how many members and sign-ups I've had. To edit one, just click on the little gear icon:
Why the Admin Panel Feels Different from WordPress
If you’re used to WordPress and its dashboard, Joomla’s admin panel might seem complicated because it’s built for flexibility. WordPress keeps things simple but limited, while Joomla offers more options from simple to complex websites. Don’t let the menus scare you—start with small tasks like creating an article, and you’ll get comfortable fast. I’ll cover each section in detail in my upcoming tutorials! I remember what crossed my mind when I first started exploring Joomla; I said to myself, "I'm insane!" However, it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. Take your time and learn one function at a time.
What’s Next?
Now that you’ve seen the Joomla 5 admin home dashboard, you’re ready to move on to an introduction to Global Configuration.
Continue to: Joomla Global Configuration