Tag: Learn

Everything in life requires maintenance. From the structures we use for work or housing to the toys and electronics we use for entertainment. For things to last and continue to provide value, they need to be cared for on a regular basis. 

Your WordPress site is no different. Technology continues to evolve (at a faster clip all the time) and competitors advance, too. 

While it may not require your full-time attention, you need to be sure to periodically dedicate time to review your site for performance and security issues. You also need to update it to remain effective as a tool for whatever purpose it may serve. 

In this post, we’ll discuss WordPress maintenance — what it is, when to do it, and tools that can make it more efficient. 

What is WordPress maintenance?

Car owners know the value of preventative maintenance, taking care of their vehicles through regular check-ups and adjustments to avoid performance issues and breakdowns. 

For a WordPress site, this maintenance will look a little different, though it’s equally important when it comes to long-term success and effectiveness. WordPress maintenance includes things like monitoring your site for security vulnerabilities, checking its performance, and updating its software.

Why is it important to maintain your WordPress site?

Website issues — like car problems — are easier, quicker, and more cost-effective to prevent than they are to resolve. Failure to maintain your site can lead to problems. And even a few hours of downtime can lead to significant financial losses.

The saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, is especially true for security issues. Vulnerabilities created by unmaintained sites are the main opening point for hackers. And while it is possible to recover from a hack, nobody wants to go through that pain. 

Regular WordPress website maintenance is essential and doesn’t require much extra time if you automate tasks and leverage available tools. Below, we’ll cover the maintenance tasks you should perform regularly, plus discuss best practices and tools that can simplify the process.

How often should you perform WordPress maintenance tasks?

The WordPress maintenance items below aren’t a once per year, spring cleaning kind of thing. Nor are they all intended to be done at the same intervals. 

For example, one major goal is to keep all of your site’s components up to date — WordPress core, your site’s theme, and plugins. Most sites will leverage multiple plugins, which means that on any given day, there may be an update for one or more elements. 

Other goals include maintaining a strong user experience. And a monthly review and optimization of site performance — like load times and Core Web Vitals scores — can take care of this.

WordPress maintenance routine tasks

Here are the tasks you should do regularly along with some tips to make the process easier.

1. Fully back up your WordPress site 

There are a number of events that can cause you to lose WordPress files and data, from a coding error to a hack. But no matter the cause, when this happens, you can lose countless hours of hard work. Ecommerce sites can lose customer and transaction records, messing with their accounting and ability to fulfill orders.

Periodic backups can be sufficient for sites that rarely update content. But for most sites — and especially for ecommerce sites storing customer and order data — even daily backups are not enough protection. You need real-time backups that are made every time a new comment is posted, a blog post is updated, a product is changed, or a new order is placed. 

Jetpack VaultPress Backup is a WordPress plugin that saves every change you make and helps get you back online quickly and easily. With a click, you can restore your site to any past state while keeping product and customer order information current. 

It also comes with an activity log that lets you see what changes preceded a problem. And off-site cloud backups keep everything safe if the issue stems from your hosting provider. If you’re on the go, the mobile app lets you restore from almost anywhere.

Learn more about how to back up a WordPress site.

2. Check your site dashboard  

Like a car’s dashboard, the WordPress dashboard serves as a central place to get a snapshot of your site’s health and navigate to important areas for more detailed work. 

The WordPress dashboard notifies you when one or more of its parts needs attention, displaying a red circle. For example, the Updates area in the navigation bar shows the total number of updates available between WordPress, your site themes, and installed plugins.

If you’re running an online store or active site, you’ll log in every day. But even if you don’t regularly modify your site, it’s a good idea to at least occasionally log in and browse the dashboard. You may have new comments awaiting approval, notices from specific plugins, or other things you should take care of. 

Learn more about the WordPress dashboard.

3. Check the Site Health screen

WordPress versions 5.2 and later include the Site Health diagnostic tool, which gives you performance and security-related information. Check your site status via Tools → Site Health. 

The Site Health screen has an overall health indicator — a green, yellow, or red circle —  followed by links to switch between the Status and Info tabs.

The Site Health Status tab displays one or more sections based on your site’s current status: 

1. Critical issues. Parts of your WordPress website that are potential security vulnerabilities or significant performance issues.
2. Recommended improvements. Non-critical items that can be modified to improve performance, the user experience, and more.
3. Passed tests. All other items tested by the Site Health tool with no issues detected.

Every item displays a category label, like Performance or Security, and an arrow that lets you expand the row for more information.

The Site Health Info screen contains multiple expandable rows, giving you information that you can use to troubleshoot issues. The Copy site info to clipboard button makes it easy for you to collect system info for emailing to a developer or posting to a ticket or support thread.

One helpful piece of information — your site’s PHP version — is listed under the Server tab. Keeping it up to date is critical for both site functionality and security. Learn more about how to check and update your PHP Version in WordPress.

Learn more about the Site Health Screen.

4. Install the latest version of WordPress

Keeping your WordPress version up to date is a crucial part of WordPress maintenance. Here’s how you can perform manual updates to WordPress core, along with how to automate the process:

Update your WordPress version automatically

Automatic updates for major and minor releases have been enabled by default since version 5.6. WordPress updates itself when a new version becomes available and then notifies the site owner via email. 

To confirm that your site is set for automatic updates, go to Dashboard → Updates and look for the message, “This site is automatically kept up to date with each new version of WordPress.” 

If your WordPress installation is set to only perform minor version updates automatically, you can click a link to Enable automatic updates for all new versions of WordPress. 

If you don’t see the link, a host or plugin setting may be hiding the option. You can update your WordPress version manually if you’re unable to turn on automatic updates.

Update your WordPress version manually

You can update WordPress manually via Dashboard → Updates. You’ll see a blue update button with the new version number if an update is available. Make sure to back up your full site, then click the button to update to the latest version of WordPress. You’ll see a confirmation message once the update is complete. 

5. Update your WordPress themes and plugins

Outdated themes and plugins are common targets for hackers. Like WordPress core, you can automate the update process.

You can look at Plugins or Appearance → Themes to see the number of items that need updates.

Update WordPress themes automatically

Go to Appearance → Themes. Mouse over your theme and click Theme Details.

Click the link to Enable auto-updates. Do this for every theme installed on your site.

If the link to enable auto-updates is not available for a theme, you can update it manually.

Update your WordPress themes manually

Go to Appearance → Themes. Click Select All and then Update Themes. You’ll see a confirmation message when the updates are complete.

Update your WordPress plugins automatically

Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins. The Automatic Updates column lets you click a link to Enable auto-updates for each plugin. 

Once you’ve enabled auto-updates for a plugin, its link changes to Disable auto-updates.

Update your WordPress plugins manually

Go to Dashboard → Updates. Click Select All and then Update Plugins. You will see a confirmation message when the updates are complete.

6. Delete unused WordPress themes and plugins

It’s common for site owners to install a theme or plugin to “test it out” and then forget to remove it. Or sometimes you need a plugin for a while, but your needs change. 

Whatever the reason, it’s best to regularly audit the tools you have installed and remove any that are unnecessary. 

How to delete unused WordPress themes

Go to Appearance → Themes. Then, hover over it and click Theme Details.

Click the Delete link in the bottom right of the modal window.

How to delete unused WordPress plugins

Extra plugins can slow down your site, increase the chance of code conflicts between plugins, and create a security vulnerability. To delete WordPress plugins that you’re not using, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.

Click the Delete link in the bottom right of the modal window. 

Click the Delete link for the deactivated plugin to remove it.

7. Run a security check for vulnerability issues and malware

Hackers never rest, and neither should you. Stay ahead of security threats by adding a solution like Jetpack Scan to your WordPress maintenance lineup. 

This tool runs automated daily audits of your site and notifies you immediately when an issue or suspicious behavior is detected. It also includes a website firewall to keep intruders out, with priority support from the Jetpack team. 

An easy-to-read interface shows you any potential issues and can help you resolve many threats with just one click. 

Learn more about Jetpack Scan.

8. Clean up and optimize your WordPress database

The WordPress database stores all your site’s data, including posts, comments, revisions, user info, passwords, plugin-related information, and more. 

Over time, the database can become bloated with records you don’t need, including spam comments, years of page revisions, and data added by old plugins that weren’t cleaned up properly when the tool was removed. Without periodic maintenance and cleanup, the database can become sluggish and slow down the site.

Plugins like Advanced Database Cleaner give you tools to review and optimize the contents of your WordPress database. You can even automate your optimization and cleanup with scheduled tasks. 

9. Delete spam comments 

Spam comments are more than just a nuisance — they can make your WordPress website look unprofessional, negatively affect your search engine rankings, and even harm your visitors, since they often include links to malware-infected sites. So, it’s important that you make managing and handling spam comments a regular part of your site maintenance.

Thankfully, there are some ways to simplify managing spam comments in WordPress. First, go to Settings → Discussion in your dashboard. Here, you’ll find a variety of settings that apply to comments in WordPress.

A great first measure is to check the box next to “Comment author must have a previously approved comment”. This ensures the comments aren’t published unless you’ve already approved a message from that author.

Then, you can use the Comment Moderation and Disallowed Comment Keys sections to automatically hold comments or send them to the trash when they meet certain characteristics. For example, you might flag messages that include certain phrases, or ones from a specific email or IP address.

But even with these measures in place, you’ll want to manually review comments to approve them for publishing. Or, you can use a WordPress spam plugin like Akismet.

Built by the team behind WordPress.com, Akismet uses powerful spam-fighting algorithms to automatically take care of suspicious comments and contact form submissions. You can simply set it and forget it, saving time while maintaining your reputation and security. 

10. Find and fix broken links 

Broken links can occur when you delete a page or update its URL without redirecting it to the new version. Or, if you’re linking out to a third-party site, they may have made a change without your knowledge.

Either way, broken links are never good. They can be confusing for site visitors, who will just see a 404 error when they try to navigate to your page. And they can hurt your search engine rankings by providing a bad user experience or even confusing the search engine bots.

While you can manually go through your site and click every single link, that’s both time-consuming and error-prone. Instead, it’s best to automate this process by using a plugin like Broken Link Checker. 

This will search all of your content, notify you if it finds any broken links, then make it easy for you to update the URLs.

11. Test your WordPress forms

It’s a good idea to occasionally test your contact forms, newsletter sign-ups, and any other forms you have on your site. You want to ensure that any site visitors won’t have problems submitting them, and that the right person on your team receives all the submissions.

12. Test any ecommerce functionality  

If you run an ecommerce store, you’ll want to regularly check all store functionality from time to time. Run through your archive pages, test that variations and customization options work, check on search tools and filters, etc. 

Most importantly, proceed through the checkout process yourself. Make sure that shipping calculations, coupon codes, and payment gateways are all working properly. Actually place an order, even if it’s with a coupon code that reduces the price to $1.00, to ensure that confirmation emails are working, and the payment actually goes through. The last thing you want is to miss out on sales because of a problem you didn’t even know about.

13. Keep an eye on your site load times 

A slow-loading site negatively affects your site visitors and your search engine rankings. It’s important to keep an eye on things and identify any areas that need improvement.

Jetpack Boost is an excellent tool that speeds up your site and shows you exactly how it’s performing on desktop and mobile devices. After the plugin is installed and set up, all you have to do is navigate to Jetpack → Boost to get your current score.

You can also test your site’s performance and get improvement recommendations using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

Tips to make WordPress maintenance as easy as possible

WordPress maintenance doesn’t need to take up a ton of time or become a stressful part of your website. Here are some tips to simplify the process:

1. Automate as much as possible  

We’ve covered several different ways you can automate parts of the WordPress maintenance process. Here are some key tools you can use to do so:

• Jetpack VaultPress Backup, for automated, real-time backups that you can restore even if your website is completely down
• Akismet, to protect your comment and contact forms from dangerous and annoying spam
• Jetpack Scan, for malware scans and one-click fixes
• Advanced Database Cleaner, to automate database optimization and improve site speed
• Broken link checker, to check all of your site content for broken links and 404 errors
• Jetpack Boost, to monitor website performance and make quick improvements

Jetpack Security combines automated backups, daily security scans, spam protection, and more, addressing multiple items from your task list in one solution.

2. Create a WordPress maintenance checklist  

A written WordPress maintenance checklist is a great way to stay on top of important tasks. All you need to do is follow the list here, and you’re good to go! Or, use this as a starting point and edit/add steps as needed for your own WordPress site.

3. Set a regular time to go through your checklist

Once you’ve established your website maintenance tasks, set calendar reminders to make updates and test elements of your site.

If you establish a consistent routine for checking your list — like the beginning of each week or the first day of every month — you’re more likely to stick with it and not neglect important site maintenance tasks.

4. Set up a downtime monitor

If your site goes down, you want to be notified right away, as downtime can lead to unhappy visitors and lost revenue. And it can impact your search rankings if crawlers try to visit while it’s not working.

While it’s not really part of WordPress maintenance, keeping an eye on your website downtime is certainly an important task for any site owner. 

Jetpack has a free downtime monitor that checks your site’s availability every five minutes and notifies you by email or SMS alert if your site ever goes down. Plus, it works seamlessly with other Jetpack tools, so you can restore your site from a backup, and use the Activity Log to investigate the root cause of the problem.

Learn more about WordPress downtime monitoring.

Frequently asked questions about WordPress maintenance

Let’s answer some of the most common questions about WordPress site maintenance.

Do all WordPress websites require regular maintenance?

Yes, like all websites, WordPress sites require regular maintenance. For example, it’s important to stay on top of software updates, security vulnerabilities, and speed bottlenecks to ensure a highly-functioning, effective WordPress website.

How long should a round of WordPress maintenance take?

Typically, WordPress maintenance tasks don’t take much time to complete. To save time, try to automate as much as possible, from backups and updates to malware scanning and spam prevention.

How do I activate WordPress maintenance mode?

When WordPress updates are running, visitors to your site see a WordPress maintenance mode page with the message: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”

Sometimes you want to manually put the site into maintenance mode, like when you have a temporary site issue that you don’t want visitors to see, or are about to make major updates and wish to go into maintenance mode until you’re finished.

You may also want to create a custom maintenance mode page and message, which is good for the brand and user experience. It gives you greater creative control over the page style and text, so you can make it more informative and visually appealing. 

For example, if you’re adding new site features, your message might say: “We’re upgrading our site, come back soon to check out the new features!” 

For more instances where you might want to turn on maintenance mode, and multiple means of activating it: How to put Your WordPress Site into Maintenance Mode.

If you run a large or complex website, you likely have lots of pages for visitors to sort through. At times, it may be frustrating and time-consuming for them to find what they’re looking for.

A search bar is a great way to combat this problem, and adding one to WordPress is simple. If you’re a beginner, you can use the Search Block feature or install a plugin. If you’re looking for something a little more advanced, you can add a search icon to your navigation menu, or edit your theme files to include whatever customizations you’d like.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the role a search bar plays on your website. Then, we’ll show you five methods to add one in WordPress. 

Why it’s important to include a search bar on your WordPress site

If your website only has a few pages, it’s probably easy for visitors to find the content or information they’re looking for. On the other hand, for growing business sites, complex ecommerce stores, or popular blogs, it can take a long time for visitors to navigate your pages using the menu alone. 

The three-click rule is a principle used by most web designers. This rule suggests that a user should be able to find any desired information on your site using three (or fewer) clicks of the mouse. Otherwise, they can become frustrated and abandon your site.

This means that a search bar is a great way to improve the User Experience (UX).

With this feature, you can serve your audience the content they desire much faster, reducing bounce rates and increasing the amount of time they spend on your website. 

Better yet, you can monitor your site’s search data to keep track of the terms and phrases that visitors use most often. This is a great way to discover gaps between what your guests are looking for and what you’re offering to them. With this knowledge, you can confidently plan new initiatives to serve your visitors and grow your efforts.

Where to place your search bar

It’s important to make sure your search bar is easily accessible. Therefore, you’ll want it to occupy a prime position. But you also don’t want this feature to distract from your main content, like blog posts and product pages.

With that in mind, it’s usually a good idea to place a search bar in your website’s header. This way, it will be one of the first elements your visitors see.

Additionally, this enables you to place your search bar beside your navigation menu. This is effective because it allows you to keep the user’s experience consistent. When they arrive on your site, they’ll know to automatically head to the top of the page.

On the other hand, you might prefer to use your footer or sidebar to accommodate search functionality. These positions are also widely used to support navigation menus, since they don’t interfere too much with the page’s content. If you opt for this approach, it’s best to make sure the search feature is particularly prominent, so it won’t be missed.

How to add a search bar to WordPress (5 ways)

Now, let’s take a look at five ways to add a search bar in WordPress. We’ll start with the simplest approach, and work our way down to more customizable options. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of these approaches, so you can select the one that best fits your needs and experience.

1. Add a search bar using the Search block

The first way to add a search bar to WordPress is to use the Search block. Since any WordPress user will be familiar with blocks already, this is one of the quickest and simplest options.

There are two ways you can add a Search block to your website. First, you can add the block to a specific page or post. Second, you can add the Search block to a template part (like your header) using the Site Editor. Let’s explore how both of these techniques work.

Add a Search block to a post or page

One way to use the Search block feature is to add it to a specific post or page (like your homepage). To do this, you’ll need to open the relevant post or page for editing, or create a new one. 

Then click on the plus (+) icon to add a new block. Enter “search” and select the Search option.

This will place a search bar directly on your page. Then you can use the toolbar to change the button position, add a button icon, and adjust the alignment.

Plus, you can use the Block Settings at the left of the screen to alter the width of your search bar, change its colors, and even swap out the font selection.

Add a Search block using the Site Editor

If you’re using a block theme, you can also add the Search block to a template part like your header. This way, you can display the search bar across all pages of your site.

First, you’ll need to make sure you have a block theme activated. Otherwise, you won’t be able to access the Site Editor. 

Then, navigate to Appearance → Editor in your WordPress dashboard. Click on Template Parts → Header, and select the pencil icon to edit your current website header.

This will open your header inside the Block Editor, where you can make lots of customizations to your template part.

Choose the plus (+) icon to browse your WordPress blocks for the Search option.

Now, all you need to do is drag the Search block into your header area.

You can use the arrows in the toolbar to move your search bar to the edge of your menu. Then you can access all the same settings as when you add the Search block to a page or post. 

So, you’re able to change the button icon, adjust the position, and toggle the search label from the toolbar. Plus, in the Block Settings, you can alter the width of the block and change the colors and fonts. 

Once you’re happy with your search bar, click on Save. Then visit your website in a browser to view the search bar on the front end.

