Widgets »Text Widget

The Text Widget allows you to add text to your sidebar. It’s the most popular widget because of its power and flexibility — use one to display text, links, images, or any combination.

Note: Text Widgets fall under the same code security restrictions that posts and pages do, so if you use any code that isn’t allowed, it won’t be displayed.

Text Widget Basics

Here’s an example of a text widget displaying some simple text:

The font and appearance of text widgets varies by theme, so yours will look different. This example is from the Nucleare theme.

Add a text widget to your sidebar or footer by going to My Site(s) → Appearance → Customize → Widgets. Click on the name of the sidebar or footer where you want the widget to appear, then click the Add a Widget button:

Next, use the search field provided to find the text widget, then click the widget title to add it to the sidebar:

Enter your title and content. As you enter text, you’ll see a preview of the widget appear on your blog.

When you’re satisfied, click Save & Publish to add the widget to your live site.

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Adding HTML

If you want to add HTML code to a widget, we suggest using the Custom HTML widget instead, as there’s less risk of your code breaking. If you do want to add HTML directly in a text widget, be sure to click the Text tab — don’t add HTML in the Visual editor.

If you are unfamiliar with HTML, you can learn more about Beginning HTML or Advanced HTML.

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Adding an Image

While you can add an image to a text widget using HTML, you also have an Image Widget that makes adding images to your sidebar much easier. Learn more about the Image Widget.

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Adding a Video

While you can add a video to a text widget using HTML or shortcodes, you can use a Video Widget instead, which makes adding video to your sidebar or footer much easier. Learn more about the Video Widget.

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Adding an Audio player

While you can add audio to a text widget using HTML or shortcodes, you can use an Audio Widget instead, which makes adding audio to your sidebar or footer much easier. Learn more about the Audio Widget.

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Text Widget Tips

We’ve gathered our best advice on using widgets effectively, including tutorials on how to get creative with text widgets. Check out our top tips.

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