How to Edit, Add, and Delete Categories in WordPress

Before we get into enabling and disabling categories section on your WordPress, we wanted to give you the clear idea of what a Category is. A category is basically a tool in WordPress that helps you to divide the contents of your page into different sections. It also provides the option to easily navigate your contents for your users to find. The menu for categories are already set as “Uncategorized” most of the time and you can edit, add or remove them as per your requirement. 

So after you have the basic idea of what and how a category work, we can now go into the step-by-step of how to add and remove the category section of your WordPress.

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How to Add Categories in WordPress

After creating contents, you realize that there needs to be a way to help your users find the right content with ease. So what do you do? Create categories and list your contents under them. Why? Because this not only helps you organize your website for ease of access, but your viewers will find it extra help when they don’t have to scroll along all of your contents to find exactly what they are looking for.

So how do you add a category to your contents? It is the simplest of a process. Just follow our handy step-by-step guide down below to assist you along the way!

1. Create Categories while writing a post – Step-By-Step Guide

The first step is to log into your admin WordPress account to load your Dashboard. You can then go to the Post option and select Add New. This redirects you to a new page, where you can add a new post. If you have any confusion on how to add a new post, feel free to check out our other article on How to Add a New Post.

 

Once you are redirected to the new page to add a post, you can go ahead and add the title and the content boxes. On the right-hand side, you will notice the Categories panel below the Permalink. There you can either Add a New Category or use an existing one.

 

If you have an existing category that you want to add your content in, then you can go ahead and select it. But to add a new one, click on the option for Add New Category. Name the new category and select the parent menu where you want your category to be displayed on the main page. If your category is not a child category, ou can skip this step. Finish off by clicking on Add New Category and you are done.

Redirect to your main page to see your newly created category under the parent menu that you selected. Easy as a piece of cake!

2. Create a Category From the Categories Settings

 

Start off by logging into your WordPress admin account and to the Dashboard. Click on the Post option, and then on Categories.

You will be redirected to the Categories settings. To add a new category simply edit the details on the left-hand-side. Name the new Category and add a slug. You can then add the parent link or skip the step if you are not creating a child category. You can even edit the details that show up on some of the templates. After finishing you can click the Add New Category button on the bottom. You will now find your newly created category on your menu and you can add your posts under the category.

With these two techniques, you can add and edit the categories that you want on your website. This will help to not only organize your contents but it will also make your site more user-friendly.

So coming down to it, sometimes we get carried away and create more than we need. What do we do then? Not to worry, it is as easy as creating them to exclude or delete them as well. Just simply follow the steps below to remove any excess or unwanted categories.

How to Edit Categories In WordPress

To edit a category, rename or change the settings of a Category is sometimes confusing. But with our guide, this will be a piece of cake. When you edit, you can change the name, slug and even the parent category of the existing category.

1. Edit a Category through Quick Edit Option

The first step to edit a category is to go to the Categories section through Posts and then to Categories from the Dashboard. 

Once you are in the Category section, you can view all of the Categories and their details. Navigate to the options below the category and select Quick Edit option.

You will notice a menu option to edit the slug and the name comes up. You can go ahead and edit those details that require changing. Save the settings and you are done.

2. Edit a Category through the Edit Option

Navigate to the Category section through the Dashboard using the Post and Category option.

Once inside the Category section, click the Edit option under the Category that you want to edit.

You can go ahead and change any details of the category here including the name, slug and the parent link as well as the description. 

After finishing you can then ‘update‘ to save the changes.

With the two methods, we have given you the idea of how to edit categories in WordPress. This way you can update and make changes to your categories on your website anytime.

How to Delete Categories In WordPress

1. Delete a Specific WP Category

Start off by selecting Posts from the Dashboard and select Categories. After that, you will be redirected to a new page with options to edit the categories.

Choose the category you want to remove and select the Delete option from the menu under the Category. Confirm your option and the category will be deleted instantly.

2. Delete WP Categories in a Bulk

Login to your WordPress account and go to your Dashboard. Click on the Post and Categories to redirect to a different page.

Tick off the Categories that you want to delete. You can then go ahead and select Delete from the Bulk Action drop-down menu and click Apply. You will notice that all of the categories you chose are deleted.

With these methods, you can either add a new category, edit or delete them. Although it is an easy process, we have often found people struggling with the whole process.

Summarizing it all

Categories can be a vital element to help your users move around your website to the contents that peak their interest. You can add as many categories as you wish but be sure to not to clutter your website. Be organized and remove any categories you want to remove with ease.

With our thorough and step-by-step guide, we hope we have solved your confusion regarding this topic. If you still have anything you are confused about, let us know! Our team of Beautiful Themes is always ready to help! Be sure to let us know down in the comments section.

If you are looking for more tutorials regarding WordPress, why not check out our other articles! Easy to digest and understand, you can click on the links below for more guides to WordPress.

• How to find your WordPress URL: Beginners Guide
•  Ultimate WordPress Guide: How to Install WordPress Plugin
• How to make a drop-down menu: Step-by-Step tutorials