If you want to make any more changes, you can revisit the Site Editor at any time. You can also use this method to place your search bar elsewhere, such as in your footer.

2. Add a search bar using the widget panel

Another way to add a search bar to WordPress is to use the widget panel. This is a beginner-friendly option that’s best suited to those using classic WordPress themes. 

To add a search bar using the widget panel, you’ll start in your WordPress dashboard. Then head to Appearance → Widgets.

Here, expand the section where you want to add a search widget. And click the + icon at the bottom. This will open up a list of blocks for your site. Search for, “Search.” Select the search block. 

Now, you can style and customize the search block however you’d like and save to add it to that section of your site. 

If you want to change the button, position, or style of your search widget, head back to the Widgets screen and use the toolbar to customize your search bar.

3. Add a search bar using a plugin

If you’re looking for an option that’s more flexible but still simple, you might prefer to use a plugin to add a search bar to WordPress. Using a plugin is quick and requires no special know-how, but gives you more control over your search bar than you’ll get from the default WordPress settings.

Add a search bar with Jetpack Search 

Jetpack Search, for example, lets site owners nudge visitors in the right direction by customizing results and providing easy-to-use filtering options that are intuitive to use. It’s also smart enough to understand what visitors are looking for, even if they misspell a word or type in a complex, multi-faceted search like, “Bulk jars of tangy poultry seasoning for under $50.”

Leading interior designer, Kylie. M. Interiors, uses Jetpack Search to more efficiently navigate visitors to one of more than 3,000 articles and reduce the workload for her and her team. 

Jetpack Search also supports dozens of languages and works lightning fast, providing logical results that update as visitors type. So people can find the right answers before they’re even finished submitting their search. 

It also integrates seamlessly with your WordPress site for brand consistency and provides insights to site owners about what visitors are searching for. 

Perhaps most impressively, all of this power comes with minimal performance impact to your site because it operates on the cloud. So, even if thousands of new visitors are searching for content each day, your server resources won’t suffer. 

You’ll need to start by installing Jetpack Search on your site, and you have two options here:

• Add the Jetpack Search plugin. This adds just the search functionality to your site, and has both free and premium plans available depending on your usage.
• Purchase the Jetpack Complete plan. Jetpack Search is bundled in this plan, alongside additional site features for security, growth, and more. 

In the following steps, let’s say that you choose the Jetpack Search plugin. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New and search for “Jetpack Search.” Then, click Install now → Activate.

You’ll be prompted to connect to a WordPress.com account, and can purchase a premium plan if you choose to do so. Once the plugin is set up, go to Jetpack → Search in your dashboard. Here, you can enable the feature, turn on instant search, view data about the searches placed on your site, and more.

If you’d like to customize the search experience, click the Customize search results button. This will open a new screen with lots of additional options for styling, included post types, and more. For example, you might choose to highlight search terms in your brand color, show additional information for product results, and exclude media files from results.

Add your search bar to your site

Now, you can add the new Jetpack Search experience anywhere you’d like on your site, just as we did earlier in this article. You’ll simply add a Search block using the Block Editor, Site Editor, or Widget panel depending on your specific situation. Jetpack Search will automatically replace the default WordPress setup with the new, instant search experience.

4. Add a search icon to your header or menu without a block theme

A header or navigation menu is an ideal place for a search icon, since it’s instantly visible to everyone who lands on your website. 

If you’re using a block theme, you can add a search bar to your header using the steps detailed above. If you’re using a classic theme, you’ll need to install a plugin like Ivory Search.

To get started, you’ll need to install and activate Ivory Search in WordPress. Then, go to Ivory Search → Menu Search, and choose the menu where you want to display your search bar.

Click on Save to view all the available settings. For instance, you can select search form styles such as drop-down and full-width.

Further down, use the toggle to display a search form close icon. Then click on Select Color to apply a menu magnifier icon color.

You can also add a menu title to display instead of the search icon. 

Finally, select the search form that will control the menu search functionality. Use the drop-down menu to make your selection.

Then, click on Create New. This will take you to a new screen where you can give your search form a name and configure your searchable content.

Choose Save Form to generate your search form shortcode. Then you can add it to a widget area, like your header.

You can view your site on the front end to see the results:

You should see the search icon in your preferred color. When you click on that icon, a full search bar will appear.

5. Add a search bar manually using custom code

All the methods we’ve looked at so far have been suitable for beginners. However, this next option requires some technical knowledge, since you’ll need to add and edit code in your theme files. You’ll want to make all changes using a child theme, so that when you update your theme down the road, your code won’t be lost.

Before you get started, it’s important to make a backup of your WordPress site. That way, if you enter a wrong line of code, you can easily restore your site to a previous version.

To add a search bar manually, connect to your site via FTP or your hosting provider’s cPanel. Navigate to your website files (typically the public_html folder), then choose /wp-content → /themes → /your-theme. Browse through the files, and find the header.php or footer.php file (depending on where you want to add your search bar).

Once you’ve found the file you want to use, open it and add this function: 

<?php get_search_form(); ?>

This will call the search form from your searchform.php template. If you don’t have this template yet, the function will create one.

Your search bar should now be visible on the front end.

From here, you can continue to tweak your search form via custom code to look and function exactly how you prefer.

How to offer the best search experience to your visitors 

The search experience is a crucial part of your website, since it affects the way customers find and engage with your content. One of the easiest ways to take your search experience to the next level is to use a handy tool like Jetpack Search.

Jetpack Search is a superb solution for large and complex websites. Once installed, you can present instant search results with advanced filtering to help visitors find exactly what they’re looking for. 

There’s a free version that can handle 5,000 records and 500 requests per month. 

The premium version can handle larger sites and a greater search volume, plus you can display an unbranded search bar, so the experience fits in seamlessly with the rest of your site. 

To get started with Jetpack Search, all you need to do is install and activate it. Then go to Jetpack → Search and scroll down to the settings.

Here, you can use the toggle to Enable Jetpack Search. You can also toggle on the instant search experience. This will enable dynamic overlay for searching, sorting, and filtering, without forcing visitors to reload the page. Your changes will update automatically, providing visitors with an advanced search experience right away.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about WordPress search

In case you still have a few questions, let’s look at a few common reader queries regarding search functionality.

Why should I add a search bar in WordPress?

A search bar is an easy way to improve your user experience. Small websites might be able to match visitors with the content they’re looking for pretty quickly. 

However, large and complex sites like ecommerce stores can have hundreds or even thousands of pages. Therefore, visitors might get frustrated trying to find content using the navigation menu alone. 

A search bar can deliver instant results, and point visitors to where they want to be on your site. This way, you can reduce bounce rates and increase time spent on site. 

What is the difference between a search bar and a search box?

‘Search bar’ and ‘search box’ are interchangeable terms. Both describe a field that is placed on your website (usually in your menu or header). Visitors can enter search terms and keywords into this field to discover content on your site.

It’s important to note that a search bar is different from an address bar. An address bar is the field near the top of your browser where you can either type in a specific URL or enter search terms. Then a search engine (like Google) matches you with content in its index. The address bar searches the entire web, while the search bar (or box) is tied to a single website.

How can I improve the WordPress search experience for my visitors?

A search bar is a great way to provide a stellar user experience, but there are also ways to optimize the search experience.

For instance, you can place your search bar somewhere that’s easily accessible, like your header, footer, or sidebar. Additionally, you can improve the WordPress search experience by providing live search suggestions.

Spelling correction is another great tool to make the search experience more accurate. Plus, you might support filtered searches, so customers can find content by searching for specific tags, categories, dates, and more.

Jetpack Search: A powerful and customizable WordPress search plugin

One of the easiest ways to keep visitors on your site is to streamline navigation. A search bar enables you to do this because it quickly connects visitors with the content they seek. Better yet, there are lots of easy ways to add a search bar to your website.

For instance, you can add a search bar to WordPress using the Search block or use custom code and tweak it to meet your needs.

Alternatively, you might prefer to create this feature with a plugin, which can be one of the best ways to implement a powerful search function on your site. With a solution like Jetpack Search, you can implement quick results and powerful filtering to keep visitors on your site.

What’s more, you can enable an instant search experience with a dynamic overlay, to generate results even faster. Check out the plans today to get started!

The WordPress database stores all the information for your site and enables you to make changes to your content. And if you’re new to WordPress, you might not know how to access and use this database. 

Fortunately, it’s not as complicated as you might think. Once you learn the basics, you can secure your database, resolve errors, and perform vital tasks when you don’t have access to the dashboard. 

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the WordPress database. Then, we’ll show you how to access, create, and secure it. Plus, we’ll cover some common database issues and their fixes. 

What is a WordPress database?

The WordPress database is a collection of your site’s data. This is where you’ll find all the files and tables to create and manage posts, pages, users, comments, and more.

To manage this data, you’ll need access to a special type of software. WordPress uses MySQL and relies on Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) to store and fetch data from the database. PHP is the programming language that WordPress is built on. 

Why does WordPress require a database?

Every WordPress site requires a database. Even if your site is small, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. 

Your website is made up of different kinds of data like pages, user information, comments, settings, plugins, theme data, categories, tags, and more. Therefore, you need a separate place to store this information, as your website wouldn’t be able to accommodate all of it. 

Thanks to the WordPress database, your website can function seamlessly and you (and others) can apply changes. Plus, if you need to switch to a different web host, you can make a copy of the database and move it to the new server, without losing your site’s valuable content. 

How does a WordPress database work?

Now that you know what the WordPress database is, it can be useful to understand how it works. When you install WordPress to create a website, you’ll need to create a database to store important information. 

This process is typically automated, especially when using a managed hosting plan. You can also configure a WordPress database manually, though this requires a fair bit of technical knowledge. 

Once you’ve created a database, it will reside on your host’s server. Therefore, every time a user requests your website, their browser sends the request to your hosting server. Then, the server sends the data required to display your site, dynamically generating HTML pages.

WordPress uses MySQL. This software enables the database to store information and provide access to it. 

Additionally, when data (like comments or posts) needs to be changed or deleted, WordPress sends a MySQL query to the database, instructing the action. It’s important to note that many of these queries work automatically. Therefore, you’ll be completely unaware of this process as you make changes to your site. 

Some advanced users might prefer to access the database and run these queries manually. This way, you can perform tasks that you can’t do through the dashboard, like changing your account’s username and password. Plus, it can be a much faster way to execute certain commands. 

What is inside a WordPress database?

The WordPress database is organized into tables that make it easy to find, view, and edit data on your website. Each table contains a specific type of data. 

You’ll find one table for posts, one for comments, and so on. These tables often start with the wp_ prefix, so your comments table will be named something like wp_comments.

Within WordPress tables, you’ll find columns and fields that contain more specific information. So, if you open the wp_comments table, you’ll see fields like comment_ID, comment_author, and comment_date.

An overview of the tables in a WordPress database

Now that you know what’s inside the WordPress database, let’s take a closer look at the tables that you can access.

1. wp_posts

The wp_posts table contains the data for all content on your site. This isn’t specific to posts. Instead, it extends to pages, products, courses, revisions, custom post types, and any other content on your site.

2. wp_postmeta

As the name suggests, the wp_postmeta table supports all the meta information about your content. You’ll find the template used to display the page, custom fields, SEO information, and more.

3. wp_options

If you open the wp_options table, you can access most of the settings for your WordPress website. You can edit your site URL and admin URL, change the number of posts per page, adjust the time format, and more. Additionally, wp_options is used by some plugins to store the plugin settings.

4. wp_users

The wp_users table is where you’ll find user information like usernames, email addresses, and passwords.

5. wp_usermeta

With wp_users, you’ll find a corresponding wp_usermeta table that contains the meta information about users registered on your site.

6. wp_termeta

If you’re a standard WordPress user, wp_termeta shouldn’t concern you too much. It’s mainly used by developers to store custom metadata for terms under custom taxonomies. For example, WooCommerce uses wp_termeta to store metadata for product attributes and categories.

7. wp_terms

In wp_terms, you’ll find the terms for each of your taxonomies. To help you understand, individual taxonomy items (like tags and categories) are called taxonomies, while each tag and category within the taxonomies are known as terms.

8. wp_term_relationships

The wp_term_relationships table is an important one since it manages the relationship between WordPress post types and terms in the wp_terms table. This helps WordPress determine which category each of your posts is in. 

9. wp_term_taxonomy

The wp_term_taxonomy table defines taxonomies for terms in the wp_terms table. Here, you’ll find all the data that says your term is associated with a taxonomy called category. This way, WordPress can differentiate between which term is a category, which is a tag, and so on.

10. wp_links

Within wp_links, you can access all the information needed to manage blogrolls that were created by earlier versions of WordPress.

11. wp_comments

The wp_comments table stores all data concerning your WordPress comments. Therefore, you can expect to find the user’s name, URL, email address, comment, and more.

12. wp_commentmeta

Lastly, the wp_commentmeta contains meta information about the comments posted on your site. This table consists of four main fields: comment_ID, meta_ID, meta_key, and meta_value. You might come to this table to check on the status of a comment to see whether it’s been approved, is pending approval, or is logged as trash.

How to access the WordPress database

It’s important to note that while you can access the WordPress database, you don’t need to access the database to manage your site. For most users, the WordPress dashboard is sufficient for carrying out the majority of tasks. 

But there are some situations when it can be useful to access your database. If you’re a beginner, you might like to understand more about your site’s structure. 

On the other hand, advanced users can access the database to perform tasks that can’t be done through the dashboard. Plus, the database enables you to troubleshoot common WordPress errors if you get locked out of your dashboard. 

In the next section, we’ll show you two ways to access the WordPress database. Note that, if you’re on a shared hosting plan, you may not have access to the database. Therefore, you might need to ask your web host to make database changes for you.

1. Using phpMyAdmin

As we mentioned earlier, your WordPress database is stored on your host’s server. Therefore, you can access it by logging into your hosting account. This method varies depending on your host, but you’ll likely be using phpMyAdmin. 

Before you get started, it’s important to make a fresh backup of your site in case anything goes wrong. The easiest way to do this is to use a backup plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup. If you accidentally delete an important site file, you can replace it with the one stored in your backup. If at all possible, you should use a staging website or development environment when making changes to a database.

To access phpMyAdmin, you’ll normally need to log into cPanel through your hosting account. Then, look for the Databases section and you should see an option for phpMyAdmin.

You might need to enter your database username and password to access the software. These should be different from the credentials you use to access cPanel.

The phpMyAdmin interface should look something like this:

Next, click on Databases and choose your website from the menu. Now, you should see all the tables within your WordPress database.

Here, you can click on any of the tables to add, change, or delete data. If you’re making a change to a field, you’ll need to click on Browse. Then, find the exact row that you want to edit, and use the Edit link to do so.

Once you’re done editing, click on Go to apply the changes.

2. Using a WordPress plugin

If you don’t want to use phpMyAdmin to access the WordPress database, you can use a plugin instead. For example, you might not be comfortable using the interface and would prefer to remain in the WordPress dashboard.

WP Data Access enables you to perform database tasks without leaving your website. Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, navigate to WP Data Access in your WordPress dashboard and use the Database dropdown to select your database.

Here, you can view all the tables within your database. These are presented similarly to posts and pages in WordPress, so you won’t need to learn a complex layout like phpMyAdmin.  

When you hover over a table, you’ll see two options: Manage and Explore. If you click on Manage, you’ll be able to control all data on your site. 

You can rename, copy, or export data. Meanwhile, the ALTER link enables you to edit the table directly.

If you click on Explore, you’ll find details about the table and where it’s used on your site. Note that some tables won’t display any options when clicked.

How to create a WordPress database

Now that you know how to access the WordPress database, let’s take a look at two ways to create one for your site. 

1. Create a database with cPanel

The easiest way to create a WordPress database is to use cPanel. To get started, log into your hosting account and then the cPanel.

Now, look for the Databases section and select the MySQL Database Wizard.

In the Create Database Users area, enter the database name and click on Next Step.

Then, find Create Database Users and create the database username and password. To keep your database secure, make sure that you create a unique and strong password.

Now, click on Create User. 

In Add User to Database, check the All Privileges checkbox and proceed by selecting Next Step. Here, it’s important to take note of the hostname, username, and database name so that you remember them for future reference. 

2. Create a database with phpMyAdmin

The next way to create a WordPress database is to use phpMyAdmin. This can be slightly more complicated, but it’s a great solution for users that don’t have access to cPanel.

To get started, open phpMyAdmin from your hosting account. Then, click on the Database tab at the top of the screen.

Here, click on Create database and enter a database name. Then, choose the best configuration option for language and encoding. 

Now, select phpMyAdmin to return to the main page and navigate to Users. This is where you can create users for your database.

Click on Add User and enter a name in the User field. Then, create a strong and unique password for the user. 

You’ll want to leave the options under Global privileges as they are. When you’re ready, select Go and return to the Users screen. 

Next, you’ll need to configure the correct permissions for each user with access to your database. Click on the Edit privileges icon. In the Database-specific privileges, select the new database under the Add privileges to the Server.localhost database dropdown. Then, click on Go.

The importance of backing up your database

Now that you have created a database for your WordPress website, let’s take a look at some of the best backup practices to keep your data secure. 

1. Schedule regular backups

Making a backup of your database is great, but it’s important to remember that this isn’t a one-time thing. You must make backups at regular intervals so that you always have a recent copy of your WordPress data.

The easiest way to schedule regular backups is to use an automated plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup.

Once activated, the plugin will perform a backup of your site. Then, you can navigate to Jetpack → VaultPress Backup to see your backups in the cloud or view your most recent restore point.

Jetpack VaultPress Backup will automatically save your website in real-time, so every single change made on your site — updated pages, new blog posts, customer orders, etc. — will always be available if you need it. The best part? You can restore a backup even if your site is completely down.

2. Securely store your backups off-site

It’s important to store backups offsite to keep your database copies safe. If your backups are stored on the same server as your site, they can be just as susceptible to online attacks and malware infections. 

For this reason, you’ll want to choose a secure location to store your backups. You could download backups to your computer or save them to the cloud. 

VaultPress Backup is, again, an ideal solution for this as it uses the same secure, off-site servers trusted by Automattic, the people behind WordPress.com.

3. Have a disaster recovery plan in place

Having a solid disaster recovery plan can help reduce the time needed to resolve a problem. Otherwise, you might waste precious time troubleshooting the problem. 

Plus, if something goes wrong, your website might be offline and inaccessible to the public. Not only will you lose traffic and revenue, but this can also damage your reputation.

