Title: PostMeta Viewer – Custom Fields Inspector Author: wpwebguru Published: 12 Eanáir, 2026 Last modified: 21 Meán an tSamhraidh, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/postmeta-viewer/assets/banner-772x250.jpg?rev=3437934) ![](https://ps.w.org/postmeta-viewer/assets/icon-256x256.jpg?rev=3437934) # PostMeta Viewer – Custom Fields Inspector By [wpwebguru](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpwebguru/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/postmeta-viewer.1.1.zip) * [Details](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/postmeta-viewer/#description) * [Reviews](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/postmeta-viewer/#reviews) * [Installation](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/postmeta-viewer/#installation) * [Development](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/postmeta-viewer/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/postmeta-viewer/) ## Description **PostMeta Viewer** is an essential utility for WordPress developers who work with custom fields and post meta. Whether you’re using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Pods, Toolset, or custom-coded meta fields, this plugin provides a clean and developer- friendly interface to explore, search, and analyze meta data across your entire WordPress site. It is designed strictly as a **read-only inspection tool**, making it safe for production environments. #### Key Features * **Complete Meta Overview** Browse all posts, pages, and custom post types with total custom field counts. * **Detailed Meta Inspection** View all meta keys and values for any individual post, taxonomy term, user, or comment. * **Powerful Search & Filtering** – Search across post titles, content, meta keys, and meta values – Filter by post type, post status, and date range – Filter by specific meta key existence – Filter by meta value type (string, array, JSON, numeric, empty) * **Meta Inspector Everywhere** – Post edit screen meta box (configurable per post type) – Taxonomy term edit screens (categories, tags, custom taxonomies)– User profile edit screens – Comment edit screen * **Developer-Friendly Data Display** – Proper formatting for serialized, array, and JSON meta values – One‑click “beautify” toggle to expand complex data structures– Dark‑style pre‑formatted output for readability * **Post Statistics** Quick insights into total posts and filtered results. * **Extensive Settings Page** – Choose which roles can access the inspector – Toggle visibility on post types, taxonomies, users, and comments – Hide internal meta keys (those starting with an underscore) – Adjust items per page * **Responsive Admin UI** Works smoothly across all screen sizes. #### Ideal For * **ACF Developers** – Debug and verify stored ACF field data * **Plugin Developers** – Inspect custom meta added by plugins * **Theme Developers** – Validate custom field implementations * **Site Debugging** – Identify and resolve metadata issues * **Migration Projects** – Analyze existing meta structures * **Learning WordPress** – Understand how post meta works internally ### Usage #### Getting Started 1. After activation, go to **PostMeta Viewer** (top-level menu) 2. View a list of all posts along with their custom field counts 3. Use search and filter options to narrow results 4. Click **View Details** to inspect meta for a specific post #### Using Search & Filters 1. **Search Box** – Search across post titles, content, meta keys, and values 2. **Post Type Filter** – Filter posts, pages, or custom post types 3. **Meta Key Filter** – Filter by existing meta keys 4. **Date Range** – Filter posts by creation date 5. **Post Status** – Published, draft, pending, etc. 6. **Value Type Filter** – String, array, JSON, numeric, or empty 7. Click **Apply Filters** to update results #### Viewing Meta Details 1. Click **View Details** from the main list 2. View a table of all meta keys and values 3. Serialized and complex data is displayed in a readable, beautified format 4. Use **Back to List** to return #### Inspecting Meta on Other Screens 1. **Post Edit Screen** – The **Custom Fields Inspector** meta box appears below the content editor (for enabled post types) 2. **Taxonomy Term Edit Screen** – A similar box appears on category, tag, and custom taxonomy edit pages 3. **User Profile Edit Screen** – The inspector is shown on user profile pages 4. **Comment Edit Screen** – The inspector is shown on the single comment edit page All boxes respect the role and visibility settings. #### Configuring the Plugin 1. Go to **PostMeta Viewer Settings** 2. Adjust: 3. * **Items Per Page** – number of posts shown in the main list * **Access Roles** – checkboxes for every registered user role; only checked roles can view post, term, user, and comment meta data (Administrator is always enabled and cannot be unchecked, to prevent accidental lockout) * **Hide Internal Keys** – toggle visibility of meta keys starting with `_` * **Enabled Post Types** – checkboxes for every public post type, controlling which post-type edit screens show the Custom Fields Inspector meta box * **Inspector Locations** – enable/disable meta boxes on taxonomies, users, and comments 4. Save your changes ### License This plugin is licensed under the GPL v2 or later. