Title: Halcyon Admin — Reduced Motion & Resizable Sidebar
Author: pressermannen
Published: <strong>June 8, 2026</strong>
Last modified: June 9, 2026

---

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# Halcyon Admin — Reduced Motion & Resizable Sidebar

 By [pressermannen](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pressermannen/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/halcyon-admin.1.0.6.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/halcyon-admin/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/halcyon-admin/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/halcyon-admin/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/halcyon-admin/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/halcyon-admin/)

## Description

Halcyon Admin tunes the WordPress admin for people who prefer a steady, low-distraction
workspace. It doesn’t add a settings page, a dashboard widget, or a notice — it 
just changes three things wp-admin does by default, and gets out of the way.

**What it does**

 * **Resizable admin menu** — drag the right edge of the left menu to resize; width
   is saved per user and honored by the block editor.
 * **Reduced motion by default** — disables CSS transitions, jQuery animations, 
   and the WordPress 7 view transitions for users who haven’t opted in. Honors `
   prefers-reduced-motion`.
 * **Sensible default** — sets _Fresh_ as the default admin color scheme for new
   users. Users can pick a different scheme through WordPress’s standard profile
   color-scheme picker.

All preferences are per-user and stored as user meta. There is no global settings
page, no telemetry, and no external network calls.

### Why “Halcyon”?

Halcyon means calm and peaceful. The plugin’s only job is to make wp-admin feel 
that way.

In professional administrative environments, efficiency, focus, and predictability
are the priorities. The WordPress 7.0 upgrade introduced several new admin animations
and transitions. While modern design enhancements can offer visual interest, they
can also make the dashboard feel busy, less professional, and more distracting during
routine editing work.

Furthermore, animation is a core accessibility concern. Extra motion in menus, panels,
and transitions can be uncomfortable or problematic for users sensitive to motion.
Halcyon Admin believes that:

 1. **Accessibility is a baseline** — Operating system preferences like `prefers-reduced-
    motion` must be respected comprehensively throughout the admin area.
 2. **User control is paramount** — Existing users shouldn’t be forced into a more 
    animated and busy interface by default. Users, particularly those managing client
    sites or spending hours in the dashboard, deserve a clear, clean, and distraction-
    free workspace.
 3. **Usability matches innovation** — Visual improvements are welcome, but they should
    enhance productivity and focus, not compete with them.

Halcyon Admin provides a quiet compromise: it restores a classic, steady dashboard
experience by default, but stays completely out of the way for users who prefer 
standard settings.

### Must-use install

To load Halcyon Admin as a must-use plugin (no activation needed, no update prompts):

 1. Copy the `halcyon-admin/` folder to `wp-content/mu-plugins/halcyon-admin/`.
 2. Create a new file at `wp-content/mu-plugins/halcyon-admin-loader.php` containing:
 3. <?php
     /**
 4.  * Plugin Name: Halcyon Admin (mu-plugin loader)
     * Description: Loads Halcyon Admin from a mu-plugins subdirectory.
        */
 5. defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) || exit;
 6. require_once **DIR** . ‘/halcyon-admin/halcyon-admin.php’;

Halcyon Admin will be loaded automatically on every request and won’t appear in 
the Plugins screen.

## Screenshots

[⌊The admin menu resized to a comfortable width via the drag handle on its right
edge.⌉⌊The admin menu resized to a comfortable width via the drag handle on its 
right edge.⌉[

The admin menu resized to a comfortable width via the drag handle on its right edge.

[⌊The Halcyon Admin section on the user profile screen, with the single per-user
setting.⌉⌊The Halcyon Admin section on the user profile screen, with the single 
per-user setting.⌉[

The Halcyon Admin section on the user profile screen, with the single per-user setting.

## Installation

 1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install via the **Plugins
    Add New** screen.
 2. Activate **Halcyon Admin**.
 3. Optional: open your profile screen to adjust the three settings.

## FAQ

### Does it work with the block editor?

Yes. The block editor’s layout offsets follow your saved menu width, so resizing
works the same in the editor as in the main admin.

