Menu Expiration Control
Adds start and expiration dates with time control to menu items in WordPress, controlling their visibility based on the set date and time range.
Use with caution
Menu Expiration Control works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 60+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 months ago, and scores 47/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (60+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Menu Expiration Control stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| datepicker | #32 |
| expiration | #5 |
| menu | >100 |
| scheduled menu | #13 |
| time control | #41 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
About Menu Expiration Control
From the official readme · v1.2Description
The Menu Expiration Control plugin adds start and expiration dates along with precise time control to WordPress menu items, allowing you to control exactly when each menu item is displayed. This feature is useful for temporary promotions, seasonal menus, flash sales, limited-time offers, or any situation where menu items should only be visible for a specific period.
Key Features:
- Date Control: Set start and stop dates for menu items
- Time Control: Specify exact hours and minutes (12-hour format with AM/PM)
- jQuery UI Datepicker: Easy-to-use calendar interface for date selection
- Dropdown Selectors: User-friendly hour and minute dropdowns for precise time setting
- Automatic Visibility: Menu items automatically appear and disappear based on your schedule
- Flexible Scheduling: Set only dates, only times, or both – plugin adapts to your needs
- WordPress 6.9 Compatible: Fully tested and compatible with the latest WordPress version
Perfect For:
- Limited-time promotional menu items
- Seasonal navigation links
- Event-specific menus
- Flash sale announcements
- Temporary campaign links
- Holiday specials
- Time-sensitive content navigation
Support
If you encounter any issues or have questions, please contact us at [https://elvirainfotech.com/contact-us/].
You can also visit our website for more information and support resources.
Technical Details
File Structure:
menu-expiration-control/
├── menu-expiration-control.php (Main plugin file)
└── assets/
└── jquery-ui.css (Datepicker styling)
Hooks Used:
* wp_nav_menu_item_custom_fields – Adds custom fields to menu items
* wp_update_nav_menu_item – Saves custom field data
* wp_nav_menu_objects – Filters menu items based on date/time
* admin_enqueue_scripts – Loads datepicker assets
Browser Compatibility:
* Chrome/Edge (latest)
* Firefox (latest)
* Safari (latest)
* Mobile browsers supported
Privacy Policy
This plugin does not collect, store, or transmit any user data. All date and time settings are stored locally in your WordPress database as post metadata.
License
This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later license.
Installation
- Upload the
menu-expiration-controlfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Go to ‘Appearance’ > ‘Menus’ in the WordPress admin area.
- For each menu item, you’ll now see:
- Menu Start Date field with datepicker
- Menu Start Time with hour, minute, and AM/PM dropdowns
- Menu Stop Date field with datepicker
- Menu Stop Time with hour, minute, and AM/PM dropdowns
- Set your desired dates and times, then save the menu.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set a menu item to appear only on specific dates?
Simply edit your menu item and fill in the “Menu Start Date” and “Menu Stop Date” fields. The menu item will only be visible between these dates.
Can I set specific times for menu visibility?
Yes! Version 1.2 adds time control. You can now set exact hours and minutes using the dropdown selectors along with AM/PM selection.
What happens if I only set a start date without a stop date?
The menu item will appear starting from the start date and remain visible indefinitely until you set a stop date.
What if I only set times without dates?
If you set times without dates, the plugin will ignore the time settings. Dates are required for the scheduling to work.
What time zone does the plugin use?
The plugin uses your WordPress site’s timezone setting (Settings > General > Timezone).
Do I need to set both date and time?
No, you can set just dates if you prefer. If you don’t set times: – Start dates begin at 00:00:00 (midnight) – Stop dates end at 23:59:59 (end of day)
Can I use this for temporary promotional links?
Absolutely! This is one of the primary use cases. Set your promo link to appear during your sale period and it will automatically disappear when the promotion ends.
Will this work with custom menu themes?
Yes, the plugin works with any WordPress menu system as it filters the menu items at the core WordPress level.
Changelog
Major update! Now includes datepicker for easy date selection and time control with AM/PM support. Set exact times for your menu items to appear and disappear. Fully compatible with WordPress 6.9. Recommended upgrade for all users.
1.2
- Added: jQuery UI Datepicker for easy date selection
- Added: Time control with hour and minute dropdown selectors
- Added: 12-hour time format with AM/PM selection
- Added: Precise scheduling – control menu visibility down to the minute
- Updated: “Tested up to” value to 6.9 (latest WordPress version)
- Updated: Improved date/time filtering logic for better accuracy
- Updated: Better handling of edge cases (midnight, noon, minute 00)
- Fixed: Label correction – “Menu Stop Date” instead of duplicate “Menu Start Date”
- Fixed: Dropdown values now persist correctly after saving
- Fixed: Minute “00” now saves and displays properly
- Improved: Security with capability checks (edit_theme_options)
- Improved: Code quality and WordPress coding standards compliance
- Improved: User interface with intuitive dropdown selectors
- Added: PHP 7.0 minimum requirement specification
1.1
- Updated “Tested up to” value to 6.6.
- Improved security by adding nonce verification for form submissions.
1.0
- Initial release.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Menu Expiration Control alternatives
All datepicker plugins →
FAQ
Menu Expiration Control: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 4, 2026
Is Menu Expiration Control free?
Yes. Menu Expiration Control is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Menu Expiration Control safe to use in 2026?
Menu Expiration Control works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 60+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 months ago, and scores 47/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Menu Expiration Control?
Menu Expiration Control is active on 60+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 910 times since it launched in October 2024. It was downloaded 76 times in the last 30 days.
Does Menu Expiration Control work with WordPress 7.1?
Menu Expiration Control is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Menu Expiration Control need?
Menu Expiration Control requires PHP 7.0 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Menu Expiration Control last updated?
The latest version, 1.2, was released on December 16, 2025 (10 months ago).
Who makes Menu Expiration Control?
Menu Expiration Control is developed and maintained by Raihan Reza.
What are the best alternatives to Menu Expiration Control?
The most popular alternatives to Menu Expiration Control are Availability Datepicker (10K+ installs), WP Datepicker (6K+ installs) and Custom Datepicker NMR (1K+ installs).
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