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or any later version. This program is distributed without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. ## Screenshots [⌊Main Interface – Post list with custom field counts and filters⌉⌊Main Interface– Post list with custom field counts and filters⌉[ Main Interface – Post list with custom field counts and filters [⌊Meta Details View – Complete meta data for a single post⌉⌊Meta Details View – Complete meta data for a single post⌉[ Meta Details View – Complete meta data for a single post [⌊Post Edit Meta Box – Custom fields inside the editor⌉⌊Post Edit Meta Box – Custom fields inside the editor⌉[ Post Edit Meta Box – Custom fields inside the editor [⌊Filtered Results – Search and filter results in action⌉⌊Filtered Results – Search and filter results in action⌉[ Filtered Results – Search and filter results in action [⌊Taxonomy / User / Comment Meta Boxes – Meta inspection on other edit screens⌉⌊ Taxonomy / User / Comment Meta Boxes – Meta inspection on other edit screens⌉[ Taxonomy / User / Comment Meta Boxes – Meta inspection on other edit screens [⌊Settings Page – All configurable options⌉⌊Settings Page – All configurable options⌉[ Settings Page – All configurable options ## Installation #### Automatic Installation 1. Go to **Plugins Add New** in your WordPress admin 2. Search for **PostMeta Viewer** 3. Click **Install Now** 4. Activate the plugin #### Manual Installation 1. Download the plugin ZIP file 2. Go to **Plugins Add New Upload Plugin** 3. Upload the ZIP file and click **Install Now** 4. Activate the plugin #### FTP Installation 1. Unzip the downloaded file 2. Upload the `postmeta-viewer` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` 3. Activate **PostMeta Viewer** from the Plugins screen ## FAQ ### Is this plugin safe for production sites? Yes. The plugin is read-only and does not modify or delete any data. ### Does it work with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)? Yes. It displays the raw meta data stored by ACF. ### Can I edit meta values using this plugin? No. This plugin is intended for inspection and debugging only. ### Does it affect site performance? No. It runs only in the WordPress admin area when actively used. ### Can I export post meta data? Export functionality is not available yet but is planned for future releases. ### Is there a display limit for posts? Pagination is enabled with 20 posts per page by default (adjustable in Settings). ### Can I see meta for taxonomy terms, users, and comments? Yes – all these are supported and can be enabled/disabled in the Settings. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “PostMeta Viewer – Custom Fields Inspector” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ wpwebguru ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpwebguru/) * [ vivekkumarsahu0 ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vivekkumarsahu0/) [Translate “PostMeta Viewer – Custom Fields Inspector” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/postmeta-viewer) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/postmeta-viewer/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/postmeta-viewer/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/postmeta-viewer/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/postmeta-viewer/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.1 * **New**: Taxonomy term meta inspection on edit screens * **New**: User profile meta inspection * **New**: Comment meta inspection * **New**: Settings page with role‑based access control * **New**: Toggle visibility for meta boxes on post types, taxonomies, users, and comments * **New**: Hide internal meta keys (starting with `_`) via settings * **New**: Access control is now per-role via checkboxes (any combination of roles, not just a single capability), with Administrator always protected from accidental lockout * **New**: Per-post-type control over where the Custom Fields Inspector meta box appears, via checkboxes on the Settings page * **Improved**: Beautified array/JSON values now expand inline within the table cell instead of requiring a separate modal * **Improved**: Better display of serialized, JSON, and array data with “beautify” toggle * **Improved**: Pagination and items per page now configurable * **Fixed**: Translation issues and minor UI improvements * **Security**: Added nonce verification and capability checks throughout #### 1.0 * Initial release * Full post meta overview * Advanced search and filtering * Detailed meta inspection * Post edit screen meta box * Support for all post types and statuses ## Meta * Version **1.1** * Last updated **1 seachtain amháin ago** * Active installations **70+** * WordPress version ** 5.6 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Language * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/postmeta-viewer/) * Tags * [acf](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/acf/)[custom fields](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/custom-fields/) [debugging](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/debugging/)[developer-tools](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/developer-tools/) [post meta](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/post-meta/) * [Advanced View](https://ga.wordpress.org/plugins/postmeta-viewer/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/postmeta-viewer/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/postmeta-viewer/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ wpwebguru ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpwebguru/) * [ vivekkumarsahu0 ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vivekkumarsahu0/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/postmeta-viewer/)