How to Use Joomla Administrator/Control Panel (With Pictures)
If you are new to Joomla, you’ll need to learn how to use Joomla to be able to make websites.
Learning how to use Joomla expands your knowledge in Joomla, not just that, but gives you a deep knowledge on how Joomla work and how to make websites in Joomla.
The backend of Joomla is made up of icons, this interface is called Graphical User Interface (GUI). With GUI, you’ll be able to learn and understand how to use Joomla (administrator).
Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a type of interface that uses graphical icons to represent text or anything.
This JovialGuide will show you how to use Joomla administrator.
Table of Contents
What are the Things I Need to Get Started?
Certainly, you need time and attention to cover this post.
You need a domain name and Joomla hosting account. A domain name is what your visitors will use in locating your website (for example www.jovialguide.com) while a Joomla hosting account will be used in hosting and storing your Joomla website on the internet.
We recommend InMotion Hosting or A2 Hosting for all of your Joomla website hosting services. You will have to pay them before having access to their webserver to host your website.
If you are just starting, we recommend you learn Joomla and use a free Joomla hosting company for a start.
After getting your Joomla hosting account (whether free or paid), start by installing Joomla before proceeding. If you are an Android user, you can setup Joomla on Android. This will let you run Joomla on Android locally.
Before we proceed to learn how to use Joomla, note that you will come across terms like Joomla administrative area/panel, Joomla backend, Joomla control panel, etc., don’t be confused, they all mean the same thing!
How to Use Joomla
The Joomla administrative area (administrator) is made up of icons positioned right beside each link/text. This administrative area of Joomla is madeup of 9 sections. These 9 sections are:
- Contents
- Structures
- Users
- Configuration
- Extension
- Maintenance
- Latest Actions
- Logged-in Users
- Popular Articles
- Recently Added Contents
Contents
The Joomla content section (of the backend of Joomla) provide links that help you manage your articles, categories and media uploads. These links are:
- New Articles
- Articles
- Category
- Media
New Article
When new article is clicked, it links you to a page that gives you the ability to create new articles/contents. You’ll be able to write new articles, feature or unfeature your article, publish or unpublish your article, select category for your new article, etc.
Articles
This page displays all of your published and unpublished articles. It also allows you delete, modify, create, feature or unfeature, publish or unpublish (etc) any article.
Category
The category page displays all of the created categories of your Joomla website. It gives you the ability to manage all of your categories, you can create new categories, delete existing categories, modify existing categories, etc.
Further reading;
Media
The media page lets you manage all of your uploaded media files. That is, you can upload, delete, rename (etc) any media file available in your Joomla website.
Structure
This is another section in the Joomla control panel. It provides you with useful links to other pages of the Joomla backend, they allow you customize your Joomla website. These links are:
- Menu(s)
- Module
Menu(s)
A menu is a set of menuitems for website navigation.
The menu page displays all of your menus and menuitems and gives you the ability to create, delete and even edit existing menus/menuitems.
Module
The module page allows you create, edit, publish, duplicate any module.
Users
The users’ section of Joomla control panel gives you access to manage your Joomla users.
User
This page lets you manage all of your site’s users. It gives you the ability to create, delete, modify, assign any user to groups, etc.
Modifying a user includes: changing of user password, assigning/changing of user group/permission, etc.
Further reading;
Configuration
This is the most powerful section in Joomla control panel. It provides you with powerful links that enable you change your backend/frontend template, set site offline, set/configure SEO meta tags, etc. These links include:
- Global Configuration
- Templates
- Language
Global Configuration
The name of this page makes it self explanatory to anyone. This is a very powerful page in Joomla administrator.
You can configure your Joomla SEO by setting the meta tags which is under SEO settings, set global permission, place website offline, etc.
Further reading;
Templates
This page lets you edit, install, change the backend and frontend templates of your Joomla website. This page is responsible for the appearance of your Joomla website because it gives you the ability to install or change the backend and frontend design.
Further reading;
Language
The language page gives you the ability to set administrative/backend preferred language, set frontend/client side (the part visitors see) language, install new languages, etc.
Further reading;
Extension
Joomla extensions are third party softwares installed to a Joomla website to extend/add new features to Joomla.
This section enables you manage all of your Joomla extensions.
Install Extensions
This page gives you the ability to install new Joomla extensions.
Further reading;
- what is a Joomla extension?
- best free Joomla extensions
- best Joomla eCommerce extensions
- more Joomla extensions
Maintenance
The maintenance section of Joomla has to do with the current version of Joomla or the versions of the installed Joomla extensions.
It provides you with 2 group of links that checks if you are running the latest version of Joomla or installed extensions. These 2 group of links are:
- Joomla is upto Date
- All Extensions are upto Date
Joomla is upto Date
This page gives you the ability to upgrade/update your Joomla website to the latest version (if you aren’t running the latest version of Joomla software). It checks for Joomla updates, gives you ability to manually upgrade/update your Joomla website by having to upload any copy of Joomla software you’d like to upgrade/update to.
We always recommend you to run the latest version of Joomla. If you want to enjoy full security and new features, upgrade to the latest version!
Further reading;
All Extensions are upto Date
This page checks if all of the installed extensions in your Joomla website are running their respective latest versions. You can also check for updates on your installed Joomla extensions.
You’ll enjoy new features if you upgrade all of your installed Joomla extensions to their latest versions respectively.
To avoid creating vulnerabilities, always keep your Joomla extensions upto date.
Further reading;
Latest Actions
This section displays all of the latest/new actions carried out by any of your Joomla users. An example is a list of users that logged into your Joomla website.
Logged-in User
The logged-in users’ section shows all the users that are currently logged into your Joomla website.
Popular Articles
The popular articles’ section displays all the published articles that are popular in your Joomla website by number of hits/views.
Further reading;
Recently Added Contents
This section of Joomla control panel displays the list of the most recent articles published by any of your Joomla administrators or users.
Last Words
This Joomla tutorial has shown you how to use Joomla (administrator).
Learning how to use Joomla would require you to put more time and attention if you really want to achieve your goal.
If you learn how to use Joomla, you’ll come across things you never knew.