Jetpack VaultPress Backup offers one-click restores that are available even if you can’t access your dashboard. Plus, with the app, you can restore from nearly anywhere in the world.

The importance of securing your database

While backups are a must-have in case something goes wrong, you should also be mindful of preventative measures to make your database more secure. Let’s look at some of them. 

1. Use strong passwords

One of the easiest ways to secure any aspect of your website is to use strong passwords. This goes for your WordPress dashboard, your hosting account, and your database.

It’s important to use a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols in your passwords. You’ll also want to make them long, using at least eight characters. 

You can use a password generator to handle the process for you. If you’re worried about forgetting your passwords, you can store them with a password management tool.

2. Limit access to the database

Another way to secure the WordPress database is to limit the number of individuals that can use it. Only users that you trust should have access to your site’s data. 

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that they understand how to use it. The last thing you want is for a new user to find their way into the database and accidentally delete vital WordPress tables. 

If you’re using a plugin to access your database, users with certain roles will have the ability to make database changes that could harm your site. 

For this reason, and for general security-best practices, it’s always a good idea to regularly review your user roles and permissions, making sure that the correct privileges are assigned to the right people. You can do this from your WordPress dashboard by going to Users → All Users. Then, click on Edit and scroll down to Role.

Here, use the dropdown to select the correct role for each user registered on your site. Typically, only administrators will have complete access to the database. 

The same advice goes for any accounts on your cPanel or hosting provider’s dashboard.

3. Keep software up-to-date

Updating software can increase security on your WordPress site. This includes plugins, themes, and WordPress Core. 

When you have outdated tools on your site, hackers might exploit vulnerabilities in the software to gain entry. Updates typically contain patches for these security flaws, so you’ll want to run them as soon as they’re released. 

4. Monitor database logs for suspicious activity

Another way to secure the WordPress database is to monitor logs for suspicious activity. Database logs enable you to track all user activity so that you can see all actions taken on your site, all requests made, and all errors encountered. 

Typically, you can view your logs through cPanel. Here, you’ll find a Log Viewer where you can monitor these activities:

If you use a plugin like VaultPress Backup, you’ll also get access to an activity log that lets you see everything that happens on your website. Note that it will not, however, log changes made directly in the database, but can be an excellent indication of suspicious activity and a handy tool when troubleshooting common WordPress errors. 

5. Consider an enterprise security plugin like Jetpack Security

One of the best solutions for protecting your WordPress database is to use an enterprise security plugin like Jetpack Security. With this tool, you’ll get a suite of advanced features in one installation.

This includes Jetpack’s Web Application Firewall (WAF), which blocks malicious traffic from reaching your website. Plus, the plugin provides complete comment and spam protection, and conducts automatic malware scans.

With Jetpack Security, you’ll also get an activity log for your site. This way, you can view every action and find the cause of any issue that arises. 

The plugin also comes with VaultPress Backup, enabling you to make real-time backups of your website, database tables, WooCommerce data, and more. Better yet, with the mobile app, you can restore your site from any location. 

How to optimize your database

Over time, your database performance starts to slow down. This typically happens because the database has grown in size since you first launched your site. Therefore, the query execution time will get slower as your memory overheads increase.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to optimize your WordPress database. One of the quickest methods is to run a MySQL command.

To get started, open phpMyAdmin and click on your database to see the list of WordPress tables. Then, select the Check All option below the tables and use the With Selected dropdown menu to choose Optimize table.

This will defragment the selected tables, making queries run a bit faster. Plus, it will slightly reduce the size of the database.

How to migrate your database to a new server or hosting provider

You might find yourself in a situation where you need to migrate your database. For instance, you might want to move your site to a new server or hosting provider.

First, you’ll need to navigate to phpMyAdmin in your current hosting account and select your database in the list on the left-hand side. Then, click the Export tab. 

You can either choose a Quick export, which is plenty for most websites, or a Custom export, which allows you to configure settings for the database export. Then, click Go, and the file will download to your computer.

Now, navigate to your new hosting provider, where you’ll need to create a new database user. This will vary depending on your host, but if you’re using cPanel, you’ll take the following steps:

Under Databases, select MySQL Databases. Create a database name and click Create Database.

Scroll down and find the Add New User section. Create a new user here, keeping in mind security best practices for the password you generate. Click Create User.

Scroll to the Add User to Database section. In the User dropdown, choose your new user. In the Database dropdown, choose your new database. Click Add. A new screen will appear, allowing you to set permissions for the new user. Check the box next to All Privileges, then click Make Changes.

Now, navigate to phpMyAdmin in cPanel and select the new database you created in the left-hand list. Click the Import tab at the top. Upload the database file you saved earlier, then click Go.

And your database is migrated! Your final step will be to tell your site on the new host that it should use the new database. Note that this step assumes that you’ve already migrated your website files to your new hosting provider.

Navigate to your File Manager, find your website’s folder (typically public_html) and open the wp-config.php file. Find the following block of code:

/** MySQL database username */

define('DB_USER', ‘sample_username’);

/** MySQL database password */

define('DB_PASSWORD', ‘27839hafgdl’);

Replace the username and password with the ones you created for your new database, being sure to keep the quotation marks in place. In the example above, you’d replace ‘sample_username’ with ‘new_username’ and ‘27839hafgdl’ with ‘newpassword’. And that’s it! 

If you’re looking for a simpler solution, you can use a plugin like Duplicator to export and import databases between sites.

Common database uses

At this point, you might be wondering how to utilize the WordPress database. Let’s look at four common use cases. 

1. Edit post or page content

One of the most popular ways to use phpMyAdmin is to edit post or page content from the interface. All you need to do is open phpMyAdmin from your hosting account. Then, click on Databases and select the database for your website.

Next, locate the wp_posts table. This is where WordPress stores all content like posts, pages, custom post types, and more.

Here, you’ll see a list of all content items on your site. You can also see information like the post status and comment status for each of your pages and posts.

Once you find the post that you want to modify, click on the Edit link. Then, you can change the post content, post title, comment status, post excerpt, and more.

Once you have finished making changes to the post, click on Go at the bottom of the screen to save your work.

2. Change user information

You might also find it useful to change user information from the phpMyAdmin interface. For instance, you might wish to reset your WordPress password.

To do this, launch phpMyAdmin and select your database. Then, locate the wp_users table and click on Browse. 

Now, you’ll see a list of all the users registered on your site. Click on Edit next to the user account that you need to change.

Here, you’ll see all the user fields that you can edit, like the username, email, password, and more.

To change the password for your user, you’ll need to delete the value in the user_pass field and enter a new one. Under the Function column, select MD5. Then, click on Go to save the changes.

3. Update WordPress settings

As we mentioned earlier, the wp_options table contains most of your site-wide settings. You can access this table via phpMyAdmin to update settings like the time format, site URL, plugin configuration, and more.

To get started, launch phpMyAdmin and select your database. Then, open wp_options and locate the row you need to change.

You’ll see plenty of fields here, like admin email, site URL, posts per RSS, and more.

Click on Edit next to the setting you want to change. Then, enter a new value into the field and click on Go.

4. Delete plugins or themes

There are times when it might be necessary to delete a plugin or theme from your website via phpMyAdmin. This is often the case if you’ve encountered a WordPress error (caused by a problematic plugin), leaving you without access to your WordPress dashboard.

Additionally, even when you delete themes and plugins from your dashboard, some tools leave behind rows and tables in your database. Over time, this data can mount up and start to affect your site’s performance.

In this instance, you can launch phpMyAdmin and find your WordPress database. Depending on the plugin, there can be traces of it in multiple database tables. That’s why the best method to delete plugins in phpMyAdmin is to use the Search feature.

For instance, if you want to delete the WooCommerce plugin from your site, enter “woocommerce” into the search bar. Under Find, check the option that says all the words. Then, select Go.

Here, you’ll see a list of all the fields and tables where the plugin stores data on your site.

As you can see, there are traces of WooCommerce in tables like wp_posts, wp_users, and wp_options.  

Click on Browse to open the table. Then, you’ll want to filter the table to find every instance of WooCommerce. Enter “woocommerce” where it says Filter rows.

Select all the relevant rows and click on the Delete link. Then, you can go through all the other tables where the plugin stores data and repeat the same steps. 

Common database issues and their causes

When accessing and editing your WordPress site, you might run into some issues. Typically, you’ll know if it’s a database issue because you’ll see the following error message: “Error establishing database connection”.

Other signs of a database issue are:

• Images missing from your site
• Content missing from your site
• The “No update required your WordPress database is already up-to-date” error

Meanwhile, some common causes of database issues include:

• Incorrect database access credentials
• Connection errors
• Corrupt database tables
• A hacked database 

It’s a good idea to work your way through the list and eliminate each of the potential problems. You can check your connection on your operating system and make sure you’re running the latest version of your browser. It’s also useful to double-check your database credentials in your hosting account. 

As we mentioned earlier, you might also want to optimize your database using a simple MySQL command to ensure faster performance.

Frequently asked questions about the WordPress database

Although we’ve tried to provide a complete guide to the WordPress database, you might still have some questions. Let’s answer some of them. 

Where is the WordPress database stored?

The WordPress database is stored on your web host’s server. Therefore, you can access it through cPanel. If your host does not provide access to cPanel, you might be able to use a plugin to access it. It’s important to note that the WordPress database is sometimes inaccessible to those on shared hosting plans.

Can my WordPress database be stored on a separate server?

Yes, but you’ll need to make sure that the MySQL server allows the database to be accessed by an external server. You can export the current database and create a new one on another server.

Then, in wp-config.php, find define (‘DB_HOST’’localhost’) and add the IP address of the server instead of localhost.

Can I export my WordPress database to use on another website?

Yes, there are various ways to export the WordPress database. The easiest option is to use the built-in export tool in your dashboard. To access the tool, go to Tools → Export.

Then, select the content that you want to export and download your export file.

You can also use a plugin like Duplicator to export your WordPress database. For advanced users, you can export your database manually using phpMyAdmin.

What happens if I accidentally delete a record from the WordPress database?

If you delete a row like wp_posts, you’ll lose all the content on your site. Meanwhile, if you delete a row like wp_options, you’ll lose your site settings. This can have a negative impact on your search engine rankings. Plus, your website may suffer downtime as you repair the issue.

That’s why it’s important that you assign the correct permissions to users on your site. That way, only those with technical knowledge can access and edit your database.

On top of that, it’s a good idea to install a backup recovery plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup. Then, even if you accidentally delete a record from the database, you can easily restore your site to an earlier version. 

What are the best practices for backing up the WordPress database?

One of the best ways to secure your website is to make frequent backups. With a plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup, you can also back up your entire database. 

You’ll also want to store your database backup in a different location than your server. You might download it to your computer, or save it in a remote location like the cloud.

It’s important to make sure that you can restore your site quickly should something go wrong. Otherwise, you can lose out on traffic and revenue. 

With VaultPress Backup, you can restore your site in just one click. Plus, if you use the Jetpack mobile app, you can even get your site up and running again from almost anywhere. 

How can I ensure the security of my WordPress database?

It’s important to maintain top levels of security for your WordPress database since this is where vital information is stored. For instance, anyone with database access can edit content on your site, change user passwords, and delete entire tables.

Therefore, consider limiting the number of people with access to your database. In fact, you should make sure that only those you trust have these privileges. Additionally, you can educate them on how to interact with the interface to reduce the likelihood of accidents.

You’ll also want to enforce strong passwords on your site. Ideally, they should contain a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. 

Finally, you’ll need to make sure that software, like plugins and themes, is kept up-to-date. This will help protect your database against cyberattacks. 

WordPress database: The power of independence at your fingertips 

While you don’t need to understand how the WordPress database works to run your website, this knowledge can come in handy. For instance, you might need to edit user information, troubleshoot common errors, or perform certain actions when you can’t access your dashboard. 

Your database is stored on your web host’s server, and you can access it via phpMyAdmin. You can also create a new database in phpMyAdmin and perform tasks like configuring site-wide settings. 

Protect your WordPress site

After all the hard work you’ve put into learning how to work with your site’s database, building the perfect site, and developing a strong flow of visitors and users, you don’t want anything to stop your progress. 

Jetpack’s top-tier WordPress security plugin not only provides a best-in-class, real-time, cloud-based backup solution, but also features that prevent most issues and resolve many others in just a few clicks. 

From malware scanning to spam prevention, downtime monitoring, brute force attack protection and more — Jetpack’s got your back.

Don’t risk losing your hard work — get Jetpack Security today. 

 

Utilizing a localhost for your WordPress site enables you to run updates, test plugins, or build your site in private. This means you can make changes without affecting the user experience (UX) or worrying about mistakes that could disrupt operations. 

Sounds pretty great, right? Even better is that most moderately-experienced developers will find it straightforward to get started. 

By following this step-by-step guide, you should be able to download the localhost software, add WordPress files, and create a database without any issues.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at WordPress localhost and its benefits. Then, we’ll show you how to configure WordPress on localhost and run through some common errors.

What is localhost, and why is it useful for WordPress?

When you create a WordPress site, you typically purchase a domain name and choose a web hosting provider. Your site resides on your web host’s server and is accessible to anybody with the correct URL. 

With localhost, you can run a website from your own operating system like a PC. This means it will have a different hardware configuration than a live website. Plus, your site won’t be available online.

You’ll create a private and remote environment, using your PC storage as the host. Then, you’ll download third-party software like XAMPP to install WordPress.

There are many reasons why you might want to use localhost. First, it enables you to create a development site that you can use for testing and experimentation. 

In this instance, WordPress will function as a staging site. This is a popular option for designers and developers since you can detect issues before you launch your live application. Better yet, localhost enables you to work on your website even if you don’t have an internet connection. 

Additionally, a local website provides a safe environment for trying new things. This can prevent downtime on your live website in the event that a change introduced breaks something.

Localhost can also be a safer way to test new software or run updates. You won’t need to worry about breaking your site. If something goes wrong, your live site will remain completely unaffected.

Can you install WordPress locally on any operating system?

There are many platforms that enable you to install WordPress locally, but XAMPP tends to be the most user-friendly. 

What’s more, XAMPP is open-source and free, and it supports all operating systems including Mac, Windows, and Linux. When you visit the official XAMPP website, you’ll see all the different versions of the software. Then, you can download the version that’s compatible with your operating system. 

What are the requirements to install WordPress on localhost?

To install WordPress on localhost, you’ll need a fully-functioning operating system like a PC to store your website files. This will work as a virtual server, which is equivalent to a web host’s server that you’d use for a live site.

You’ll also need to download software like XAMPP. There are plenty of tools that enable you to create a local environment. WAMP, MAMP, LAMP, and Vagrant are other popular options. 

XAMPP tends to be an excellent choice for WordPress, since it’s free and open-source. Plus, it works on a variety of systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux.

Once you’ve downloaded the XAMPP software, you can install it along with WordPress. You’ll also need to make sure to select three modules from the control panel. These are Apache, MySQL, and PHP.

How to install WordPress on localhost

Now that you know a bit more about localhost, let’s take a look at how to install WordPress on Localhost using XAMPP. 

Step 1: Download XAMPP 

The first step is to download the XAMPP software from Apache Friends. You can access XAMPP for Windows, Linux, or OS X.

Choose the version that matches your operating system. The download will start automatically and may take a few minutes.

Once downloaded, run the file to launch the XAMPP importer. If you have an antivirus program installed, you might see a warning, but you can proceed with the installation.

You might also get a warning about User Account Control (UAC). In most cases, you should just continue through that prompt and any others that come up. 

Then, you should see the installer screen. Here, click on Next.

Now choose which components you want to install. It’s important to note that you don’t need all the components for WordPress. Instead, you’ll need the required ones plus MySQL and phpMyAdmin.

You can install additional components. For instance, you might want email-related features if you plan to send or debug transactional emails. So, go ahead and uncheck everything you don’t need. Then, hit Next.

Now, choose which folder to install XAMPP into and select your preferred language.

You’ll be notified that you can opt to install Bitnami for XAMPP. This is not needed for WordPress, but it can make the process slightly simpler. 

If you continue without Bitnami, click on Next to run the installation.

When this is complete, you can launch the control panel and start working with XAMPP.

Step 2: Run the modules

To install XAMPP and WordPress, you’ll need three specific modules:

• Apache (the web server that XAMPP relies on)
• MySQL (the database that WordPress uses)
• PHP (the programming language that WordPress is built on)

You can start these modules from the XAMPP control panel. The status of each one should turn green once it’s launched.

Then, test to see that the local server is working properly by going to http://localhost in a web browser.

If it was successful, you’ll now have a functioning XAMPP server on your operating system.

Step 3: Add the WordPress files

Now that you’ve downloaded XAMPP and run the modules, it’s time to install WordPress. To do this, navigate to the official WordPress website and download the latest version of the software by clicking on Get WordPress.

You’ll see that there’s an option to get set up with a hosting provider. This only concerns users who want to create a live WordPress site. 

Since you want to install WordPress on localhost, click on Download WordPress 6.2.

At this point, WordPress will download to your computer. 

Now, on your computer, head to the folder where you installed XAMPP. This might be named something like C://xampp. 

Open the folder and locate the htdocs subfolder:

In htdocs, create a new folder for your site. The name of this folder will become the sub-name used to access your site. You might name the folder “testsite” if you’re using WordPress localhost as a staging site. 

Then, you would access your site by going to http://localhost/testsite. When you’ve created the folder, extract the WordPress zip file that you downloaded at the start of this step.

Step 4: Create your database 

At this point, you’ve downloaded XAMPP, run the modules, and downloaded WordPress. Now, it’s time to create a MySQL database for your WordPress installation. 

First, you’ll need to launch phpMyAdmin from your XAMPP control panel. To do this, click on the Admin button for MySQL.

Inside phpMyAdmin, select the Databases tab.

Then, enter a name for your database and select Create.

That’s it! You can now move on to the last step.

Step 5: Complete the WordPress installation

The final step only requires a few tasks to complete the WordPress installation. First, visit your local website, where you should see the normal WordPress installer. You can find your website by typing http://localhost/url into the address bar. 

Everything is the same as it would be for any other WordPress site except for the database details. Instead, you’ll need to enter the database details like this:

• Database name: name of the database you created in phpMyAdmin (you set this up in Step 4 of this guide)
• Username: “root”
• Password: leave blank

Complete the rest of the process. Now, you should see a fresh WordPress install running on your localhost.

