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Open Settings → Reading in the WordPress dashboard to decide what visitors see on your front page, how many posts appear on the site and in feeds, whether feeds contain full articles or summaries, and whether search engines are asked not to index the site. Choose Your latest posts for a chronological blog or A static page for a landing page built from a Page.
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If a block theme appears to ignore this screen, check Appearance → Editor → Templates. A Front Page template created there takes precedence over the Reading selection.
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WordPress groups several independent publishing decisions under Settings → Reading. The screen controls the front-page format, the number of posts listed on the site, the number of posts sent to syndication feeds, feed formatting, and a search-engine visibility request. Changing one option does not automatically change the others.
The practical choices are:
- Homepage type: a recent-post stream or a manually designed Page.
- Site post count: how many posts a blog or archive page lists at once.
- Feed post count: how many recent posts an RSS or other syndication feed exposes.
- Feed format: each feed item as full text or a summary/excerpt.
- Search visibility: a development-stage request asking search engines not to index the site.
Save the screen after making changes, then view the front page and feed as a visitor. WordPress displays a save confirmation when the settings are stored.
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Open Settings → Reading
- Sign in to the WordPress administrator dashboard.
- In the left-hand menu, select Settings, then Reading.
- Make changes one group at a time so you can identify which option affects a result.
- Select Save Changes at the bottom of the screen.
Labels can vary slightly as WordPress releases evolve, but the settings are grouped under the Reading screen. If a label in your installation differs, use the closest current wording rather than assuming a missing control is an error.
Choose what appears on the homepage
Your latest posts
Select Your latest posts when the front page should be a chronological blog feed. WordPress then presents posts according to the site’s normal publishing order, with the number of posts controlled by Blog pages show at most.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThis is appropriate for a news site, journal, project log, or any publication where the newest entry should be the first thing visitors see. The option does not create a separate Page for the blog; the front page itself functions as the post stream.
A static page
Select A static page when the front page should be a landing page with fixed content such as an introduction, services, navigation, or calls to action. You choose an existing WordPress Page to act as the homepage and can optionally choose a different Page to display posts.
The homepage and Posts page must be different Pages. WordPress will not use the same Page for both roles.
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Set up a static homepage and a separate Posts page
Create and publish the Pages before selecting them in Reading. A draft or nonexistent Page cannot serve as the chosen destination.
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- Create the Page that will contain your landing-page content, then publish it. A title such as “Home” is helpful but not required.
- Create a second Page for the post index, such as “Blog” or “News,” and publish it. Leave its content area empty unless your theme specifically documents another use; WordPress supplies the post list automatically.
- Return to Settings → Reading.
- Under Your homepage displays, choose A static page.
- In the Homepage selector, choose the landing Page.
- In the Posts page selector, choose the separate blog Page.
- Click Save Changes.
Visit the site’s root address to confirm that the landing Page appears. Open the selected Posts page to confirm that it lists posts rather than showing the Page’s ordinary editor content. If the selectors do not contain a Page, return to Pages, publish it, and reload Reading.
Control how many posts visitors see
Blog pages show at most
The Blog pages show at most value sets the maximum number of posts displayed on a post index, including a front page configured as Your latest posts and a separate Posts page in a static setup. It affects the site’s page-by-page listing, not the amount of content stored in WordPress.
For example, if the value is 10, a visitor sees up to 10 posts on the current listing page before using the theme’s next-page control. The exact appearance of pagination depends on the active theme, but the Reading value is the limit WordPress supplies to that query.
Syndication feeds show the most recent
Syndication feeds show the most recent is independent. It controls how many recent posts are delivered to RSS or another feed, regardless of how many posts appear on the web page. You can therefore show a shorter list on the site while exposing a different number of entries in a reader, or do the reverse.
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| Setting | Controls | Does not control |
|---|---|---|
| Blog pages show at most | Posts listed on the front-page feed or Posts page | Feed item count or feed text length |
| Syndication feeds show the most recent | Number of recent posts sent to feeds | Number of posts visible on the site |
The Learn WordPress walkthrough demonstrates 10 posts in both fields, but that is the walkthrough’s example/default context, not a guarantee that every WordPress installation begins with 10.
Choose full text or summaries in feeds
Under For each article in a feed, show, select either Full text or Summary/Excerpt.
Full text
Full text places the complete article content in each feed item, subject to the content and media your feed can represent. It is convenient for readers who consume your publication in a feed reader and do not need to open the site for every article.
Summary/Excerpt
Summary/Excerpt sends a shorter version so readers see an introduction and can open the article on your site for the remainder. This can keep feeds compact and direct visits to the canonical page, while requiring readers to click through for the full piece.
Write a controlled manual excerpt
When you want a predictable summary, enter an excerpt in the post editor instead of relying on automatic trimming. A manually written excerpt lets you choose the wording, length, and context shown in feeds and other places that use excerpts.
