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Free Plugin by Dave Warfel v1.2

Widget Areas for LearnDash

Add unlimited blocks/widgets to several areas of LearnDash Focus Mode, plus course & group pages.

Widget Areas for LearnDash

The facts

Rating
5★ from 10
Active installs
700+
Price
Free
Last updated
13 Jul 2025
Added
Dec 2019
Requires WP
4.6
Tested up to
WP 6.8.8
Requires PHP
8.0
Downloads
11,344

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Widget Areas for LearnDash is a WordPress plugin that allows you to add custom content to various locations within LearnDash pages using widget areas. It utilises LearnDash action hooks to create sidebars in specific areas such as course pages and focus mode views.

Once activated, you can access the new widget areas through the Appearance > Widgets screen or the Customizer. You can add various types of content, including default WordPress widgets, blocks, and LearnDash widgets, to enhance your LearnDash experience.

Best for: This plugin is suitable for users of LearnDash who want to customise their course pages with additional content.

What it does well

  • Creates multiple widget areas in LearnDash pages
  • Utilises built-in LearnDash action hooks
  • Compatible with LearnDash 3.0 and above
  • Allows for a variety of content types, including images and custom HTML
  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory

Where it falls short

  • Requires LearnDash 3.0 Active Template
  • Limited information on advanced features

Verdict

Widget Areas for LearnDash provides a straightforward way to enhance your LearnDash pages with custom content. It is particularly useful for those looking to personalise their learning management system.

From the developer

Dave Warfel's own description of Widget Areas for LearnDash, lightly tidied.

Widget Areas for LearnDash simply gives you more places to add custom content in LearnDash. By utilizing built-in LearnDash action hooks, we assign widget areas (also known as “sidebars”) to various locations throughout your LearnDash pages.

Available LearnDash Widget Areas

  • Focus Mode: Sidebar: Above Navigation
  • Focus Mode: Sidebar: Below Navigation
  • Focus Mode: Content: Start
  • Focus Mode: Below Content
  • Course Page: Content: Start
  • Course Page: Content: End
  • Group Page: Content: Start
  • Group Page: Content: End

Requires the “LearnDash 3.0” Active Template. Tested with LearnDash 4.23.

How to Use

Upon activating the plugin, new widget areas will appear on the Appearance > Widgets screen in your WordPress admin area. You can also access them via the Customizer (Appearance > Customize > Widgets).

Simply add the blocks/widgets you’d like to insert into the corresponding widget areas. Be sure to click the “Save” button at the bottom.

Navigate to a page that contains that widget area, refresh, and your new widgets will be there.

Types of Content to Add

WordPress comes with a set of default widgets, several of which might be useful. If you’re using the new block editor, all blocks will also be available to you.

  • Add a simple Paragraph block with some basic text
  • Add an Image or Video/Embed block for more visual content
  • Add a Navigation Menu widget to insert a custom menu you’ve created
  • Add your own Custom HTML widget to embed an <iframe> or write your own code

TIP: You can use the LearnDash Student and LearnDash Visitor blocks to display a block’s contents only to enrolled students or unenrolled visitors.

LearnDash Widgets

LearnDash comes prepackaged with a few widgets, but there’s probably only one that makes sense in these widget areas.

  • Add a Course Progress Bar to the top or bottom of your Focus Mode sidebar

Feel free to experiment with the other LearnDash widgets.

Read the full description on the official page →

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