With WordPress 3.3, the admin bar was streamlined to reduce clutter, but this removed the handy Shortlink menu item. As experienced WordPress users at WPBeginner, we've heard from power users who miss this feature daily. We rely on branded shortlinks like wpbeg.in for our content, so restoring it was essential. After reaching out to plugin developers without success, we added it back to the core with a simple code tweak. Here's how you can do the same.
To add the Shortlink menu item back to your WordPress 3.3+ admin bar, simply paste this code into your theme's functions.php file or a site-specific plugin:
add_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_shortlink_menu', 90);That's it—one line restores full functionality instantly.
For a no-code option, install the Renee Shortlink Item plugin. It's lightweight, using just that single line, so activate it and forget it.