How to move WordPress from localhost to a live server

To move WordPress from localhost to a live server, you can use a WordPress migration plugin like Duplicator. This will export your files from the local installation. Then, you’ll need to create a database on your live server and copy over your files using an SFTP client like FileZilla. 

How to transfer WordPress localhost to another computer

You can transfer WordPress localhost to another computer by exporting your website and database to another system. There are plenty of plugins to help you do this, like All-in-One WP Migration.

You can also use the built-in WordPress import and export tools. You can find these in your WordPress dashboard by going to Tools → Export.

If you’re an experienced WordPress user, you can also transfer WordPress localhost to another computer using phpMyAdmin. This process requires you to export your old database and create a new one on the new PC.

How to uninstall WordPress on localhost

Once you’ve completed your tests, updates, or experiments in the local environment, you might want to uninstall XAMPP. To do this on Windows, open the Control Panel and navigate to Programs and Features. Then, locate the XAMPP app and right-click on it to delete it.

Now, navigate to the C:/xampp folder (or whichever folder you used for XAMPP) and delete any remaining files and folders on your computer. 

Common WordPress localhost issues and how to resolve them

So far, we’ve tried to provide as much detail as possible to help you install and configure WordPress on localhost. But there are some WordPress localhost issues that you might encounter. 

So, in this section, we’ll discuss some of the most common issues and show you how to fix them.

1. Installation failed: Could not create directory

The first WordPress localhost issue that you may encounter is when the installation fails. There are three situations when you might see this error:

• You install a theme or plugin in the WordPress dashboard.
• You update a plugin or theme.
• You upload files directly to the wp-content folder.

Typically, the “installation failed” error occurs on new WordPress sites. You might be seeing the message because the permission settings are incorrect. Or, you might not have enough free space on your system. 

Therefore, you can clear the error by checking your file permissions. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools → Site Health. Then, click on the Info tab and scroll down to Filesystem permissions.

Ideally, all the files will be listed as “Writable.”

If they say “Not Writable,” your permissions aren’t configured correctly. 

Fortunately, you can change the permissions by accessing your site files. To do this, you can connect to your site via FTP. Then, go to public_html and locate the following folders: 

• wp_content 
• wp_includes 
• wp_admin

Right-click on each of the folders (one at a time) and choose File Permissions.

Check that the options are set to the following values:

• Owner permissions: Read, Write, Execute
• Group permissions: Read, Execute
• Public permissions: Read, Execute
• Numeric value: 755
• Recurse into subdirectories
• Apply to directories only

Click on OK and return to your site to see if the error has cleared.

2. Login not working

Another common WordPress localhost issue is that the login procedure doesn’t work. In this case, you’ll need to navigate to phpMyAdmin to resolve it. 

First, it’s important to make a backup of your website since this might require you to edit important site files. Therefore, if you make a mistake, you won’t need to worry about losing your work.

The easiest way to create a backup of your site is to use a reliable plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup.

VaultPress Backup makes real-time backups that are stored securely in the cloud. The tool will store your backups for 30 days, and you can restore your site to a previous version in just one click. 

Not only does VaultPress backup save your website, but it also secures all your database tables. Plus, the plugin also saves a copy of all WooCommerce customer and order data. 

Once you’ve installed and activated your backup plugin, open phpMyAdmin and find the config.inc.php file. Here, you can check your login details. Then, return to the login screen and enter the values. 

3. This site can’t be reached

If you see an error message that reads “This site can’t be reached,” it means there’s something stopping the browser from accessing the website. For example, you might be lacking an internet connection, or you might be facing DNS (Domain Name System) issues.

First, you’ll need to temporarily disable any antivirus software, firewall, or proxy service, since this can interrupt the connection. Then, you can check your internet connection and clear your browser cache. 

In Google Chrome, click on the three dots in the top-right corner. Then, choose More Tools → Clear Browsing Data.

If this doesn’t work, it can be useful to flush your DNS settings. To do this, check out Error 6: error_err_connection_refused further down. 

Alternatively, you might simply need to change your DNS provider. Google Public DNS tends to be a safe solution.

The method for doing this varies depending on which operating system you use. For Mac users, you can change your DNS provider by going to System Preferences.

Then, click on Network → Advanced.

Open the DNS tab and click on +.

Now, type in the numbers for the public server you want to use. Click on OK → Apply to change the settings.

4. Error establishing a database connection

When you install and configure WordPress on localhost, you can often run into database connection issues. This usually indicates that there’s incorrect database information in your WordPress settings or an unresponsive database server.

To resolve this error, you can check your database credentials. These are stored in your wp-config.php file, so you can access the file through SFTP. 

Once you’ve opened the file, make sure that the following credentials are correct:

• Database name
• Username
• Password
• Database host 

You can also check your database credentials using phpMyAdmin. Once you’ve opened phpMyAdmin, click on wp_users.

Then, find the user listing and click on the Edit link. Here, you can see the user ID, password, and more for each user on the site. 

If these values aren’t correct, you can change them here. Simply delete the existing values and enter new ones. Then, click on Go to apply your changes.

You can also reboot your server. To do this, all you need to do is start and stop the server from your XAMPP control panel. 

5. Error err_ssl_protocol_error

The err_ssl_protocol_error can present itself in a number of different ways. For instance, you might be told that your site can’t provide a secure connection or that localhost sent an invalid response.

Sometimes this issue can be easily resolved by clearing your browser cache. To do this in Google Chrome, see Error 3: This site can’t be reached. 

You can also try using your site’s DNS entry instead of the URL. So, in this case, you’d type something like: http://127.0.0.1:8080 into your browser instead of http://localhost:8080. 

6. Error err_connection_refused

The err_connection_refused error is another common localhost issue. It’s likely due to a misconfigured port. It might also indicate incorrect permissions or alert you to the fact that the Apache web server is not running properly.

If it’s an issue with WordPress permissions, see Error 1: Installation failed. If you want to change the port number, go to Error 13: XAMPP Apache shutdown unexpectedly. You can also disable your firewall or antivirus program since this might be blocking the connection.

The next solution is to flush your DNS, since this can fail if it’s storing too many records. To do this, open the command prompt by typing “cmd” in the search bar next to the start menu. 

Now, enter the following command: ipconfig/flushdns

You can also make sure that Apache is definitely running. Go to the XAMPP control panel. If it says Start then the server must have stopped running and was likely the cause of the err_connection_refused error.

7. 404 page not found error

If you see the 404 page not found error when you try to install and configure WordPress on localhost, it means that the requested page can’t be found on the web server. Typically, this indicates that another program is on the port (port 80).

Fortunately, you can clear the error by changing the port number. To do this, see Error 13: XAMPP Apache shutdown unexpectedly. 

If you’ve already tried this solution, and you’re still seeing the 404 page not found error, the problem may be that you’re not adding the port number to every URL that you type in the browser. For example, you might need to enter: http://localhost:8080 instead of just http://localhost.

8. WordPress localhost asking for FTP credentials

Another common issue with WordPress localhost is that your site might start asking for your FTP credentials. Typically, this occurs when you try to run an update or install a new theme or plugin.

It’s generally the result of WordPress having insufficient permissions. Therefore, you can try changing the permissions. To do this, see Error 1: Installation failed. 

You can also try to force WordPress to use the direct PHP method for updates (rather than using FTP). You can do this through your wp-config.php file, using SFTP. 

Once you’ve opened the wp-config.php file, add the following line of code: 

define(‘FS_METHOD’,’direct’);

Make sure to save your changes. Then, head back to WordPress to see if the error has cleared. 

9. Images not showing

Whether you’re using WordPress on localhost or a live WordPress site, you might encounter an error that prevents images from showing. This means that the path toward the images is broken. 

The first step is to check that your WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) match. All you need to do is go to your WordPress dashboard and click on Settings → General.

Then, check to see whether the name of the folder where your images are stored is added to the URL. This folder might be named uploads or images.

Now, navigate to Settings → Permalinks.

Here, you can select Post name for the permalink structure. Then, save the changes and see whether your images are now showing. 

10. WordPress localhost is very slow

Your WordPress localhost website may be slow if you have too many plugins or poor code on your site. Therefore, it’s a good idea to make sure you only have the resources you need. 

Slow websites and poor code can leave your website more susceptible to security threats. The best way to stay ahead of these issues is to use a plugin like Jetpack Protect. 

Once installed, you’ll get access to automated security and malware scans to keep your website safe. Better yet, the plugin can pick up vulnerabilities in the core software and any plugins and themes on your site. 

If you want even more protection, check out the Security bundle available with Jetpack. It comes with all the benefits of Jetpack Protect, plus real-time backups and additional features. 

If WordPress localhost is running very slow, you can also try using the raw IP address for localhost. This can be effective as some systems (like Windows) don’t directly support the type of connection that MySQL uses when localhost is specified.

To get started, you’ll need to access your wp-config.php file. Here, make sure DB_HOST is not set to localhost. 

Instead, change it to define(‘DB_HOST’,’127.0.0.1’);

Then, save the changes and return to your site to see if the problem has been resolved. 

11. XAMPP maximum PHP execution time exceeded

The “XAMPP maximum PHP execution time exceeded” error is quite easy to fix. You’ll just need to edit a line of code in one of the XAMPP configuration files.

Open the XAMPP control panel and click on the Config button next to Apache. In the dropdown list, choose the option for PHP (php.ini).

This will open the php.ini file where you can search for the following line: 

Max_execution_time

The value should be set to 120. To clear the error, you can increase the value.You might try doubling it to 240. 

12. XAMPP maximum file size exceeded

Another common XAMPP localhost issue is the “XAMPP maximum file size exceeded” error. You might see this error when you try to upload a file to the local WordPress site that you created with XAMPP. 

Again, you’ll need to find the php.ini file within your XAMPP configuration file. But this time, search for the following line: upload_max_filesize 

Typically, this is set to 40M. To resolve the error, you can try increasing this value. It’s also important to note that when you edit the php.ini file, you’ll also want to make the same change to the post_max_size number.

13. XAMPP Apache shutdown unexpectedly

When you see the “XAMPP Apache shutdown unexpectedly” error, the likelihood is that something has gone wrong with Apache, causing it to crash. Apache is the web server that XAMPP relies on, so this error will mean that your local site will also stop working.

This error suggests that another program might be using the same port as XAMPP. Since ports only support one program at a time, Apache will stop working. 

Skype is one program that uses the same default port as XAMPP. The good news is that the error is easy to fix as long as you have access to your XAMPP dashboard. 

First, you’ll need to launch XAMPP. Then, go to Apache → Config. Here, choose the option Apache (httpd:conf).

The default port for XAMPP is 80 (this is used for most HTTP programs), so you can redirect Apache to port 8080. In the Apache file, press Ctrl + F and enter “80” to search for every instance of 80.

Then, change the following values:

• Port 80 to Port 8080
• Listen 80 to Listen 8080
• Change servername localhost: 80 to servername localhost: 8080

Now, go back to your XAMPP control panel and revisit Apache → Config. This time, select the file Apache (httpd-ssl.conf). 

Open the file and press Ctrl + F to search for 443. Port 443 is typically used for secure web transactions, but Apache also needs it. 

In this file, you need to change two instances of 443:

• Listen 443 to Listen 4433
• <VirtuaHost_default_:443> to <VirtualHost_default_:4433>

Then, restart Apache by clicking on the Stop and Start buttons in XAMPP.

14. XAMPP 403 access forbidden error

The final WordPress localhost issue to discuss is the XAMPP 403 access forbidden error. Typically, this occurs when you try to access your database using phpMyAdmin. 

One of the most common causes of the 403 forbidden error is a misconfiguration in one of the XAMPP configuration files. So, to resolve the issue, you’ll need to open your XAMPP control panel. Then, click on Apache → Config.

From the dropdown list, select httpd-xampp.config file.

Once you’ve opened the file, look out for the following line of code that starts with: Alias/phpmyadmin

Within that code block, you should see a line that reads: Require local

Now, change that line to say: Require all granted

At this point, the 403 access forbidden error should clear, giving you access to phpMyAdmin.

Frequently asked questions about configuring WordPress on localhost

Although we’ve tried to cover the basics of how to install and configure WordPress on localhost, you might still have some questions. Let’s take a look at the most common ones. 

Is localhost a web server?

Localhost is the hostname or computer that runs the program. In this instance, the computer becomes the virtual server for your application. This virtual server is offline and stores your site data the same way that a web host’s server would if you were running a live website. 

Can someone access your localhost?

You can share your web server with someone else, but they’d need to have your IP address or your hostname. You can find this information on Windows with ipconfig/all on a command line.

WordPress localhost vs live server: what are the main differences?

Localhost is a virtual server that can be stored on your computer. Plus, it’s kept offline, so it isn’t accessible to the public. 

On the other hand, a live server generally requires a web host that stores your website’s data. Meanwhile, you’ll need to purchase a domain name. This way, anyone on the internet can find your site by typing the URL into the browser. 

What are the benefits of using localhost for WordPress development?

There are many benefits to using localhost for WordPress development. Since the website is kept offline, it creates a private space for you to test out functionality or experiment with new features. 

What’s more, any changes that you make in localhost will leave your live website completely unaffected. Therefore, you can experiment freely without worrying about things going wrong. Then, once you’ve verified that updates or plugins are working (and safe), you can easily push them to your live website. 

This enables you to preserve your UX. So, while you get creative in your local environment, people can still visit and interact with your live website.

How do you access WordPress on localhost?

To access WordPress on localhost, you’ll need to have a local server like XAMPP set up on your computer. Then, you can install the WordPress files. For full details, check out the tutorial above. 

Once you’ve successfully installed and configured WordPress on localhost, open a web browser and enter this address: http://localhost/filename.

In this case, “filename” refers to the directory of your local server where you installed WordPress. Here, you should see the WordPress login page where you can enter your username and password to access your site.

How do you log into WordPress on localhost?

You can log into WordPress on localhost in the same way that you’d log into a live WordPress website. All you need to do is enter the correct URL into the browser. 

Usually, it looks something like this: http://localhost/yoursitename. Then, add the login page suffix like /admin or wp-login.php at the end of the address. 

How do you reset a localhost WordPress password?

You can’t reset your localhost WordPress password by email (unless you’ve enabled the mail function on your server). This is because the mail function is turned off by default on local servers.

Therefore, to reset your password, you’ll need to open phpMyAdmin by typing the following URL: http://localhost/phpmyadmin. Then, you’ll need to provide your MySQL password and username. Generally, the username is “root” and no password. 

Then, select your WordPress database and find the wp-users table. Here, click on the Edit link next to the username of the administrator.

This opens a form where you can edit the information for that user.

Scroll down to user_pass and type a new password in the value column. Then, select MD5 in the Function column and click on Go to save your changes.

Can you send an email from WordPress on localhost?

By default, the mail function is disabled in localhost, so you can’t send an email from WordPress. But you can enable emails by installing a plugin like WP Mail SMTP.

In this instance, the plugin will take over the default email delivery function and route emails through an SMTP provider. You’ll need to choose an SMTP provider like Sendinblue, which works particularly well for WordPress websites. Then, you can follow the installation wizard in the WP Mail SMTP to set this up successfully.  

Can you access WordPress localhost from another computer?

Yes, you can access WordPress localhost from another computer, but you’ll need the local IP address and the port number. So, instead of simply entering the website’s address, it will look something like this: http://192.168.0.4:80/wordpress.&nbsp;

Is XAMPP safe?

Yes. XAMPP is open-source, free, and safe to use as a local server for your WordPress website. 

Does XAMPP install PHP?

XAMPP is one of the most popular PHP development environments. It’s an Apache distribution containing PHP, Pearl, and MariaDB so yes, it does install PHP. But you’ll still need to install WordPress separately to set up WordPress on localhost. 

Can you run multiple local WordPress sites under XAMPP?

Multisite is a network of more than one website that operates off the same WordPress installation. Even if you run your website on a local computer under XAMPP, you can install WordPress Multisite. 

You’ll need to have a standard WordPress installation running first. Then, you can add more sites under a subdomain or a subdirectory. 

Localhost: A powerful tool for WordPress developers

WordPress on localhost is a great tool for designers and developers since it enables you to create a safe, private environment to test out new features and functionality. Better yet, the live website will still be available for visitors and remains completely unaffected by the changes you make in the local environment. 

What’s more, it’s simple to install and configure WordPress on localhost when you use software like XAMPP. Once you’ve installed XAMPP, you can run the necessary modules and then download the latest version of WordPress. Then, you’re ready to add the WordPress files and create your database. 

For most developers, it’s also important to find a reliable backup plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup so that it’s easy to restore your website in case anything goes wrong. Plus, you can use Jetpack Protect to access a powerful security and malware scanner.

Another useful tool is the Jetpack Agency Program.

This is an all-in-one platform that enables you to manage site security, plugins, and licenses. Additionally, you can get your very own Jetpack partner manager to help you grow your business. Meanwhile, you can access your websites from any location using the user-friendly mobile app. 

Get started with localhost for WordPress 

WordPress on localhost is an ideal solution for designers and developers to experiment with new software. It’s also handy for new website owners who want to build their websites offline. While it’s slightly more complex, you can install and configure WordPress on localhost fairly easily.

To recap, here are five steps to install and configure WordPress on localhost:

1. Download XAMPP.
2. Run the modules.
3. Add the WordPress files.
4. Create your database.
5. Complete the WordPress installation.

Jetpack for Agencies is another useful development tool. You can monitor every action on your site with an activity log, access your websites from the mobile app, and get your own Jetpack partner manager. Get started today!

If you currently run a WordPress website or are considering building one, you’ve probably heard of the block editor. This powerful tool is built into WordPress core, giving website owners and developers the ability to build their entire site from the ground up without needing to use code.

But there’s a lot more to uncover about the block editor! Let’s take a look at what it is, the pros and cons, and how to use it.

What is the block editor?

The block editor is a revolutionary website editor that was released as part of WordPress Version 5.0, replacing the Classic Editor. It enables beginners and advanced users alike to build pages, templates, and entire websites by dragging and dropping elements into place — no code required!

Each element is called a block, and can be anything from paragraphs or images to columns, pricing tables, social media feeds, and more. To design a page, post, or other website section, a user simply has to drag and drop blocks into place, then style each one using a straightforward settings panel.

It’s more than just a standard page editor. Website owners and developers can use blocks to customize headers, footers, sidebars, archive pages, checkout and cart pages, and more. It truly makes website design accessible to everyone.

