{"id":37282,"date":"2022-10-04T07:00:01","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/?p=37282"},"modified":"2026-08-10T12:30:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T19:30:41","slug":"guide-to-wp-sidebars-widgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/guide-to-wp-sidebars-widgets\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress Widgets & Sidebars: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your theme built the shelves; widgets are what you put on them. WordPress widgets are handy little modules that add specific features \u2014 a search bar, a list of recent posts, a navigation menu \u2014 to the sidebars and footers of classic themes, the areas that sit around your main content. You don\u2019t need to know any coding to use them, and since WordPress 5.8, you add them as blocks, the same way you build a post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widgets are also a great introduction to how customizable WordPress is<\/a>, even for beginners. In this guide, we\u2019ll explain what widgets are, how to add them to your sidebars and footers, and what to do instead if your theme doesn\u2019t use them at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a WordPress widget?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A WordPress widget is a small, pre-built module that adds content or functionality, such as a search bar, a list of recent posts, or a navigation menu, to a widget area, typically the sidebar or footer of a classic theme. Block themes don\u2019t use widgets; their sidebars and footers are edited with blocks in the Site Editor instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways that WordPress helps you customize the look and functionality of your website, even if you\u2019re not a designer. Themes enable you to make large-scale changes<\/a> to your site\u2019s appearance, while widgets handle the details. As the WordPress documentation<\/a> puts it, a widget area is \u201ca pre-defined area by the theme, typically located in the sidebar or footer, but varies from theme to theme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress comes pre-packaged with a variety of widgets (Search, Categories, Latest Posts, and more), and plugins often add their own. You can place one without writing any code: WordPress handles it through the block editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classic theme or block theme? Check before you start<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Widgets only exist on classic themes, so it pays to check which kind you\u2019re running before you follow any tutorial. Open your dashboard and look at the Appearance<\/i> menu. If you see a Widgets<\/i> item, you\u2019re on a classic theme, and the walkthrough below applies. If you see Editor<\/i> instead, you\u2019re on a block theme: your site has no widget areas, and you\u2019ll build your sidebar and footer with blocks in the Site Editor. We cover both paths in this guide.<\/p>\n\n

How to add widgets to your WordPress site<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To add a widget, head to your dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Widgets<\/i>, click the widget area you want to change, select the +<\/i> icon, and choose a block. Since WordPress 5.8, widgets are managed with the block-based widgets editor<\/a>, so the whole process works just like editing a post. Here it is step by step:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Go to Appearance > Widgets<\/i>. Each widget area your theme provides (a sidebar, one or more footers) appears as its own editing panel. What these areas are, and where they sit on the page, varies by theme.<\/li>
  2. Click the widget area you\u2019d like to customize, then select the +<\/i> prompt. You can search for the block you want or choose Browse All<\/i> to see every option.<\/li>
  3. Click a block to add it. For example, the Categories<\/i> block places a list of your post categories in the sidebar.<\/li>
  4. To customize a block, select it and use its toolbar and settings. To remove one, delete it exactly as you would in the post editor.<\/li>
  5. To move a block, drag it by its toolbar, or use the Move to widget area<\/i> option in the block toolbar to send it to a different area.<\/li>
  6. When you\u2019re happy, click Update<\/i> to save your changes.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Want to watch the process before trying it? The WordPress documentation linked above includes a short video demonstration of the block-based widgets editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Prefer to see changes as you make them? Go to Appearance > Customize > Widgets<\/i> instead. The Customizer offers the same block-based editing with a live preview, plus the option to schedule changes before publishing. One quirk: because the Customizer panel is narrow, some settings take an extra step to find. Select a block, click the three-dot menu, and choose Show more settings<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Two notes for anyone with older widgets. First, widgets from plugins or themes that haven\u2019t been converted to blocks still work: WordPress places them in a Legacy Widget<\/i> block so you can keep managing them. Second, if you miss the old interface entirely, the official Classic Widgets<\/a> plugin (maintained by the WordPress team, with over 2 million active installs) restores the pre-5.8 widgets screens on classic themes. It has no settings: activate it and the classic screens return; deactivate it and the block editor takes over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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