Title: Posts Categories screen
Author: pixelateddwarf
Published: January 22, 2019
Last modified: June 8, 2024

---

# Posts Categories screen

## In this article

 * [Categories Screen](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#categories-screen)
    - [Add New Category](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#add-new-category)
    - [Table of Categories](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#table-of-categories)
    - [Using Selection, Actions, and Apply](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#using-selection-actions-and-apply)
    - [Quick Edit](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#quick-edit)
    - [Edit Category](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#edit-category)

[ Back to top](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target)

Each post in WordPress is filed under one or more Categories. This aids in navigation
and allows posts to be grouped with others of similar content.

Each Category may be assigned to a Category Parent, allowing you to set up a hierarchy
within the Category structure. In creating Categories, recognize that each Category
Name must be unique. Thus, even if two Categories have two different Parents, they
must still have different names.

[⌊categories-screen⌉⌊categories-screen⌉[

Links to your Categories are, by default, shown in two different places on your 
blog’s home page if you are using the [WordPress Twenty Seventeen theme](https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyseventeen/?output_format=md).
First, WordPress lists these Category as links in your sidebar. Second, WordPress
shows all the Categories to which a given post belongs under that post. When someone
viewing your blog clicks on one of these Category links, an archive page with all
the posts belonging to that Category will be displayed.

This Screen allows you to create new Categories, edit or delete existing ones, and
organize your Categories hierarchically.

## 󠀁[Categories Screen](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#categories-screen)󠁿

This Screen is divided into the Add New Category and Category Table sections.

### 󠀁[Add New Category](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#add-new-category)󠁿

This part of the Screen, which is conveniently linked to from the top of the Table
of Categories, allows you to create a new Category. There are four pieces of information
associated with each new Category: the name, slug, category parent, and description.

**Name:** To reiterate, the Category Name _must_ be unique.

**Slug:** The Category slug _must_ be unique. The Category Slug is used in the URL.
For example, setting a Category Name of “Recipes” and a Category Slug of “food” 
would show all “Recipes” posts with a URL like **example.com/blog/food/**.

**Parent:** Use this drop-down if you want to make this Category a sub-Category;
you will select the sub-Category’s Parent here. For example, you may have a Category
called “Photos” but want to add further clarification about the subject of a particular“
Photos” post. You could add “Oregon Coast” and “Ice Storm” as sub-Categories to 
the “Photos” Category; “Photos” would be the Parent of these two new sub-Categories.

Sub-Categories show up on your blog’s page just like Categories, except they will
typically be nested under their Parent Categories. When someone visits your site
and clicks the “Photos” Category link, all posts in “Photos” and _all its sub-Categories_
will be displayed. Clicking the “Oregon Coast” Category link _only_ displays those
post in that sub-Category. If you assign a post to a sub-Category (e.g. “Oregon 
Coast”), you can choose to assign that post to the sub-Category’s parent (“Photos”)
or not. Either way, all “Oregon Coast” posts will show up in the “Photos” Category
page. The only difference is that the list of Categories of which a particular post
is actually a member. In the WordPress [WordPress Twenty Seventeen theme](https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyseventeen/?output_format=md),
this list is shown below the text of each post. Please note that when creating templates,
you cannot match a child category based on the parent (ie: if category “bar” has
parent “foo”, a template file named “category-foo.php” will not match any “bar” 
category posts.)

**Description: ** Category Descriptions are optional. Some themes take advantage
of Category Descriptions, others do not, so having Descriptions may or may not modify
the way Categories are displayed for your site. Even if they are not used by your
site’s theme, you may still find them useful from an administration point of view.

**Add New Category**: The most important part of the Add New Category box. Once 
you’ve entered in all the information about your new Category, use this button to
save it.

### 󠀁[Table of Categories](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#table-of-categories)󠁿

This table lists all of your categories by row. Categories are displayed hierarchically
and alphabetically; subcategories are displayed beneath their parents and are prefaced
by long dashes. These dashed are _not_ part of a Category’s name; they are there
only to show hierarchy.

The table of categories contains the following columns:

 * **[ ]** – A checkbox that when clicked (checked), ‘selects’ that particular Category
   to be deleted when the Delete Action is Applied.
 * **Name** – The name of the Category. (Each name must be unique)
 * **Description** – Categories may have an optional description. By default, the
   description is shown to viewers when they hover over the category’s link.
 * **Slug** – The slug of a Category. (Usually in lower case letters)
 * **Posts** – The number of posts which are members of the Category. Click on the
   number in the Posts column to be directed to the All [Posts Screen](https://wordpress.org/support/articles/posts-screen?output_format=md)
   to manage the Posts in that Category.