Before we dive in, let’s define a few terms:

• Blocks. Individual elements that can be added to content. E.g. images, paragraphs, headings, videos, columns, and more.
• Block patterns. Groups of pre-selected blocks that you can use to build entire sections of content. E.g. banners, post designs, column layouts, and more.
• Templates. Essentially, frameworks that define the design and layout of specific types of content. Posts, products, and category pages are all examples of content that have their own templates.
• Template parts. A part of your site that appears on most or all of your pages. E.g. headers, footers, and comments.
• Site Editor. A WordPress tool that brings block functionality to additional areas of your site, including templates and template parts. You must have a block theme installed to use the Site Editor.

Pros and cons of the block editor

Like with everything, the block editor has advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look.

Pros of the block editor

1. It helps you be faster and more efficient

The block editor is incredibly powerful, and has lots of built-in features specifically designed to improve your workflow. Here are some features of the block editor that make designing, publishing, and editing much faster:

• Reusable blocks. You can save a block and use it over and over on your website. Then, when you edit that block, it will update across all instances. For example, you might create a call to action that you can insert on all of your landing pages as you build them. And if you need to change the button link, it will be updated across all pages.
• Block patterns. Block patterns are predefined groups of blocks that are available by default in WordPress or through third-party plugins. They allow you to quickly insert entire sections of pages at once, like headers and multi-column layouts. You can just add these into a page, customize the colors, and you’re good to go!
• Keyboard shortcuts. These allow you to keep your hands on the keyboard the entire time you’re adding and editing content on your site. Navigate through different blocks, save changes, insert blocks, style text, and more.
• Easy blog post creation. You can drag and drop content directly into the block editor, and it will automatically convert it to appropriate blocks. This can save you a tremendous amount of time! For example, if you write a post in Google Docs, you can paste it into WordPress in its entirety, and it will keep headers, images, links, and more. There’s no need to individually add graphics and other elements!
• Set styles globally. Set colors, fonts, spacing, and other design specifications that apply to blocks throughout your site (if using a block theme). This keeps you from having to individually edit each page and makes things easier on team members or clients who add content to your site.

2. It enables beginners to create complex, beautiful sites without writing code

The block-based interface of the block editor makes it accessible for any type of user, including complete beginners. Like with anything, there’s a small learning curve, but you can take advantage of helpful WordPress documentation and tutorials to get the hang of things.

Then you can use the block editor to drag elements into place, making design choices like color and spacing with a simple settings panel. There’s no need to edit code or even use shortcodes that can quickly get complicated. 

And you can take things even further, applying that same concept to your header, footer, sidebar, and page templates. This means that even beginners can fully customize all aspects of their site — checkout pages, search pages, archive pages, and more. 

Block patterns are another great feature for beginners. These are set groups of blocks that you can quickly add to build entire sections of a page, like pricing tables, hero sections, and image galleries.

3. It allows for true full-site customization

Unlike many other solutions, the WordPress block editor truly lets you customize every aspect of your site using its features. Go beyond page and post designs! Here are just a few site elements that you can build with blocks:

• Headers
• Footers
• Search results pages
• Archives (like post and product categories)
• 404 pages
• Blog post templates
• Product templates
• Comment sections

This is a huge opportunity to build a website that truly stands out with design and functionality that meets your specific needs. For example, you could modify the product template to include a video of your product in action, a size chart, or an allergen notice that appears across all items in your store. Or you could add a call to action that is automatically added to the bottom of all of your blog posts. The possibilities are endless!

4. It improves website performance

Using the block editor can improve the speed and performance of your site as well. Not only does it enable you to skip heavy page builders, it also reduces the number of plugins you need to install to access certain functionality. For instance, instead of installing a plugin for image galleries, you can simply insert a Gallery block into your page and style it however you see fit.

Plus, the code output from the block editor is lighter and cleaner than that of page builder plugins. That means that when the same page design is made with the block editor instead of a page builder, the page should load faster by default.

5. There are lots of integrations with third-party plugins

Because the block editor is included with WordPress by default, it works with popular themes and plugins. This also means that third-party developers typically adapt their solutions to work with the block editor. 

There are lots of great plugins that add blocks and block patterns to your library. For example, Jetpack includes blocks for forms, payments, social media feeds, email captures, and more. 

WooCommerce adds blocks for displaying products, reviews, filters, and just about anything you could need to create an effective ecommerce store.

6. It’s constantly improving

The best is yet to come! There’s a team of developers and volunteers who constantly work to release new features and improvements, also ensuring that WordPress is secure and accessible. 

Stay up to date on the latest here.

Cons of the block editor

Of course, the block editor may not be the right solution for every single website. Here are a few downsides:

1. You may need to switch themes or rebuild portions of your existing site

Many page builders and themes support the block editor and make it simple for you to switch to the block editor. However, that’s not always the case. It’s possible that you’ll need to rebuild portions of your site to move to a fully block-based system.

If you want to take advantage of the Site Editor, you’ll also need to use a block theme. That means that, if you’re not using a block theme currently, you’ll need to switch to a new theme. Depending on your situation, this can require quite a bit of work. However, in the majority of cases, it’s well worth it!

2. There may be a learning curve

Any new technology comes with a bit of a learning curve, no matter your experience level. So if you intend to build a new site with the block editor or convert your existing site to blocks, you’ll want to schedule time to learn the system. 

Thankfully, there are lots of great resources available to help, including:

• Learn WordPress: Chock full of tutorials and courses that walk you through all the details of the block editor
• The block editor documentation: A support guide with instructions and images
• WordPress playground: A free, blank site where you can play around with the block editor and get the hang of things before making major changes to your live site

How to access and use the block editor

Now that you understand a little more about the block editor, it’s time to jump in and learn how to use it.

The block editor interface

Let’s start by introducing the components of the block editor. This is what you’ll see when you build a page, post, or other site element. We’ve identified some major components in the following image, which we’ll discuss shortly:

Here’s a breakdown of these elements:

• Block Inserter: This is where you’ll select and add blocks. You can see a list of available blocks and patterns, organized by block type, and drag them directly from this panel. Open and close the Block Inserter using the button at the top left.
• Blocks: This tab shows all available blocks.
• Patterns: This tab shows all available block patterns.
• Block search bar: Use this to search for a specific block or pattern.
• Tools: This button provides different interactions for selecting, navigating, and editing blocks.
• Undo/Redo: Undo an action taken in the block editor, or redo that same action.
• Details: This provides information about the page or post, like number of words and characters, time to read, and number of paragraphs, headings, and blocks.
• List View: A tool that helps you navigate blocks and content. View all the blocks on the page, move them around, and switch back and forth quickly and easily.
• Settings panel: Access settings for the page/post or each individual block. This is where you’ll make changes to design elements like spacing, colors, and more.
• Additional options: Change your view type, switch to the code editor to edit in HTML, and customize other aspects of your block editor experience.
• Add new block: Click this icon to add a new block based on the icon’s location on the page.

Using blocks

Now that you know a bit about where important elements lie in the block editor, we’ll show you how to add and edit blocks. In this tutorial, we’ll be creating a blog post. The concepts will be similar whether you’re working on a post, page, or other elements of your site.

In this case, you’ll go to Posts → Add New in your WordPress dashboard. This will automatically open up the block editor for a new post. Start by adding a title at the top of the post.

Then, click the blue + icon in the top-left corner to open the Block Inserter. Here, you’ll see a list of available blocks. These are categorized by type, but you can also use the search bar to look for a specific one. If you hover over a block, it will provide more information and show a preview of what that block will look like in action.

Let’s start by adding a Paragraph block. You can either find it in the Block Inserter and drag it into the main content area on the right or just start typing where it says, “Type / to choose a block.” 

When you place your cursor inside your text, a new menu will appear above it with styling options. From left to right, these are:

• Paragraph: Click on this to convert the block into a different block type. For example, you could transform it into a heading.
• Drag: Move the block wherever you’d like in relation to the other blocks on the page.
• Move up/down: Move the block up or down one space on the page.
• Align: Left, center, or right align the text.
• Bold: Bold any text you select within the paragraph.
• Italic: Italicize any text you select within the paragraph.
• Link: Turn any text you select into a link.
• More: See additional options to highlight or strike-through text, turn a number into subscript, and more.
• Options: Access additional capabilities, like making the block reusable, duplicating it, locking it, and more.  

Make whatever adjustments you’d like to the text within the paragraph. Then, select anywhere within the block and click on the icon at the top right. This will open the Settings panel.

You’ll see tabs for both Post and Block at the top of this panel. For now, let’s focus on the Block tab. This panel shows options that are specific to the block you’ve selected — in this case, the Paragraph block. 

In the Color section, you can set a color for your text, background, and links, just for that paragraph. You can even create your own gradient if you’d like. For example, you might make a paragraph stand out from the rest of the post by using a deep green background and white text.

In the Typography section, you can set font options. While size appears by default, you can click the three vertical dots to unlock more choices, like font family and letter spacing. In this example, we decided to change the text to a serif font and add more space between the lines of text (called line height). 

Under Dimensions, you can adjust the padding and margins around the text, adding or reducing the space as needed. 

And under Advanced, you can add an HTML anchor, so you can link to the section at another point in the post, or set a CSS class for styling purposes.

Now that our paragraph block looks how we’d like, let’s add two columns to our post — one with an image and another with a second paragraph. Add a Columns block to your page, then select the column layout that you’d like. We’ll go with 33/66 this time, which is a â…“, â…” split. 

You’ll see that you can select each column individually to style it and add blocks. 

To the left column, click the + icon and select an Image block.

Here, you can upload an image from your device, select an existing one from the Media Library, or insert one from a URL. We decided to add a picture of a black forest cake from the Media Library. When you click on the Image block, you’ll see a new Settings bar appear, just like with the Paragraph block, but with slightly different options. For example, you’ll get choices to crop the image, add text on top of it, apply a filter, and more.

If you click the icon at the top right, you’ll see the settings panel for the Image block. There, you can add alt text, create rounded corners, change the image size, add a border, and more. Here, we’ve rounded the image corners with a radius of 22 px.

We then added another Paragraph block to the right, ⅔ column. Notice that you can select either each individual column to edit or the entire two-column block. When both columns are selected, they’ll be outlined in blue.

This enables you to make decisions for both columns at once using the toolbar that appears. Here, we set the vertical alignment to “Align middle” so the text and image are lined up.

And that’s it! You can keep building out the post as much as you’d like, choosing from a wide array of available blocks. Each one will come with its own settings and options — feel free to play around with these until you get the exact look you’re going for.

Before you publish the post, you probably want to preview it to see how it looks on the front-end of your site. Click the Preview button at the top right, followed by Preview in a new tab. This will give you an even more accurate idea of how the post looks when you publish it.

If you’re ready, you can now click Publish to make the post live!

Using block patterns

As a reminder, patterns are pre-built page segments that make building a post or page quick and easy. Let’s go back to the post we built in the previous section and explore how to add a pattern.

You’re going to click the blue + icon at the top left again to open the Block Inserter. But this time, click on the Patterns tab. By default, this will open a list of featured patterns.

You can use the dropdown that is currently set to Featured, and choose other pattern categories, like Buttons, Columns, and WooCommerce. Or you can use the Search bar at the top to look for a specific pattern. 

In this case, let’s select Gallery and drag the pattern titled Offset images with descriptions into our post. This will add a neat image feature to the content.

You’ll see that the pattern is composed of several blocks: two Image blocks, two Paragraph blocks, and a Spacer block. Just as we did earlier, you can edit each block individually or edit the pattern as a whole. You can either edit all the pattern details to truly make it your own, or you can just switch out the images and text with your own content.

Start by selecting one of the images. Then click Replace. Here, you can choose between uploading an image or picking from the Media Library. Once you’ve added your image, do the same with the other placeholder.

Then, click on one of the Paragraph blocks and replace the text with your own. You can make changes as you’d like, just as you did with the Paragraph block earlier.

And that’s it! You now have a beautiful page section that only took you a few minutes to create. 

Using templates and template parts

Again, templates are frameworks that define the layout and design for types of content like posts, product pages, and archives. Template parts are reusable, global elements like headers and footers. You can edit both of these using the Site Editor.

To use the Site Editor, you must have a block theme active on your site. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Editor. This will open up the Site Editor. On the left-hand side, you’ll see a sidebar with options for Templates and Template Parts. Click on Templates. Here, you’ll see a list of all the templates on your site, which will vary based on the specific theme you’re using.

In this example, we’ve selected the Single template, which is the template for individual blog posts. You’ll see that a few blocks already exist on this page, including:

• Featured image
• Post title
• Post content
• Post meta
• Comments

You can make changes to these existing blocks however you see fit. We added a light green background behind the post title, made the title full width, changed the font of the post content, and removed the margin between the featured image and title. You can see what a post will look like with these changes made:

You can also add new blocks to your templates. Since we’re working with the Single template, let’s add a call to action that will automatically appear at the bottom of all of our blog posts. This will end up saving a lot of time because you won’t have to add the CTA to every single post individually.

Let’s add the “Simple call to action” block pattern to our template.

Now, we’ll just customize the CTA text so that it fits our needs. We’ll also update the design of the button, which you can do by clicking on the Button block, followed by the gear icon at the top right. There, you can edit settings like color, typography, padding, and more. You can change the button text and link by clicking directly on the button text and using the toolbar that appears.

Take a look at the changes we made:

Click Save at the top right to update your template. Now, you’ll see that the CTA is at the bottom of each of your blog posts.

Now, let’s go back to the Site Editor and look at editing Template Parts. Go to Appearance → Editor and choose Template Parts.

Here, you’ll see a list of template parts that you can edit. Remember, these are global elements and any changes that you make will be reflected across your whole site. Let’s click on Header to edit that template part.

You’ll see the header, and the current blocks that live there. In this case, there’s the Site Title block and the Navigation block. 

You can make changes to the existing blocks just as you did with the block editor earlier in this article. Simply click on one to edit it, using either the menu that appears above the block or the Settings panel on the right-hand side. 

Let’s add a search bar to the main menu. If you click on the Navigation block, the same toolbar will appear that you’ve seen throughout this article. But you’ll also see a black + icon to the right of the last menu item. Click that to add a new link or block to your menu. We added the Search block, but you could also include a custom button, a new link, social media icons — whatever fits your needs.

Then, using the Settings panels you’re already familiar with, style it however you’d like. We added placeholder text and changed the button color.

You can also select the entire header and style it, using the Settings panel on the right to change the background color, typography, padding, and more. Imagine all the ways you can apply these techniques across your site!

10 advanced tips to get the most out of the block editor

Now that you know the basics, let’s take a look at some tips for getting the most out of the block editor.

1.  Take advantage of keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are a very handy way to speed up the editing and page building process because you don’t have to lift your fingers off the keys. With a little practice, you can become quite fast!

There are lots of great shortcuts that you can explore, but we’ve listed just a few below. Keep in mind that these will vary based on the device you’re using. For these examples, we’re listing the shortcuts for Windows computers:

• Show or hide the Settings panel: Ctrl + Shift + ,
• Navigate to the next part of the Editor: Ctrl + `
• Save changes: Ctrl + S
• Undo a change: Ctrl + Z
• Duplicate a selected block: Ctrl + Shift + D
• Insert a new block before a selected block: Ctrl + Alt + T
• Move a selected block up: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + T

See the full list of keyboard shortcuts, including those for different operating systems, in the WordPress documentation.

2. Set styles for your site and blocks

If you have a website with multiple users or are a developer who hands off the site to a client, global styles can be incredibly powerful. You can use these to set predefined color palettes and block styles that are available for users. This helps your website stay on brand, no matter who’s working on it.

To access and set style variations, go to Appearance → Editor and click the Styles icon at the top right. 

Note that any changes made here will apply to the entire site, so edit carefully! Click Browse styles to see a list of pre-built options. You can toggle through these and instantly preview how your site will look on the left-hand side.

Or, if you navigate back to the Styles panel, you can set typography, colors, and layout options. For example, click Typography, and you’ll see choices for text, links, headings, and buttons. We selected Headings and changed the font, font weight, and letter case.

Back in the Styles panel, you’ll also find a Blocks option. Open this, and there will be a list of the blocks on your site. In this example, we’ll open the Button block. The options available will vary a bit based on the block you selected, but for this one, you can edit typography, colors, and layout. Click on Colors and you can set the default colors for buttons across your site.

Or, you can click on Palette to define the color options that users will see when adding buttons to pages and posts. We chose to add custom colors to the Button block.

Now, when someone adds a button to your site, they can choose from the custom colors that you set.

3. Create reusable blocks

Reusable blocks are great because you can save them, then use them anywhere you’d like on your site. And when you make design changes to one, it will update everywhere. This is perfect for calls to action that you might use often or similar situations. In this example, we’ll create a Top-Rated Products block that we can use to promote popular products wherever we’d like on the site.

Let’s start by adding it to our page and styling it.

Once you’re done, click on the block, then select the three vertical dots in the toolbar that appears on top of the block. Then, choose Create reusable block.

This will prompt you to create a name for your block, then save it to your library. Then, when you’re working on another page or post, you’ll see a new Reusable tab in the Block Inserter. This will show all of your reusable blocks and allow you to add them into your content at any point.

If you click the link there that says Manage Reusable blocks, you can see a full list of your reusable blocks, and edit, add, or rename them.

4. Use the code editor

If you’re a developer or have some coding experience, you might want to be able to quickly apply precise changes to an individual page or post. All you need to do to access the code editor is open up the page or post you’re working on and click the three vertical dots at the top right. Then, choose Code Editor.

Now, you’ll see all the content on the page in HTML form. You can edit this code and make changes however you see fit, and switch back and forth between the two editors.

Remember, though, that editing code can be dangerous and could even break your site. Make sure you back up your WordPress site before making major code changes.

5. Make the most of List View

List View is a neat feature that helps you quickly and easily navigate between blocks while you’re working. To access this tool, click the three vertical lines at the top right of the block editor. There, you’ll see a list of all the blocks that make up your page or post.

If you see an arrow to the left of a block, you can click and expand that item to see all the blocks nested underneath. For example, the Gallery block has three Image blocks inside.

This is an excellent way to get an overview of all the elements that make up your page or post. You can also drag a block inside of List View to quickly move it around without having to scroll up and down the page. And if you click on a block, you’ll automatically be taken to it inside the Editor, which is particularly helpful if you have a lot of content.

If you click the three vertical dots that appear to the right when you hover over a block, you’ll get even more options. You can copy or duplicate the block, insert a block before or after the one you’ve selected, move, remove, or lock the block, or group multiple blocks together.

Learn more about the powerful List View.