### Does it work on mobile or touch devices?

The drag-to-resize handle is desktop-only (mouse / trackpad). On touch devices, 
the menu uses the default WordPress width. Reduced motion and the color-scheme default
work everywhere.

### Does it work on multisite?

Yes. All preferences are per-user meta, so each user across the network can have
their own settings.

### How do I reset the menu width?

Drag the menu edge to a new width — it saves automatically. To restore the WordPress
default, open your profile screen, leave the menu-width field empty, and save.

### Can I disable individual features?

Yes, each feature can be turned off independently:

 * **Animations** — toggle in your profile under **Users  Profile  Halcyon Admin**.
 * **Menu width** — drag the menu edge back to a different width; it saves automatically
   and is per user.
 * **Color scheme** — pick a different scheme through WordPress’s standard profile
   color-scheme picker.

### What data does the plugin store about me?

Three user-meta keys, all local to your WordPress install:

 * `halcyon_admin_animations_enabled`
 * `halcyon_admin_color_scheme_chosen`
 * `halcyon_admin_sidebar_width`

No data is sent off-site, no cookies are set, no external services are contacted.
All stored data is removed automatically when the plugin is uninstalled.

### Does it conflict with other admin-customization plugins?

Generally no, but two plugins adjusting the same thing (admin color scheme, sidebar
width, or animation state) will produce whichever loads last. Test any existing 
admin-customization plugins after activating Halcyon Admin.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Halcyon Admin — Reduced Motion & Resizable Sidebar” is open source software. The
following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ pressermannen ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pressermannen/)
 *   [ Miikka ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/miikkamakela/)

[Translate “Halcyon Admin — Reduced Motion & Resizable Sidebar” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/halcyon-admin)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/halcyon-admin/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/halcyon-admin/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/halcyon-admin/) 
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/halcyon-admin/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.6

 * Update documentation: rewrite “Why Halcyon” to expand on the core philosophy 
   behind reducing admin animations and keeping the dashboard predictable in professional
   and client-managed settings. No code changes.

#### 1.0.5

 * Readme fix: the mu-plugin install code block was rendering with the `php` language
   hint as inline text and the `__DIR__` constant being eaten as bold markdown. 
   Switched to 4-space indented syntax (the WordPress readme parser does not support
   fenced code blocks).
 * Add plugin page banner: `banner-772x250.png` and `banner-1544x500.png` (source
   artwork JPG, converted to PNG per WP.org spec).
 * Refresh screenshots: replaced with accurate captures from a fresh WP 7.0 install—
   one Halcyon Admin checkbox in the profile section, plus a real-drag demo of the
   resizable menu.
 * Tighten the “What it does” copy and FAQ so the description matches the actual
   plugin UI (no implied “three settings” claim; color-scheme description points
   to WordPress’s standard picker).
 * No code changes.

#### 1.0.4

 * Readme improvements: clearer “what it does” overview, mu-plugin install with 
   copy-paste loader snippet, expanded FAQ, and privacy/data clarification. No code
   changes.

#### 1.0.3

 * Code quality: address Plugin Check tool findings. Escape `$width` output in the
   initial sidebar CSS, sanitize the AJAX `width` input with `absint()`, and add
   a defensive `check_admin_referer()` to the profile save handlers (`save_profile`,`
   mark_explicit_choice`). No functional change.

#### 1.0.2

 * Renamed to Halcyon Admin. New slug, text domain, namespace, asset handles, and
   user meta keys. Stored preferences are not migrated.

#### 1.0.1

 * Set Tested up to: 7.0. Add languages directory for translations.

#### 1.0.0

 * Initial release.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.6**
 *  Last updated **2 hours ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.4 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.0**
 *  PHP version ** 8.0 or higher **
 * Tags
 * [accessibility](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/accessibility/)[admin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/admin/)
   [dashboard](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/dashboard/)[motion](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/motion/)
   [sidebar](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/sidebar/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/halcyon-admin/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/halcyon-admin/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/halcyon-admin/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ pressermannen ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pressermannen/)
 *   [ Miikka ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/miikkamakela/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/halcyon-admin/)