Edit the Page Template

The Page template is used for standard pages on your site, such as an About or Contact page. Pages using this template will have the same overall layout, ensuring a consistent experience for visitors browsing through your site. This guide will show you how to customize the page template.

In this guide

1. When to Edit the Page Template
2. Step 1: Open the Template Editor
3. Step 2: Explore the Template’s Layout
4. Step 3: Customize the Design
   1. Add New Elements
   2. Move the Page Title
   3. Remove the Featured Image
   4. Change the Content Width
   5. Show Missing Content
5. Step 4: Apply the Page Template to a Page

When to Edit the Page Template

If your site uses a theme that supports the site editor, you can access and edit templates. A quick way to determine if your site uses the site editor is to check for Appearance → Editor in your site’s dashboard.

Edit the Page template if you wish to change the overall layout of all pages that use this template.

If you want to change the content of a single page only, go to Pages in your site’s dashboard and select that page to edit it directly.

Step 1: Open the Template Editor

To find and edit the Page template, follow these steps:

1. From your site’s dashboard, click on Appearance → Editor.
2. In the left side panel, click Templates and then select the Page template.
3. Click the pencil icon to start editing the template. The left sidebar will close so you can focus on editing.

Step 2: Explore the Template’s Layout

First, it’s helpful to understand the overall layout of the template you’re working on. To see this, open List View by clicking the icon at the top left of the screen that looks like three horizontal lines above each other:

List View showing a list of blocks commonly found in the Page template

Here, you’ll see all of the elements (known in the WordPress editor as blocks) of your template. A typical Page template will have the following elements:

• Header: The header contains elements like a site title, logo, and menu. The header is a template part that appears across the entire site. Any edits you make to this header will apply to all pages on your site where the header template part is inserted.
• Title: The page title is shown as the Title block in the template. When viewing an actual page on your site, the title you have written for that page will show in this spot.
• Featured Image: The featured image is a single image to represent your page.
• Content: The page’s content is shown as the Content block in the template. When you view an actual page, the content of that page, added through Pages, will show here instead. If you remove the Content block, any pages using this template will appear to have no content until you add it back.
• Footer: The footer contains elements like a site title, contact information, and a WordPress footer credit. The footer is a template part that appears on every page. Any edits you make to this footer will apply everywhere on your site where the footer template part is inserted.

While every WordPress theme is different, these are the standard elements of a Page template that you can expect to see on most themes. You may see other elements included in your Page template, which you can edit as you wish.

Step 3: Customize the Design

Your theme’s templates provide you with a professional, well-designed layout to start from. To personalize the default design, you can swap out the text and images for your own content and add or remove any elements on the page.

Here, we’ll explain a few common adjustments you may wish to make to your Page template.

Add New Elements

If you would like to add an element to all pages, such as a subscription box, a contact form, or a button, you can add it to the Page template to appear on all pages that use this template.

Click the + block inserter to add a new block where you’d like the content to appear. You can use the List View to accurately select the position where the block will go. Once you save your changes, the new block you add will appear on all pages that use the template you’re editing.

Move the Page Title

When editing the page template described above, you will see the Title block, which represents where the actual page title will be shown on your individual pages. If there is no Title block, you can add it. The block has settings to change the alignment, size, color, and more.

Changing the page title from a left alignment to the center

You can also remove the title from showing on your pages by removing the Title block. Select the block, click the three dots icon in the toolbar above it, and select Remove. See Remove a Block for more.

Remove the Featured Image

When editing the page template as described above, you will find the Featured Image block that shows a featured image on your individual pages. If there is no Featured Image block, you can add it.

If you wish to hide the featured image so that it does not appear on a post or page, you can remove the Featured Image block. To hide the featured image, select the block, click the three dots icon in the toolbar above it, and choose the “Delete” option. See Remove a Block for more information.

If, instead, you wish to update or remove a featured image from a specific post or page, follow the steps in this guide to Replace or Remove a Featured Image.

Change the Content Width

If you want the content of your pages to appear wider or narrower, you can control this in the Page template.

When viewing the contents of the Page template, the width is typically controlled by the blocks named Group. To change the width, follow these steps:

1. Using List View, select the Group that contains the content.
2. A toolbar will appear alongside the Group of content. Select the width option as shown here:

3. Select wide width or full width to change the width of your content.

The Group block includes a lot of additional settings for layout, color, width, and more. Learn all about the Group block.

Show Missing Content

If your pages are not showing any content, you might have accidentally removed the Content block from the template. To ensure your pages show their content, follow these steps:

1. Edit the page template as described above.
2. Using List View, select where you would like your content to appear. This would typically be below the header or title in the template.
3. Click the + block inserter to add a new block, choosing the Content block.
4. Click Save at the top right of your screen.

If you accidentally removed the Content block, you can add it back to the desired position.

Step 4: Apply the Page Template to a Page

By the end of this guide, you might have finalized the layout of your Page template. By default, any pages you create will use the Page Template. You can take the following steps to ensure a page uses the Page Template:

1. Starting in your site’s dashboard, click on Pages.
2. Click on a page to edit that page.
3. In the Settings sidebar on the right, click on the Template as shown in the next image. If you don’t see the Settings sidebar, click the settings icon next to Publish or Update to open your Settings sidebar.
4. If you are editing a standard page, the Template should show as Default template. Otherwise, click the template name and select Page template from the drop-down.
5. Click Update/Publish to save the change.
6. View the page to check your page has the intended layout.