6. Add more blocks and patterns to your library

While WordPress comes with a lot of great blocks and patterns by default, there may be times that you need some extra options. There are a few ways you can do this:

The first way is through your theme. Many block themes include their own templates, block patterns, and blocks that are available to you upon installation. For example, the Wabi theme includes patterns for subscribe forms, projects, and headlines. And Bricksy has dozens of ready-to-use patterns that make building layouts quick and easy.

Certain plugins may also add blocks and patterns to your library. For example, WooCommerce introduces blocks for displaying products and filters, showing the cart, adding reviews, and more. Jetpack introduces a huge volume of blocks that cover everything from calendars and forms to social media feeds and payment options. And Sensei LMS adds blocks for things like quiz questions and image hotspots.

There are also plugins available that were specifically designed to add blocks to your library. Here are some examples:

• Ultimate Blocks: Content filters, reviews, countdowns, sliders, and more
• Otter Blocks: Accordions, tabs, maps, pricing sections, and more
• CoBlocks: FAQs, events, media cards, social sharing options, and more
• Kadence Blocks: Icons, info boxes, table of contents, advanced row options, and more

7. Easily add content from Google Docs or your computer

If you often write content in Google Docs, or work with someone who does, the block editor will be a huge timesaver for you. Instead of having to individually copy and paste each paragraph, image, link, etc. you can just paste the entire Google Doc into the block editor. WordPress will automatically convert the document into the correct blocks.

If you don’t use Google Docs, you can still easily add content like media to the block editor. Just drag and drop an image directly from your computer into the editor and WordPress will convert it to an Image block.

8. Set up Query Loops

The Query Loop block is a special tool that enables you to display lists of posts based on a specific set of attributes that you define. For example, you could display a grid of products grouped by price. Or you could list companies by location in a business directory. The possibilities are pretty endless.

All you have to do is search for the Query Loop block in the Block Inserter, then add it into your page or post. You’ll then see two options: Choose and Start Blank.

While you can certainly create your own query loop from scratch, for this example, we’ll select Choose. We went with a simple list style feed, then clicked the gear icon in the top right to open the Query Loop block settings.

Toggle Inherit query from template to display further customization options. There, you can choose a post type to display (posts, products, etc.), set an order, and decide whether to include sticky posts. If you click the + next to Filters, you can add options for narrowing down the content display, such as categories, authors, and keywords. This allows you to create a truly custom list.

Read our full guide to the Query Loop Block.

 9. Utilize the theme.json file

The theme.json file takes the concept of global styles that we discussed earlier one step further. If you’re a developer, this gives you a huge level of control over blocks and user preferences. You can find this file inside your theme directory, which you’ll want to access via file transfer protocol (FTP) or through your host’s cPanel. 

Here are a few ways you can use the theme.json file:

• Create a default color palette 
• Configure custom font sizes
• Remove the option for custom colors in the block editor
• Enable or disable the controls and options that are available to users for blocks

As you can see, you can use this file to make it easier for users or clients to utilize their site within the boundaries of a brand or style. Instead of being overwhelmed by options, they can see just the controls that they need.

Learn more about the theme.json file and see code examples.

10. Lock blocks for consistency and protection

If you have multiple users on your site, you may want to lock certain blocks that you don’t want edited or moved. Or, this may simply keep you from accidentally making changes yourself! Either way, this is a helpful, easy-to-use feature of the block editor.

All you have to do is select the block, then choose three vertical dots at the right of the toolbar that appears. In the new dropdown menu, select Lock.

A new menu will appear that allows you to either disable movement, prevent removal, or both. Configure these settings and click Apply. 

When you save your page, this block will be locked!

The core list of blocks

We’ve talked a bit about how to add blocks to your library. But which blocks are available by default? Let’s take a look.

Text blocks:

• Paragraph: Add standard, text-based paragraphs
• List: Create bulleted or numbered lists
• Heading: Separate your content with headings
• Table: Add a table with multiple columns and rows
• Quote: Highlight sections of text and add attribution
• Classic: Use the Classic Editor in block form
• Code: Include formatted code on your site
• Preformatted: Add text that’s displayed exactly how you type it
• Pull quote: Emphasize text in a more styled way than the Quote block
• Verse: Write and style poetry on your site

Media blocks:

• Image: Include images in your content
• Gallery: Create beautiful galleries of images
• Audio: Embed audio files into your content
• Cover: Add content blocks on top of a visual background
• File: Link to downloadable files
• Media & Text: Place media beside a block of text
• Video: Embed a video into your content

Design blocks:

• Buttons: Add one or more calls to action in button form
• Columns: Create visual columns and insert blocks inside each one
• Group: Group blocks together and customize them as you see fit
• Row: Arrange blocks side by side
• Stack: Arrange blocks on top of one another
• More: Display a “read more” link on archive pages
• Page Break: Add pagination to pages or posts
• Separator: Add a line between two blocks for visual separation
• Spacer: Include blank space between blocks

Widgets blocks:

• Archives: Display a date-based archive of your posts
• Calendar: Show your posts in calendar format
• Categories: List posts by category
• Custom HTML: Insert HTML code into your page or post
• Latest Comments: Show your most recent comments from readers
• Latest Posts: Display your most recent blog posts
• Page List: List all of your published pages
• RSS: Show content from any site’s RSS feed on your own
• Search: Add a search feature anywhere on your site
• Shortcode: Add WordPress shortcodes into your content
• Social Icons: Link to your social media profiles
• Tag Cloud: Add a tag cloud to your site

Theme blocks:

• Navigation: Edit your site’s navigation menu
• Site Logo: Add your logo to your site
• Site Title: Display your site name
• Site Tagline: Display your site tagline
• Query Loop: Show posts based on specific parameters
• Posts List: Display posts using integrated patterns
• Avatar: Include a user’s avatar
• Post Navigation Link: Display links to next and previous posts
• Comments: Show post comments 
• Post Comments Form: Display the comment form
• Login/out: Enable users to click and either log in or out
• Term Description: Show the description of a taxonomy on its archive page
• Archive Title: Show the taxonomy name on its archive page
• Search Results Title: Display a title above search results
• Template Part: Add template parts to your pages and posts

The WordPress block editor also includes dozens of embed blocks that allow you to easily embed social media feeds, videos, podcasts, music, and more from third-party platforms. See the full list, along with more details about all the default blocks, from the WordPress documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Still have questions? Let’s answer some common ones below.

Is the block editor free on WordPress?

Yes! Since the block editor is included with WordPress installations by default, and WordPress itself is free, then the block editor is also completely free.

Does WordPress come with the block editor by default?

Yes, all WordPress installations include the block editor automatically.

Does the WooCommerce product editor use the block editor?

At this time, the WooCommerce product editor does not use the block editor. However, WooCommerce does include a set of blocks that you can use within your posts, pages, and other content. You can also use the Site Editor to customize the WooCommerce product template, archive pages, search results, and more.

Does the bock editor have an HTML editor?

Yes, the block editor does have an HTML editor. To access it, simply open the page or post you’re editing and click the three vertical dots at the top right. Then, select Code Editor. You’ll now see the page content as HTML code and can make edits accordingly.

How does the block editor compare to the classic TinyMCE editor?

Prior to the release of the block editor, WordPress used a TinyMCE editor, also known as the Classic Editor. But the block editor was built and designed to be more powerful and easier to use than the previous solution. 

It’s a much more visual editor than TinyMCE, allowing beginners and developers alike to build beautiful, complex pages and posts. It also opens up the ability to design and customize elements like headers, footers, and templates without any code at all.

How does the WordPress block editor compare to page builders?

There are many benefits of using the block editor rather than a WordPress page builder. To begin with, the block editor is completely free, and included with WordPress by default. This means that you won’t have to install any additional plugins to use it, nor will you have to worry about compatibility issues with WordPress core or major plugins. 

Some page builders are tied into specific themes, so if you decide to switch, you’ll have to rebuild much, if not all, of your content. This isn’t the case with the block editor. As long as you’re using a theme that supports the block editor, your content will largely remain the same if you switch.

There are lots of extensions and plugins that expand the capabilities of the block editor, since it’s a core WordPress feature. Having these at the tip of your fingers allows you to truly create something unique.

Finally, a page built with the block editor should load faster than one built with a page builder. Its code output is lighter and cleaner, and it doesn’t require any plugins that take up space on your server and in your database. You can see more information in the Pros and Cons section of this article.

What is a permalink? It’s a simple concept, really. A permalink is the permanent URL link used to access a piece of content on the internet. These URLs are, well, permanent — and it’s vital that they’re rarely changed or adjusted.

This article will explain what permalinks are, how they work, how to change them if you really need to, and more. 

Specifically, we’ll talk about permalinks in the context of WordPress. Let’s go! 

Explaining permalinks in WordPress

A permalink in WordPress isn’t much different than a permalink elsewhere on the internet. From a technical perspective, the official WordPress website defines a permalink as, “the permanent URLs of your posts, pages, categories, and other archive pages on your website.”

In other words, if something exists on the internet created through the WordPress platform, it’s accessed by a WordPress permalink. But it’s not just the obvious pages like blog posts. It’s anything within the website’s structure — such as archive pages or category pages.

Let’s look at an example of permalinks in WordPress.

Say you create a website with WordPress and call it Jetpack (we think it’s a cool name). Here are some examples of permalinks for that site:

• The homepage may be located at the permalink of jetpack.com. 
• The blog may be found at jetpack.com/blog.
• A category page may have a permalink of jetpack.com/blog/category/performance

But, again, permalinks exist for every single piece of content on your website — not just specific areas. It’s a holistic concept. Everything has its own permalink: individual blog posts, landing pages, category pages, and whatever else is under the umbrella of your website.

The details of this structure depend wholly on how your site is built and mapped, and what this looks like in practice is determined by how your website is set up.

Why are WordPress permalinks important?

There are multiple reasons why permalinks in WordPress are important.

1. Site navigation and management

Think of your website as a big building, and the permalinks as the signs, doorways, and hallways that guide people to what they’re looking for. Permalinks help you manage your website links and keep information organized. Moreover, permalinks can help you track traffic and analyze user behavior, providing insights into who’s searching for your content and why. 

2. User experience and perception

Permalinks are also useful signals to visitors about the information they’re seeking. They help people anticipate what pages or posts will be about — similar to headings or subheadings — or understand where they are in the context of the site. 

Not to mention, a well-crafted permalink is much easier to remember, helping visitors share and return to your website. In a basic way, it’s like a sign that hangs in front of a physical store.

3. Search engine optimization (SEO)

From a technical perspective, WordPress permalinks broadcast to search engines what a post or page is about. A well-structured permalink that includes keywords can improve a website’s indexing and search ranking. 

This is vital for connecting with people who are searching for what your website provides, improving the overall ranking of your website.

What to do before changing your WordPress permalinks

The internet is constantly evolving. What works today may not work tomorrow. To keep up with and stay ahead of trends, websites regularly receive updates and redesigns. Sometimes, those changes mean a shift in permalinks.

If your website needs to make these types of changes, you must take the proper steps to ensure a smooth transition. 

Before you start the process of changing WordPress permalinks, make sure you review the following:

Back up your WordPress site 

It might be obvious, but backing up your WordPress website is the first thing you should do before changing any permalinks. Losing website data can cause a ton of stress, significantly impact your work or business, and cost you hours upon hours of time. And it could cost you a lot of money if you have to hire someone to help. You definitely want a backup in place.

Jetpack VaultPress Backup is a great WordPress plugin that can ensure you avoid the painful experience of losing data.

One of the most powerful features of Jetpack VaultPress Backup is that your site is saved in real time. That means that rather than daily or weekly backups that can leave gaps in an emergency, every single change and update you make is automatically copied. Plus, all backups are stored off-site, so if there’s ever a problem with your server, they’re safe and secure. And you can restore your website even if it’s completely down!

To use Jetpack VaultPress Backup, you can download the plugin. Or, if you’re using the Jetpack plugin to take advantage of multiple tools all at once, just purchase a VaultPress Backup plan or a bundle that includes it. 

Yes, it really is that easy.

Prepare to redirect broken links 

Broken links are not only bad for the user experience, but hurt your website’s overall SEO. So, after updating your permalinks, you’ll need to redirect each one of your impacted URLs.

Before getting started, make a list of all the pages, posts, and other content that will need to be updated. Then, familiarize yourself with the options available to redirect a URL:

1. Create a 301 redirect in the .htaccess file. 
2. Set up a permanent redirect in cPanel.
3. Use a plugin like Redirection to create your redirects.

Remember, you’ll want to actually create the redirects after updating your permalinks. For now, choose a method and familiarize yourself with the process.

How to change WordPress permalinks 

It’s essential to choose a permalink structure that’s easy to read and SEO-friendly. Here’s how to change permalinks in WordPress.

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard. 
2. Navigate to Settings → Permalinks.
3. Select the permalink structure you want to use. (See descriptions of the types of permalink structures below.) 
4. Click Save Changes to update the permalink settings.

How to change WooCommerce permalinks 

If you’re running a WooCommerce store, you’ll change the permalink structure for the majority of your content through the same process, documented above, as any other WordPress site. However, you’ll also have the ability to change permalinks for products, categories, and similar types of content. To modify these permalinks, you’ll do the following: 

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard. 
2. Navigate to Settings → Permalinks.
3. Scroll down to the section titled Product permalinks. 
4. Select the permalink structure you want to use. (See descriptions of the types of permalink structures below.) 
5. Click Save Changes to update the permalink settings.

Types of WordPress permalink structures

There are multiple types of WordPress permalink structures. Your choice should depend on your goals for the website.

• Plain: The default permalink generated by WordPress is known as Plain. This is the simplest but least SEO-friendly option. The Plain WordPress permalink uses numbers automatically generated by the platform and looks something like yourwebsite.com/?=123.

• Day and name: The Day and name WordPress permalink structure reflects the exact date of when the post was published and the title of the post. This is very useful for news organizations or other types of websites when the date is significant to the information. For example: yourwebsite.com/2023/03/01/blog-post-title.

• Month and name: Similar to the Day and name WordPress permalink structure, the Month and name permalink structure shows just the month and year when something was published. This is useful for timestamping information that isn’t required to be as specific as Day and name. For example: yourwebsite.com/2023/03/blog-post-title.

• Numeric: The Numeric permalink structure in WordPress uses the post ID number in the URL. It’s not advisable to use this permalink structure, as it’s not very SEO or user-friendly. Typically, you’d use this for content not focused on generating organic traffic, such as online databases. For example: yourwebsite.com/archives/12345.

• Post name: This permalink structure takes the blog post’s name and turns it into the URL, creating something like yourwebsite.com/blog-post-title. This is often the most recommended method, as it’s both SEO and user-friendly. The use of keywords and phrases in the framing of this permalink helps tell both search engines and users what the page is about. It’s also easier to remember or guess for someone looking to share or find the post.

• Custom structure: A custom permalink structure in WordPress gives you the opportunity to create your own structure that’s personalized to your exact needs.

The different types of WooCommerce permalink structures

WooCommerce is a popular ecommerce plugin for WordPress and has its own additional set of permalink structures specific to product URLs. Here are the types of WooCommerce permalink structures:

• Default: Default permalink structures are simple and what WordPress automatically generates for product URLs. This structure displays the product ID in the URL. Like the Plain permalink structure for WordPress, this is not SEO or user-friendly, as it doesn’t provide any information to search engines or visitors. For example: yourstore.com/?product=12345.

• Shop base: The shop base permalink structure takes the word “Shop” (or the custom name you give your shop page, if you choose to modify it) and includes it in the base of the URL. For example: yourstore.com/shop/product-name. 

• Shop base with category: The shop base with category permalink structure is similar to the shop base permalink structure but has more information. This structure includes categories so that the permalink will look something like yourstore.com/shop/category-name/product-name. 

• Custom base: The Custom base permalink structure is precisely what it sounds like — store owners can fully customize the URL. You can determine what is best for your needs, and build the URL structure around that.

Advanced: How to change WordPress permalinks in phpMyAdmin

Before we break this down, it’s important to stress that changing permalinks in phpMyAdmin is not recommended unless you are an advanced user experienced with database management. In all cases, make sure you have a backup of your website. 

If you’re not comfortable with this or any of these terms, we very much recommend using the WordPress dashboard for updating permalinks.

But, if you still want to modify permalinks in phpMyAdmin, these are the steps:

1. Log in to phpMyAdmin.
2. Find your WordPress database on the left-hand side. 
3. Select the wp_options table. 
4. There, find permalink_structure in the option_name column. 
5. Click Edit, and change the option_value field to your desired permalink.
6. Click Go.

Again, we highly recommend using the WordPress dashboard to change or update your permalinks. 

Frequently asked questions about WordPress permalinks

Are permalinks important for SEO?

Yes, permalinks play an important role in successful SEO. While only one of many factors, search engines use permalinks to better understand the content of individual pages and the structure of a website as a whole. 

A well thought-out permalink structure that uses relevant keywords can help both visitors and search engines understand why your site is relevant and should be valued.

Where are permalink settings located in WordPress?

Like all tools and services within the WordPress platform, finding your permalink settings is fairly easy. 

Log in to WordPress as the administrator. The permalink settings are located in the wp-admin dashboard under Settings → Permalinks. Here, you’ll be able to adjust or customize your permalink structures. There are several common options, such as Plain, Day and name, Month and name, Numeric, and Post name. Select your desired choice, and click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Don’t forget that changing permalink settings can alter the URLs of your current posts and pages. Before you decide to change your permalink structure settings, create a detailed plan that utilizes proper 301 redirects in order to prevent any issues or lost traffic. 

What is the default permalink structure in WordPress?

The default permalink structure in WordPress is the Plain structure, so it’s something like: http://www.yourwebsite.com/?p=123.

The above number is the ID WordPress automatically generates for the said page or post. But unfortunately, this type of structure gives Google or other search engines no information about the content of the page. Therefore, in the majority of cases, it’s best to go with another option.

Can you create a custom permalink structure in WordPress?

Yes, you can create a custom permalink structure in WordPress. By customizing a permalink, you can control the way your links look and highlight the most important information while improving SEO, making your links more trustworthy and clickable.

Will changing permalinks affect previously published posts?

Yes. Without proper preparation, changing WordPress permalinks runs the risk of breaking the connections between links and hurting the overall search rankings of a website. Any user who clicks on an old URL will end up seeing a 404 error.

But, if you plan ahead, strategize, and set up 301 redirects following your permalink change, you’ll avoid these risks. 

What should I do if I can’t change my WordPress permalinks?

There are a couple of things you can try if you’re having trouble changing the permalinks of your WordPress site.