#### 󠀁[Screen Options](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#screen-options)󠁿

The Screen Options allow you to choose which columns are displayed, or not displayed,
in the underlying Table. Clicking on the Screen Options tab shows a list of the 
columns with a check-box next to each column. Check the box for each column you 
want displayed in the Table, or uncheck the box to not display that column. In addition,
the number of Categories to display in the Table of Categories can be set. Click
the Screen Options tab again to close the Screen Options.

#### 󠀁[Search](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#search)󠁿

Above the Table, to the right, is a search box where you can enter a word, or series
of words, and click the “Search Categories” button to search and display all the
Categories meeting your search words.

### 󠀁[Using Selection, Actions, and Apply](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#using-selection-actions-and-apply)󠁿

#### 󠀁[Selection](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#selection)󠁿

 This section allows Actions to be performed on one or more Categories displayed
in the Table. For Actions to be performed on multiple Categories at once, those 
Categories must be first **selected** via one of these methods:

 * **Select one Category at a time** – To select a Category, the checkbox to the
   left of the Category entry must be checked (clicked). It is possible to keep 
   selecting more Categories by checking their respective checkbox.
 * **Select all Categories in given Table** – All Categories in a given table can
   be selected by checking the checkbox in the Table’s title, or footer bar. Of 
   course, unchecking the header or footer title bar checkbox will cause all entries
   in that Table to be unchecked (NOT selected).
 * **Reverse Selection** – A Reverse Selection means checked items become unchecked,
   and unchecked items become checked. A Reverse Selection is accomplished by holding
   the Shift key on the keyboard and clicking the header or footer title bar checkbox.

#### 󠀁[Actions](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#actions)󠁿

 Actions describe the process to be performed on particular Categories. There are
two styles of Actions that will be referred to as _Bulk Actions_ and _Immediate 
Actions_. The follow describes these Actions:

 * **Bulk Actions** – These Actions can be performed on one, or more Categories,
   at one time, if those Categories have been previously selected. Bulk Actions 
   are available, when appropriate, as choices in the Actions pull-down box, above
   each Table. The only Bulk Action allowed is Delete.
 * **Immediate Actions** – Immediate Actions are performed immediately, on an individual
   Category. Hovering the mouse cursor over the Category row reveals the Edit, Quick
   Edit, Delete and View options under the Name column in that Category row. Clicking
   on a Category Name will also initiate the Edit Action.

 The available Actions are described below:

 * **Edit** – This Immediate Action displays the Edit Category Screen to edit the
   Category fields. This Action can be initiated by click on the Category Name or
   clicking on the Edit option just below the Category Name.
 * **Quick Edit** – This Immediate Action initiates the Quick Edit of that Category.
 * **Delete** – This Action deletes the Category. Delete is available as a Bulk 
   Action and an Immediate Action. Note: Deleting a category does not delete the
   posts in that Category, but the posts that were assigned to the deleted Category
   are assigned to the **Default Category**, as defined in the Settings Writing 
   Screen. Note that the Default Category cannot be deleted.
 * **View** – This Action, if supported by the active theme’s template, will display
   the Posts belonging to the Category. View is available only as an Immediate Action.

#### 󠀁[Apply](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#apply)󠁿

 After one or more Categories are _selected_, and after a _Bulk_ Action is specified,
the **Apply** button performs the given Action on the selected Categories.

 * **Apply** – Click the Apply button to execute the Bulk Action, specified in the
   Actions pull-down, on the selected Categories. Remember, prior to executing Actions,
   one or more Categories must be **selected**, as described before.

### 󠀁[Quick Edit](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#quick-edit)󠁿

The following fields can be change via the Quick Edit Action:

**Category name**: To reiterate, the Category name _must_ be unique. Category slug
Again, the Category slug _must_ be unique.

**Cancel**: Click this button to cancel any changes and return to the Table of Categories

**Update Category**: Once you’ve edited all the information about the Category, 
use this button to save the changes.

### 󠀁[Edit Category](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/posts-categories-screen/?output_format=md#edit-category)󠁿

This Screen is displayed by clicking on a Categories’ **Name** in the Table of Categories
or clicking on the Edit option just below the Category Name. It is possible to edit
four pieces of information associated with each Category: the name, the slug, the
parent, and the description.

**Category name** and **Category Slug**: Category name and Category Slug _must_ 
be unique.

**Category Parent**: Use this drop-down if you want to make this Category a sub-
Category; you will select the sub-Category’s Parent here. For example, you may have
a Category called “Photos” but want to add further clarification about the subject
of a particular “Photos” post. You could add “Oregon Coast” and “Ice Storm” as sub-
Categories to the “Photos” Category; “Photos” would be the parent of these two new
sub-Categories.

**Description**: Category descriptions are optional. Some themes take advantage 
of Category descriptions, others do not, so having Descriptions may or may not modify
the way Categories are displayed for your site.

**Update**: Once you’ve changed the Category information, use this button to save
the changes.

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First published

January 22, 2019

Last updated

June 8, 2024