Short answer: they mostly didn't. As of WordPress 7.0.2 (the current stable release; WordPress 7.1 is scheduled for 2026-08-19), the Settings, Appearance, Plugins, Users, and Tools menus sit in exactly the places they always have. What actually changed in the 2026-05-20 admin redesign is the technology behind the Posts, Pages, and Media screens (now DataViews instead of plain list tables), one genuinely new screen (Settings > Connectors, for AI provider keys), and an admin-wide command palette (Ctrl+K or Cmd+K) that finds any setting by name no matter where it lives. The table below maps the old habit to its new equivalent, so you can stop hunting.
Why "my settings moved" is the wrong diagnosis
Here is the thing nobody tells you plainly: the left-hand menu tree in wp-admin (Dashboard, Posts, Media, Pages, Comments, Appearance, Plugins, Users, Tools, Settings) is structurally unchanged since long before this redesign. If you go to Settings today, you will find General, Writing, Reading, Discussion, Media, Permalinks, and Privacy exactly where you left them, with the same fields inside.
What creates the "everything moved" feeling is that the two screens you probably use most, Posts and Pages, look and behave completely differently now. They were rebuilt around a component called DataViews, which replaced the old plain-table list with a filterable, sortable interface that supports table, grid, and list layouts. The menu didn't move. The screen underneath one menu item changed shape. That distinction matters, because it means every other setting you've ever configured is still exactly one click away, and the disorientation is concentrated in a much smaller area than it feels like.
The old-to-new lookup table
Use this as a reference, not a tutorial. For the full walkthrough of everyday tasks, see the complete admin walkthrough.
| If you used to look for… | It's here now | What actually changed | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Posts or Pages list table | Posts / Pages, same menu item | Rebuilt as DataViews: table, grid, or list layout, with inline filtering | WordPress 7.0 |
| Screen Options (choosing which columns show) | Inside the DataViews view itself, via that screen's own view settings | The old Screen Options tab is gone from these two screens; column and density choices now live in the view's own settings, which you'll find near the top of the Posts or Pages screen in your install | WordPress 7.0 |
| The All / Published / Drafts filter links above the list | A status filter inside the same DataViews toolbar | Same job, rebuilt as a filter rather than a row of text links | WordPress 7.0 |
| Bulk-editing categories or tags on many posts | Filter in DataViews, select the results, then Bulk Edit | Same two-step process, faster because filtering no longer reloads the page | WordPress 7.0 |
| Font settings (classic themes) | Appearance > Fonts | Previously block-theme only; extended to classic themes too | WordPress 7.0 |
| Connecting an AI provider (API keys) | Settings > Connectors | Genuinely new screen, did not exist before 7.0 | WordPress 7.0 |
| Quick edit of a single post's date, author, or status from the list | Quick Edit, same list-row action | Being consolidated with the editor's own inspector panel so the two match | WordPress 7.1 (scheduled) |
| Finding any setting by typing its name | Command palette, Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, from any admin screen | Predates this redesign but works everywhere in wp-admin now, not only inside the editor | WordPress 6.9 |
| Your admin's color scheme | Users > Profile, same location | New default scheme, cosmetic only, same setting field | WordPress 7.0 |
The three things that are genuinely new, not moved
Three items in that table are not relocations. They're additions, and it's worth being precise about which is which so you don't go hunting for a "moved" setting that never existed before.
Settings > Connectors is brand new. WordPress 7.0 added a dedicated screen for storing API keys used by AI-assisted features, so plugins and core features that talk to an AI provider have one shared, consistent place to store credentials instead of each plugin inventing its own settings page. If you're setting one up for the first time, the Connectors setup guide covers the process and the safety questions worth asking before you paste in a key.
The admin-wide command palette predates this redesign. It's easy to assume Ctrl+K is a 7.0 feature because it feels so central to the new admin, but WordPress's own documentation records that the palette existed inside the block editor since 2023 and was extended to work across the entire admin, not just the editor, in WordPress 6.9. What's new in 7.0 is that it now sits alongside a rebuilt Posts and Pages screen, which is why the two get talked about together.
Appearance > Fonts didn't move, it grew. Font management previously only worked with block themes. As of 7.0 it also works with classic themes, which is a capability change rather than a location change, and the reason some classic-theme users are seeing a menu item they've genuinely never had access to before.
The fastest way to find anything, regardless of version
If you don't want to keep a lookup table open every time WordPress ships a release, there's a version-independent shortcut: press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac) from any wp-admin screen and type what you're looking for. Typing "permalinks" jumps straight to Settings > Permalinks. Typing "fonts" jumps to Appearance > Fonts. It searches settings pages, your own posts and pages by title, and available actions, not just a fixed menu tree, so it survives future redesigns better than any table (including this one) can. The full command palette guide covers what it can do beyond simple navigation.
What's coming in WordPress 7.1 that touches this table
WordPress 7.1, scheduled for 2026-08-19, doesn't move anything in this table again. Per the core team's own roadmap, it refines what's already there: DataViews and DataForm are being migrated onto newer internal design components for visual consistency, Quick Edit is being consolidated with the editor's inspector panel so editing a post's details feels the same in both places, and the command palette's results are being grouped into recent, suggested, and matching sections instead of one flat list. None of that changes where anything lives; it changes how it feels to use. The full 7.1 feature rundown covers everything in the release, not only the parts that touch the admin screens described here.
FAQ
Did WordPress actually rename or move the Settings menu in 7.0? No. Settings, along with Appearance, Plugins, Users, and Tools, is in the same place with the same sub-pages it has always had. The confusion comes from the Posts and Pages screens changing shape, not from the Settings menu itself.
Where did Screen Options go on the Posts screen? It isn't a separate tab on Posts and Pages anymore. Column and layout choices are now part of the DataViews view itself, accessible from within that screen. If you can't locate it in your own install, check near the top of the Posts or Pages screen for a settings or view icon rather than a "Screen Options" tab.
Is Settings > Connectors available on every WordPress site? It ships as part of WordPress 7.0 core, so it's present on any site running 7.0 or later, whether or not you use an AI-connected plugin. It simply won't do anything until a compatible feature is configured to use it.
Why does my admin look different from a tutorial I found? Almost certainly the tutorial predates 2026-05-20. Compare the date on the tutorial to the WordPress 7.0 release date before assuming your site is misconfigured.
Does the command palette replace the need to know the menu structure? Not entirely; it's a faster route to the same destinations, not a replacement admin. Knowing the menu tree still helps when you want to browse rather than search for something specific.
Written against WordPress 7.0.2, current stable at the time of writing, with confirmed continuity into WordPress 7.1 (scheduled 2026-08-19) per the WordPress core team's own roadmap post. Menu-structure claims verified against wordpress.org release coverage; command palette history verified against wordpress.org's own Command Palette documentation page. Last verified 2026-08-18.