First, try resetting your permalinks. Go to Settings → Permalinks on your WordPress dashboard. Without selecting anything, click Save. This sometimes can trigger a reset for any issues you might be having. 

If that doesn’t work, check for issues with plugins or themes. Deactivate each one by one, and check if your permalinks work. There might be something going on that you don’t realize, and this process might also reset it.

What is the difference between a permalink and a URL?

Permalinks and URLs are essentially interchangeable terms as they are both used to direct you to a specific place online. The term permalink is more often used when describing a specific, categorized ending added to a primary domain (yoursite.com) by a content management system. 

However, the permalink structure, in its entirety (yoursite.com/blog/what-is-a-permalink) is a URL. 

What is the difference between a permalink and a slug?

A permalink and a slug are connected to each other, and both are part of the URL of a website.

A permalink is the full URL to a specific piece of content. It consists of the domain name, directories (if applicable), and the slug. Meanwhile, the slug is the part of the permalink that follows the domain name, highlighting a particular page or post in a simple and easy-to-read form. It’s the part of the permalink that explains the page’s content.

In the following URL, /check-out-this-website is the slug:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/check-out-this-website

Understanding how permalinks work in WordPress

If you run a website built with WordPress, knowing how permalinks work within the platform is vital for continued success and growth. You want to use a system that makes it easy for both visitors and search engines to find and understand the content on individual pages and find their place within your website as a whole. 

If the publication dates of new posts are important, you might choose to use the Day and name structure. If you’re going to lump groups of similar products together within an online store, you may want to include categories as part of your permalink structure.  

No matter your choice, it’s best to not change the structure very frequently. So consider it carefully. If you do decide to make a chance, make sure you plan the update carefully and always have a backup of your WordPress site on hand. 

To optimize the performance, security, and growth of your WordPress site, check out Jetpack’s full suite of tools. 

PHP.ini is an important WordPress file that you can configure to extend your site’s functionality and improve its performance. Although the file is relatively easy to work with, you might not know how to locate and edit its settings.

Fortunately, this straightforward guide can help you easily locate your PHP.ini file in WordPress. Then, you’ll be able to edit and configure it to maximize your site’s performance.

Let’s take a closer look at PHP.ini and show you where to find it. Then, we’ll discuss three ways to edit it and boost your site’s performance. 

What is the PHP.ini file?

WordPress executes several programming languages in the browser, including CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. Additionally, it uses PHP to generate and serve those languages. 

In other words, PHP is the scripting language used by WordPress on the server side of operations. Through PHP, WordPress is able to display all of a website’s content, like blog posts, products, and more.

PHP.ini is the default configuration file for PHP on your WordPress site. You can change its default settings and run applications requiring the PHP scripting language. Overall, it’s a pretty important file when it comes to your site’s functionality and performance. 

When would editing the PHP.ini file be required?

Although PHP is essential to WordPress, it has pretty limited default configuration settings. Fortunately, thanks to PHP.ini, you can override the default values for the following settings:

• Maximum file size upload. Increasing this limit is ideal if you run a photography website or any other content-heavy site. Since videos and images tend to have large file sizes, editing this setting will enable you to upload heavier clips and photos.
• File timeouts. When a file takes too long to process, your website will return an error message and stop processing the request. You can increase the number of seconds allowed before your upload times out.
• Resource limits. You can increase the memory available to upload files and run commands. Plus, if you write long blog posts or add plenty of images to your site, you might increase the maximum post size to accommodate more data. 
• Maximum execution time. This setting determines the number of seconds a script is allowed to run before it gets terminated by the parser. As such, it helps prevent poorly-written scripts from draining your server.

Essentially, by editing these PHP configurations, you’re able to extend your site’s functionality and improve performance. Additionally, you might also want to edit PHP.ini in WordPress to enable or disable file extensions.

For example, a common error that you may see is “Your PHP is missing the MySQL extension.” In this instance, editing the PHP.ini file can enable the extension and clear the error message.

Can all WordPress site owners edit their PHP.ini files?

This depends on your server environment and system. Typically, it’s up to your WordPress hosting provider to allow access to the file. If PHP.ini is inaccessible, you may need to contact your host for support and see if they’ll help you edit it. 

Certain hosting types are less likely to give users access to the PHP.ini file. For instance, a shared hosting setup consists of multiple websites hosted on a single server. It’s a great way to reduce costs, but you won’t have root access to your server. 

By contrast, you’re more likely to have access to your PHP.ini file if you’ve signed up for a Virtual Private Server (VPS), dedicated server, or reseller hosting plan. In these setups, you’re not sharing resources with other sites, so you have more freedom to configure your website’s server. 

Fortunately, if you don’t have direct access to the PHP.ini file in WordPress, there are some useful workarounds that can achieve the same results. Let’s take a quick look at two of them:

1. Edit your .htaccess file

Editing PHP.ini can increase your site’s maximum execution time. But if you don’t have access to the file, you can also adjust this setting in .htaccess. 

First, you must access your website files via FTP or File Manager. Then, find the root directory of your site. This is usually labeled public_html. 

Open the .htaccess file and paste the following code into the editor:

php_value max_execution_time = X

Replace the “X” with an amount of time in seconds. Inserting “60” will increase the maximum execution time to one minute, giving your website more time to load scripts before terminating the process. 

2. Edit your wp-config.php file

Additionally, you may want to eliminate the run time limit in WordPress. This setting controls the time your site will spend on an operation before timing out. At that point, your site will return an error.

To extend the time limit, locate your wp-config.php file and paste the following code into the editor:

set_time_limit = 60

If the code is already there from work you’ve done previously, simply change the value to 60. You can exceed 60 seconds, but doing so may be risky since the setting is in place to protect your system from poorly-written scripts.

Where is the PHP.ini file located?

By now, you should have a basic idea of the purpose of the PHP.ini file. Now you might be wondering: where is PHP.ini in WordPress? 

If you have a PHP.ini file, you’ll usually find it in the root directory of your WordPress site. If not, you can create a new file for your website, which we’ll show you how to do in the next part of this article. 

There are also different locations if you’re working in a local environment. If you’re a WAMP user, you can locate your WordPress PHP.ini file by right-clicking on the program icon. Then, head to PHP → php.ini.

In XAMPP, all you need to do is open the program and click on Config. Then, find the php.ini option within the menu.

Finally, using Linux, you can typically locate your PHP.ini file in the Loaded Configuration File. To access this, you’ll need to enter the following code below the terminal:

PHP –I | grep “Loaded Configuration File”

You should receive the following output:

Loaded Configuration File => /usr/local/lib/php.ini

If you still can’t find your PHP.ini file’s location in WordPress, it’s time to contact your web host or create your own file. Let’s look at how this process works. 

What to do before editing your PHP.ini file

Before making any changes to your site files, including PHP.ini, it’s a good idea to make a fresh backup of your site. That way, if you make any mistakes, you’ll be able to revert your site to an earlier version in just seconds. 

If you don’t already have a WordPress backup plugin, consider installing Jetpack VaultPress Backup.

Not only does VaultPress back up your entire website, but it also stores copies of your database, your site files, and all WooCommerce customer and order data. 

How to open and edit your WordPress PHP.ini file

There are several reasons you may want to edit your PHP.ini file. Here are some of the recommended configurations that might be useful:

max_execution_time = 180

memory_limit = 128M

post_max_size = 64M

upload_max_filesize = 64M

max_input_time = 60

file_uploads = On

safe_mode = Off

Adjusting the maximum execution time will increase the time available to execute every script on your site. Essentially, this refers to the time the server needs to run the commands, so it can be handy if you have heavy scripts. 

The memory limit enables you to restrict and expand the memory usage of PHP. Generally, this concerns the memory needed to upload files and run commands on your site. 

Post max size defines the maximum data a post can have. So, if you have plenty of images on your pages or write super long blog posts, you might want to increase this value.

Additionally, you can increase the upload max file size. This is a helpful setting for photographers or other creatives who need to upload heavy media files like videos. 

However, before you can make these edits, you’ll need to locate an existing PHP.ini file or create a new one. Keep in mind that if you’re using shared hosting, you may be unable to follow these steps.

1. Use an FTP client

Using an FTP client is one of the easiest ways to find and access your PHP.ini WordPress file. Once you’ve got a current backup in place, it’s time to connect to your site via FTP. 

If you don’t already have one installed, you’ll need to find an FTP client like FileZilla and download it to your computer.

Then, you can connect to your site via FTP to access your site’s files. Just enter your FTP credentials to establish a connection (which you can typically get from your hosting provider). 

Once the connection is made, locate the root directory of your site. This is usually labeled public_html or public.

If you have a PHP.ini file, you should see it in this folder. If you can’t find it, you can locate it manually by creating a new PHP file and pasting the following code into it:

<?PHP phpinfo(); ?>

Update the file by saving your changes. At this point, open the file in your browser to identify the correct file path.

Simply type your website’s URL followed by the file name you chose into the search bar. This might look something like this: yourwebsite.com/file-name.php.

This should launch a page in your browser with information about your PHP installation, including the file path for your PHP.ini file. You can find this information within the Configuration File Path or Loaded Configuration File field.

Once you’ve opened the php.ini file, enter your custom directives. You can check out this list of common PHP.ini directives and syntax rules to configure the file correctly.

Finally, save your file! The settings should start taking effect within a few minutes. 

2. Use cPanel

cPanel is a common control panel tool included in many hosting provider dashboards. It’s pretty straightforward and easy to use. 

First, you’ll need to log in to your hosting account and locate the cPanel File Manager. Then, open your public_html folder.

Here, you’ll want to look for your PHP.ini file by its name. Note that it might also be hidden, so click on Settings and check the box next to Show Hidden Files (dotfiles).

If you still can’t find it, click on New file and name it “php.ini”. Make your edits, save the file, and your site should start showing the changes within a few minutes. 

Depending on your hosting account dashboard, you may also have access to the MultiPHP INI Editor. This tool enables you to configure your PHP settings from a list of available directives. Keep in mind that the editor is typically only available with VPS, dedicated server, or reseller hosting plans. 

3. Utilize a WordPress file manager plugin

File manager plugins enable you to easily edit your website’s files without playing around on the back end. Therefore, using a plugin is an accessible, quick, and beginner-friendly way to access your WordPress PHP.ini file.

With a file manager plugin, you’ll typically get access to a clean, intuitive interface to manage, upload, download, and even back up and restore files. One of the most popular options is Advanced File Manager.

To edit your PHP.ini file with Advanced File Manager, you’ll need to install the plugin in WordPress. In your dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add New. Then, search for “Advanced File Manager” and click on Install Now → Activate.

Once the tool has been installed successfully, head to File Manager → File Manager to access the plugin’s interface.

You may be able to find PHP.ini within the file list. Otherwise, click on New file and select txt to create a simple text file. You’ll be prompted to name the file, so call it “php.ini”.

Next, select the newly created file and click on Edit file. Then, input your code, along with any custom configurations. 

Again, make sure to save your changes when you’re done to finish setting up your WordPress PHP.ini file.

Frequently asked questions about the PHP.ini file

We’ve just covered the basics of finding and editing your PHP.ini file in WordPress. If you still have any questions, we’ll answer them in this section!

What if I don’t have access to the PHP.ini file? Can I still edit my PHP settings?

If you can’t access your PHP.ini file, you may be able to edit your PHP settings by creating a new PHP.ini file via FTP, File Manager, or a file manager plugin. Keep in mind that this typically isn’t available for shared hosting plans. Alternatively, you can configure some PHP settings using .htaccess and wp-config.php.

Can I create a new PHP.ini file to overwrite my hosting provider’s file?

In some cases, it’s possible to override PHP settings by creating a new PHP.ini file. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to contact your hosting provider directly. You may need to switch to a different hosting configuration, like VPS or dedicated hosting.

Do PHP.ini changes take effect immediately?

PHP.ini changes often take effect immediately or within a few minutes. If you’ve made edits, but your site’s configuration hasn’t changed, you may be editing the file in the wrong directory.

Can your WordPress site’s PHP.ini file be hacked?

Although it’s not very common, your WordPress website can be hacked via its PHP.ini file. That’s why it’s worth investing in a high-quality hosting provider with strict security protocols, along with WordPress security plugins. 

Locate and edit your PHP.ini file

Editing the PHP.ini file is a great way to extend the functionality of your site and configure its PHP settings. But you might not know how to carry out these changes.

To recap, here are three ways to locate and edit PHP.ini:

1. Use an FTP client.
2. Use cPanel within your hosting account dashboard.
3. Utilize a file manager plugin like Advanced File Manager.

Before you start editing any of your site files, it’s important to back up your site. Jetpack VaultPress Backup backs up all your database tables, website files, and WooCommerce data, so you’ll never lose your content. Better yet, it’s super simple to restore your site if anything goes wrong. 

The Query Loop is a neat WordPress block that enables you to display a list of related blog posts, products, and pages. As a beginner, you might be wondering how to take advantage of this feature. 

Fortunately, the Query Loop block is relatively easy to use. You can choose your favorite pre-built layout or create something from scratch. Plus, you can configure the display of your nested blocks and fully customize the design.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the Query Loop block in WordPress. Then, we’ll show you how to use the block and talk about specific use cases.

What is the Query Loop block in WordPress?

The Query Loop block is a tool that enables WordPress users to display a dynamic list of posts based on specific attributes. For example, it can be set to cycle through all posts of a certain category, displaying the post title and image of each one. 

This block can be quite technical to configure. As a result, beginners tend to avoid using it and instead opt for the Post List block, which is a simpler version of the Query Loop. 

While the Query Loop block is more complex, it also allows for greater flexibility. For instance, you can create a page full of your best recipes or showcase a portfolio of projects. 

When to use the Query Loop block in WordPress

The Query Loop block provides multiple opportunities for promoting your content. Here are some of the results you can achieve with it:

• Create a related posts section for your blog, featuring the post title, excerpt, and image.
• Show content from custom post types like testimonials or portfolio items.
• Display posts of the same tag or category.
• Show related WooCommerce products.
• Display a grid of products, grouped by price.
• List companies by location within a business directory.
• List book reviews according to a specific star rating.

These are just some examples. There are plenty of ways you can configure the Query Loop block.

How to use the Query Loop block in WordPress

To get started with the Query Loop block, you’ll need to navigate to the post or page where you want to use it. Then, click on the + to add a new block and search for Query Loop.

You can also insert the block using the block pattern selector. Switch to Patterns and select Query from the dropdown menu. Then, choose your preferred layout.

There are plenty of Query Loop layouts to choose from. For instance, you can present your posts in a grid, with an image to the left, or stick with the default format. 

Alternatively, click on Start Blank to create your Query Loop from scratch and gain full control over the design of your content.

You’ll have to choose a variation to start with. You might want to show the image, date, and title of your post, or just present the post title and excerpt.

Whether you’ve created your block from scratch or used a template, you’ll see a preview of your block in the editor.

Your Query Loop block consists of several different sub-blocks, like post titles, featured images, and more. If you click on the Display Settings icon in the toolbar, you can configure the number of items per page.

You can also use the block settings in the panel on the right to further customize the query loop. You might decide to change the order of your items, create new posts for your feed, apply filters, change colors, and more.

What sub-blocks are found within the Query Loop block?

Within the Query Loop block, you’ll find several sub-blocks grouped together. Although they contain the word “post” in their names, they can also apply to other content like pages, portfolio items, or products.

Let’s take a look at each sub-block. 

1. Post Title

The Post Title block displays the title of each post. You can transform the title into a link and adjust the font and color within the Block settings.

2. Post Date

With this block, you can show the published date of your content. You can change the default format, show the last modified date, and link to a post within the settings.

3. Post Content

The Post Content block presents the entire content from your post or page within the Query Loop block. This could make your block very long, which can be off-putting for visitors.

4. Post Excerpt

Post Excerpt displays a summary of each piece of content. Visitors will be able to view your excerpt and find a “Read More” link. You can add this link on a new line or at the end of the excerpt. Plus, you can modify the anchor text, change the link color, and select a new font size. 

5. Post Featured Image

If you choose to include this block in your Query Loop, you’ll display the featured image for your posts or products. Additionally, you can enable a link with your image to direct visitors toward the piece of content when clicked.

6. Post Categories

By adding a Post Categories block inside your Query Loop, you can display the categories associated with that piece of content. This is a great way to display blog posts that cover a similar topic, or products within the same category. You can also change the color and fonts within the settings. 

7. Post Tags

The Post Tags block enables you to display the tags added to your post. It’s another useful way to showcase similar content.

8. Pagination (previous post and next post)

Pagination is one of the most valuable blocks to add to your Query Loop since it displays links to your previous or next posts. Pagination consists of three separate blocks:

• Previous
• Page Numbers
• Next 

To use it, you’ll first need to select the Post Template block, using the List View. Then, you can click on + to add the Pagination block.

9. Post Author

As the name suggests, Post Author showcases the author details, like the author name, avatar, and bio. If you choose to include this block, you’ll need to select the user with the dropdown menu in the Block settings. Here, you can also configure avatar visibility, change the avatar size, show/hide your author bio, and change the color and dimensions.

10. Post Author Biography 

If you don’t want to include your author name and avatar in your Query Loop, but you want the author bio to be visible, then this block is for you. All your visitors will be able to see is the bio. Plus, you can customize its appearance, adjusting the dimension, font, and color. 

Examples of Query Loop block use cases

Now that you understand the Query Loop block a little better, let’s take a look at three ways you can use it.

1. Create a “recent posts” section

This section can make your recently published content more visible.

To get started, you’ll need to use two Query Loop blocks. Add your first one, then choose a pattern or start from scratch. For visual posts like recipes, Image, Date, & Title can be a good choice.

If you’ve already configured your Query Loop, your posts will show up here. If not, click on Create a new post for this feed to write and publish the posts you want to include.

Since this is where your most recent post will go, you’ll only want to display one piece of content. Navigate to the Display Settings. Beside ITEMS PER PAGE,input “1”.

Now, you should only be able to see your most recent post listed in the block.

You can then add a second Query Loop block to display other recent posts. Choose your preferred layout. Then, navigate to the toolbar and switch from List View to Grid View. This way, the reader can see more of your recipes at once.

Now, click on the Display Settings and change the OFFSET value to “1”. This will eliminate your most recent post from your second Query Loop block.

Additionally, you can customize the layout of your block. For instance, you might want to reduce the font size of your headings to improve the text’s readability. You can do this from the toolbar.

You might also want to reduce the size of the date. You can make these changes within the Block settings. Find Typography and select a more appropriate font size.

You can also set new dimensions for your featured images, and alter the alignment of your recipe titles. When you’re ready, click on Save draft or Publish. 

2. Add the Query Loop block to an index template 

If you’re using a block theme, you can add the Query Loop block to a template. This can come in handy when setting global styles for query loops and their sub-blocks.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Editor.

Click on the pull-down menu that’s currently set to Home or Page (depending on your theme), and select Browse all templates.

From the list of templates, select the one you’d like to edit. The Index template tends to be a good option, since it’s the one that indexes and displays website posts.

If you choose Index, you’ll find that the template already comes with a Query Loop block, but you can delete it and add your own. You can then adjust the layout, switching between List View and Grid View. 

You can also customize your “Read More” text by clicking on the sub-block and typing in your preferred call-to-action.

You’ll also find all the Block settings available if you go to the toolbar and click on Show more settings. Here, you can change the text size and color, and set new dimensions for your images.

3. Set global styles for your Query Loop blocks

If you plan on using Query Loop blocks frequently on your site, it can be time-consuming to create and configure your loop over and over again. That’s why it’s a good idea to set global styles for your query loops and nested blocks.

To access the global styles editor, click on the Styles icon in the top-right corner of your screen:

Then, select Blocks at the bottom of the sidebar:

Scroll through the list of available blocks and find Query Loop. Then, click on Colors:

Here, you can manage the color schemes of different elements and blocks on your site. If you want to add more custom colors to your default palette, click on Palette and find CUSTOM. 

Now, click on the + to add new colors to your palette.

Next, go back to your Query Block loop colors. You’ll see a list of elements like background, links, and headings. 

You can also set default styles for these components. To do this, select the element you want to edit.

 For instance, you can change the background color of your Query Loop blocks.

If you decide against any of the changes you apply, simply click on Clear.

You can also set global styles for the background and text color of your headings. Additionally, you can assign hover colors for your links. When you’re done, click on Save to apply new default styles to your blocks.

Extend the Query Loop block

Although you now know how to create and customize a Query Loop block in WordPress, you may be looking to extend the block even further. Using the Block Variations API, you can specify certain default settings, disable customization options, and more.

For instance, you might never use the Sticky attribute in your Query Loop. The Author field might also not be relevant to your posts. Therefore, you can disable these controls so that they’re not visible.

In this instance, the variation code would look like this:

{
    /** ...variation properties */
    allowedControls: [ 'inherit', 'order', 'taxQuery', 'search' ],
}

This way, your users can access the inherent, order, taxonomies, and search features, but the author and sticky fields won’t be displayed. 

Alternatively, you might prefer to hide the search option for users, in which case your property would look like this:

{
    /** ...variation properties */
    allowedControls: [ 'inherit', ‘postType’, 'order', ‘sticky’, 'taxQuery', ‘author’, ],
}

If, for whatever reason, you want to hide all the available controls for your Query Loop block, you can set an empty array beside the allowedControls. 

As you can see, this method requires some technical knowledge. If you have no coding skills, you may want to stick with the customization options available in the Block Editor. 

Frequently asked questions

While we’ve tried to cover all aspects of the Query Loop block, you may still have some questions about this feature. Let’s look at the most common ones. 

What is a WordPress query?

Query translates to “ask” or “command.” So within the Query Loop block, the “Query” portion enables users to ask for certain information to pull into the loop. This is how the Query Loop displays all posts or pages for a specific tag, category, and more.

What is a WordPress loop?

A WordPress loop is a way of displaying similar information in a cyclic format. For instance, you can create a loop of blog posts that will display related articles on your page, showing the post title, excerpt, featured image, and more. 

The data is pulled from your published content and placed in the loop, which sits on your pages for visitors. As such, it helps you direct users toward other relevant pieces of content and keep visitors engaged with your site.

What can you do with the Query Loop block?

There are plenty of things you can achieve with the Query Loop block. For example, you could show a list of related or featured products. 

Additionally, you could direct users toward other recipes on your site that share the same tags or categories. For a portfolio website, you can even showcase your latest or best work within a Query Loop block. 

How can you extend the Query Loop block?

You can achieve detailed control over the way your Query Loop is displayed by adding custom settings to the block. With the Block Variations API, you can create new features, disable certain elements, and apply your own presets. 

Create a Query Loop block in WordPress

The Query Loop block is a useful WordPress block that enables you to display featured posts, related pages, or products of a certain category. You can also use it to show content from custom post types, like testimonials and portfolio projects. 

The Query Loop block is very customizable. You can configure the sub-blocks within it, like the post title, author name, and featured images. Plus, you can extend the block and add custom settings with the Block Variations API. 

Another way to help visitors find the right content on your site is to use Jetpack Search. Ideal for large websites, you can provide instant search results and utilize powerful filters to boost your user experience. Get started with Jetpack Search today!

Deleting old and unused themes can boost your website’s performance and make it more secure. But you might not know how to remove inactive themes from WordPress.

Fortunately, there are many ways to deactivate and delete themes in WordPress. This means you can find an option that suits your skill level. Plus, it’s also easy to clean up all theme-related content so that your new theme runs smoothly.

In this post, we’ll look at when to consider deleting a WordPress theme. Then, we’ll explore some key considerations and show you four ways to deactivate and remove themes. 

When to delete a WordPress theme

When you activate a new theme on your site, your previous theme is automatically deactivated. But if you navigate to your Themes page, you’ll see that the old theme is still installed on your site.

While your deactivated themes aren’t in use, their software is still on your site. The theme’s data continues to be stored in your database. 

That’s why, if you don’t need to use your theme again, it’s best to remove it entirely. With that in mind, here are some situations where it makes sense to delete a theme in WordPress:

• You’ve installed a new theme, so you want to get rid of the old one.
• You’ve installed a theme to try out, but you’ve decided it isn’t for you.
• You have more than one default WordPress theme installed, and want to remove the extras.

Deleting inactive themes is a good habit since themes (and other software) can make your site more vulnerable to security threats. This is because the software gives hackers more opportunities to exploit and infiltrate your site. To reduce some of this risk, you can continue to update these inactive themes to receive the benefits of the latest fixes. But that just gives you another unnecessary chore to remember in the effort to keep a secure, well-performing site.

Plus, inactive themes still store files in your database, taking up space. This can make your hosting plan more pricey and slow down your website’s performance by bloating its database. 

When to NOT delete a WordPress theme

Although it’s good practice to delete unused themes in WordPress, there are some situations when it’s better not to delete your theme. Let’s look at three reasons not to remove your theme! 

The theme is a parent theme

Creating a child theme is a great way to apply custom functionality and styling to your theme without losing your customizations due to software updates. However, your child theme inherits its functionality and styling from its parent, so it’s not recommended to delete the parent. 

You’re unable to activate a child theme without its parent theme also being installed on your site. Therefore, if you delete the parent of your active child theme, it will cause it to break. Then, you may lose all of your hard work and customizations. 

The theme is used on a multisite network

What’s more, it’s best not to delete your theme if you’re on a multisite network. Multisite is a WordPress feature that enables you to manage multiple websites from the same WordPress installation, on the same server. All the sites share themes, plugins, and files.

If, at the top of your WordPress dashboard, it says the name of your website, it’s a single website.

But if it says My Sites, then your site is part of a multisite network. If this is the case, and your theme is active on another site on the network, then it’s best to deactivate it rather than delete it. 

If you delete a theme that another site is using, you could take down the website that’s using the layout or harm its user experience (UX). 

One helpful thing, however, is that only the network administrator can manage themes on the multisite network since they can verify which ones are in use and where. So, if you’re not the administrator, you won’t be able to remove a theme that’s in use somewhere else. 

You use it as a testing theme

It’s also a good idea not to delete your theme if you use it regularly for testing. Some developers and experienced WordPress users will activate a specific theme just for testing purposes. 

If this is the case, you’ll want to keep the testing theme installed so that it’s easy to access when needed. Otherwise, you’ll have to continually reinstall it, and you may lose progress on tests you’ve already run. 

What to do before deleting a WordPress theme

Now that you know a bit more about deleting a WordPress theme, let’s take a look at some important factors to consider before you get started. Keeping these tips in mind can prevent you from jumping in too soon and causing errors on your website.

1. Back up your site 

Before making any significant changes to your site, it’s always best to make a fresh WordPress backup. This way, should anything go wrong, you’ll be able to restore your content quickly and easily.

One of the easiest ways to back up your WordPress site is to use a plugin like Jetpack VaultPress Backup.

Jetpack VaultPress Backup automatically saves file backups, database backups, and WooCommerce data like customer and order details. Better yet, copies are stored across multiple servers for extra peace of mind.

One of the reasons VaultPress Backup is so popular is its easy restore process. You can restore your entire site with just a few clicks on the mobile app or from your WordPress.com dashboard (even if you can’t access your site). 

Your first backup will begin automatically when you activate VaultPress Backup. You can see it by going to Jetpack → VaultPress Backup in your WordPress dashboard. Then, whenever you change your site, Jetpack VaultPress Backup will save all of your work. 

2. Run tests on a staging site

A staging site is a duplicate version of your website. The difference is that your staging site is inaccessible to the public. This makes it ideal for updating your theme, running tests, or applying customizations in private. 

If you have a staging site, it’s a good idea to delete the theme in this environment first to check for problems. You’ll then quickly know if you’ve made a mistake. 

By using a staging website, your live site won’t be harmed if anything goes wrong. Then, once you’re happy with the changes you’ve made in the staging environment (and you know they’re safe), it’s easy to push the changes live and make them accessible to your visitors. 

Some web hosts offer built-in staging functionality, so you might be able to set up your staging environment within your hosting or WordPress dashboard. 

Alternatively, the easiest way to create a staging site is to use a plugin like WP Staging.

Once you activate the plugin, head to WP Staging → Staging Sites in your WordPress admin area. Then, click on CREATE NEW STAGING SITE.

Then, choose which database tables and files you want to include in your staging environment. Alternatively, you can leave the settings as they are. In this case, the plugin will clone your entire website. 

Next, click on Start Cloning.

The plugin will provide instructions on accessing your staging site when the process is finished. Then, you’re free to use it to test changes to your website, including deactivating and deleting themes. 

How to delete a theme in WordPress (4 methods)

Now that you’ve backed up your site and created a staging site, here are four simple methods to completely remove themes from WordPress. Additionally, we’ll explain how to deactivate a theme in WordPress.

1. Remove the theme using the admin dashboard

The simplest way to delete a theme in WordPress is to use the admin dashboard. This option is straightforward and suitable for all types of users, including complete beginners. 

Since this method requires access to the admin panel, it isn’t always possible. For instance, if you can’t log in to your WordPress site, you won’t be able to access your dashboard.  

Assuming you can access your dashboard, navigate to Appearance → Themes.

Here, you’ll see all of your installed themes with the active theme listed first. If you want to delete a theme, you’ll first need to ensure that it’s deactivated. 

You can deactivate a theme in WordPress by hovering your mouse over a different theme and selecting Activate.

Then, find and click on the theme you want to delete. In the bottom right-hand corner, you should see a small Delete link.

All you need to do is click on the link. Then, select OK in the popup form to confirm the action. It’s as simple as that!

2. Remove the theme via FTP

If you don’t have access to the WordPress admin area, you can delete your theme via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). To do this, you’ll need to connect to your site via FTP to access your website’s files.

First, you’ll need to choose an FTP client. If you don’t already have FTP software downloaded, FileZilla is a high-quality and free option.

Go ahead and download your FTP client. Then, enter your FTP credentials. Next, open the root directory of your site. This is usually a folder named public_html. 

Navigate to wp-content and click on your themes folder.

Here, you can see a list of all your installed themes. If you simply want to deactivate a theme, just rename its folder to something like “twentytwenty-deactivated”. 

If you want to go straight to deleting the theme, you can do that too. The downside of deleting your theme via this method is that there’s no way of telling which theme is active on your website (unless you remember which one it is). That’s why it’s so important to back up your site before this next step. 

When you find the theme you want to remove, right-click on its folder and hit Delete.

Then, you’ll be asked to confirm your choice. Once you navigate back to your WordPress dashboard, you should no longer see the deleted theme. 

3. Delete the theme via cPanel

cPanel is another helpful tool provided by many hosting providers within their account dashboards. If you don’t have access to the WordPress dashboard and prefer not to use FTP, cPanel is a great alternative. 

First, you’ll need to log in to your hosting account. Then, access the File Manager.

Look for the wp-content folder that you’ll find inside your site’s root directory. Next, select the themes folder.

Here, locate the theme folder that you want to delete or deactivate. If you want to deactivate the theme, rename its folder to something like “exampletheme-deactivated”. 

If you want to remove a theme entirely, right-click on its folder and select the Delete option. You’ll then be asked to confirm the action. 

4. Remove the theme via WP-CLI

The quickest way to remove your WordPress theme is via the WordPress Command Line Interface (WP-CLI). WP-CLI enables you to directly interact with your website using commands.

There are many actions you can perform with WP-CLI. For example, you’re able to update plugins, create new pages, and configure multisite installations. 

That being said, it requires a fair amount of technical expertise to use WP-CLI for site management. Therefore, this method isn’t recommended for beginners. 

You’ll need to install WP-CLI and access your site via the command line to get started. Then, you can view a list of all installed themes by using the following command:

$ wp theme list 

You can also be more specific if you only want to view inactive themes. In this case, simply type:

$ wp theme list --status=inactive

When you find the theme(s) you want to delete, enter the following command: 

wp theme delete themename 

Remember that instead of “themename”, you’ll want to enter the name of your theme, like “twentytwenty”. Keep in mind that you must use the name of the theme folder, not the name of the theme as it appears in your dashboard. So, you’ll need to write “twentytwenty” instead of “Twenty Twenty”. 

If you’re successful, you’ll see a message informing you that your theme has been deleted.

Additionally, you can use WP-CLI to disable a theme on a multisite installation. You’ll just need to enter this command, substituting the name of the theme:

$ wp theme disable twentysixteen

What to do after removing a theme from WordPress

At this point, you’ve successfully deactivated or deleted your WordPress theme. But before you move on to other tasks, it’s worth testing your site to verify that everything is running as it should. It’s also a good idea to remove theme-related content from your website. 

Test your site

The first thing to do is test your site once your theme has been deleted. This process is as simple as opening your browser and entering your website’s URL. Then, ensure everything is working correctly, and all content is loading.

Here’s a list of actions you can perform to test out the functionality of your site:

• Make sure all internal and external links are working.
• Verify that everything looks as it should without design abnormalities. 
• Fill out any forms, including contact and subscription forms.
• Try enabling and disabling cookies on your site.
• Make sure you can navigate the menu. 
• Check that you can access your site on a mobile device and that the content displays properly.  
• Go through any checkout or shopping functionality, if applicable.

If you’ve deleted the parent of your active theme, you may find some (or all) of your CSS missing. So, your site will look unstyled, and you’ll need to restore a backup of your site or switch to a new theme. If you accidentally deleted the active theme, WordPress will have switched to one of your other installed themes. 

Remove theme-related content

Even though you’ve deleted your theme, you might still have content on your site that’s specific to the software. This might include elements like widgets, menus, images, or posts.  

You can reassign this content so that it works with your new theme or simply remove these components from your site. 

If there are widgets in the theme you deactivated, you’ll find them by going to Appearance → Widgets. Then, select Inactive Widgets:

You can physically drag these into the widget areas in your new theme or delete them. To delete a widget, select it and click on the three dots to expand the toolbar. Then, choose Remove. 

Additionally, you can remove any posts or pages after deleting your theme by going to Posts or Pages in your dashboard. But you can also leave them as they are and continue to use them with your new theme if you’d prefer. 

On top of this, themes have different image settings, including featured images, sliders, and carousels. Therefore, you might need to resize these photos to fit your new layouts or simply remove them.

Frequently asked questions

While we’ve tried to cover all the most important aspects of deactivating and deleting themes in WordPress, you may still have some questions. We’ll answer them in this section!

Can I delete the default WordPress theme?

Yes. Like any other theme, if you’re not using the default WordPress theme, it’s simply taking up space. 

But keep in mind that often, switching to a default WordPress theme is highly recommended for troubleshooting common WordPress issues. For instance, it’s a good idea to change to a default theme when you encounter login errors.

This is because default WordPress themes are less likely to cause conflicts with the core software or third-party plugins. Therefore, you might prefer to delete all of your unused themes but hold on to a default theme for troubleshooting purposes. 

Should I delete unused themes?

You can just deactivate themes, but these will still be installed on your site, taking up unnecessary space. Therefore, deleting themes altogether is a great way to free up storage space, keep your database light, and reduce the likelihood of online attacks. As a result, you can boost your loading times and make your site more secure. 

What if a WordPress theme has no delete button?

You won’t find a delete button if you try to delete your active theme. Therefore, you’ll need to activate a new theme before deleting the previous one. 

You may also not see the delete button if you’re trying to delete the parent of an active child theme. In this case, you will need to switch to a different parent theme and try again.

What if I still can’t delete a theme?

If you’ve followed all the steps in this tutorial and still can’t delete your theme, it’s best to reach out to your hosting provider for help. This situation shows the importance of choosing a quality WordPress host with 24/7 technical support. Plus, it helps if your web host is easily accessible via a direct contact channel like live chat.

What can I do if I accidentally deleted a WordPress theme?

If you accidentally deleted a theme, there are numerous ways to restore it. First, you can restore your theme from a backup, assuming that you use something like Jetpack VaultPress Backup. 

Alternatively, you can download and install a fresh version of the theme by going to Appearance → Themes → Add New.

Then, search for new themes using the search bar in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Or, you can browse the list of WordPress themes. With this approach, it’s important to note that you’ll lose any customizations that you configured in your theme, like custom styles.

Delete your WordPress theme quickly and easily

If you don’t delete unused themes in WordPress, your site could be more vulnerable to security threats. Plus, theme files take up space on your server. Fortunately, it’s easy to deactivate and delete themes in WordPress, and by doing so, improve your web performance and reduce security risks. 

To recap, here are four ways to deactivate and delete a theme in WordPress:

1. Remove a theme using the admin dashboard.
2. Remove a theme via FTP.
3. Remove a theme via cPanel.
4. Remove a theme via WP-CLI.

Before you even think about deleting WordPress themes, it’s best to make a backup of your entire site. Jetpack VaultPress Backup automatically backs up all your site files, database tables, and WooCommerce data. Plus, you can restore your website from any location, even if you can’t access your dashboard. Get Jetpack VaultPress Backup today!