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If no manual excerpt is supplied, WordPress can generate one from the first 55 words of the post. The 55-word behavior is documented by WordPress.org in material updated in 2024; it is an automatic fallback, not a promise that every theme or customization will display exactly 55 words.
- Open the post for editing.
- Locate the editor’s Excerpt panel. In some interfaces it is in the document settings sidebar.
- Write a self-contained summary that makes sense without the opening paragraph of the article.
- Update or publish the post, then check the feed after the change is available.
Review search-engine visibility before launch
The Search engine visibility option is intended as a development-stage control. The Learn WordPress walkthrough recommends using it while a site is being built and clearing it before production launch.
When the option is selected, WordPress asks search engines not to index the site. It is a request rather than a substitute for every access-control method, and search engines can interpret such requests differently. Before launch, return to Settings → Reading, review the checkbox, clear it if the site should be discoverable, and save the change.
After clearing the setting, verify that you saved the screen and that the public site is the intended production installation rather than a staging copy. Keep private or unfinished content protected by appropriate authentication and hosting controls instead of relying solely on this checkbox.
Understand the block-theme Front Page override
On a block theme, the Reading selection can appear ineffective because the Site Editor may contain a Front Page template. WordPress’s official Site Editor guidance states that a Front Page template created in the Site Editor is always used as the front page, regardless of the choice under Admin → Settings → Reading.
Check whether a Front Page template exists
- Open Appearance → Editor.
- Choose Templates.
- Look for a template named Front Page.
- Open it and inspect the blocks that define the front page.
Decide which system should control the front page
If the Site Editor template is intentional, edit its blocks there. The template, not the Reading homepage selector, determines what visitors see. If you want the Reading choice to control the front page instead, remove the custom Front Page template when your theme and WordPress interface provide that option, then save and retest.
Do not diagnose a block-theme override by repeatedly changing the Reading selector. First establish whether a Front Page template exists; otherwise you may be editing a setting that cannot take effect while the template is present.
Use a decision framework for common site types
| Site requirement | Homepage choice | Post-page value | Feed choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronological publication | Your latest posts | Set the number that fits the archive layout | Full text or Summary/Excerpt according to reader experience |
| Company or portfolio landing page with a blog | A static page | Choose a separate Posts page | Usually Summary/Excerpt when a short feed preview is preferred |
| Temporary development site | Either option | Set values for testing | Review Search engine visibility while building |
| Block-theme site with a designed front template | Check the Front Page template first | Set the post and feed counts independently | Confirm the template and Reading settings do not conflict |
These are configuration patterns, not mandatory defaults. Choose based on how visitors enter the site, whether the blog is the primary product, and how much content feed readers should receive.
Verify every change after saving
Use a repeatable check rather than assuming that a confirmation message means the visitor experience is correct.
- Check the front page: open the public root URL in a private browser window. Confirm that it is either the expected post stream or the selected static Page.
- Check the Posts page: in a static setup, open the assigned Posts page and confirm that posts are listed there.
- Count visible posts: compare the listing with Blog pages show at most. Use the theme’s pagination to test the next page.
- Check the feed: open the site’s feed URL in a feed reader or browser and confirm that the number of recent entries follows the feed-count setting.
- Check feed content: open an item and determine whether it contains the complete article or the intended summary.
- Check excerpts: publish a post with a deliberate manual excerpt and confirm that the feed uses it; test a post without one separately if you need to understand the automatic fallback.
- Check indexing intent: on a development installation, confirm the visibility request is active; before launch, confirm the setting matches the public-release plan.
- Check block templates: if the front page still differs from Reading, inspect Appearance → Editor → Templates → Front Page.
Troubleshoot settings that seem not to work
The homepage still shows posts after selecting a static Page
- Confirm that you clicked Save Changes.
- Make sure the selected homepage Page is published.
- Check that the homepage and Posts page are different Pages.
- On a block theme, inspect the Front Page template in the Site Editor; it overrides Reading.
- Clear any page or browser cache only after confirming the WordPress setting, then test in a private window.
The static homepage appears, but the blog Page is empty or wrong
- Verify that the intended blog Page is selected in the Posts page field.
- Ensure it is a separate published Page.
- Do not expect ordinary editor text on that Page to appear as the post list; WordPress uses the Page as a posts display location.
- Check the theme’s archive or template design if the posts exist but the layout is unexpected.
The number of posts on the site is not the number in the feed
Check both numeric fields. Blog pages show at most affects the web listing, while Syndication feeds show the most recent affects feed output. They are intentionally independent.
The feed contains a long article instead of a summary
- Return to Settings → Reading and choose Summary/Excerpt under the feed article option.
- Save the change.
- Check whether your feed reader is displaying a previously cached item.
- Inspect the post’s manual Excerpt field. A custom excerpt gives the most control; without one, WordPress may fall back to the first 55 words.
Search engines are not finding the site after launch
Review Search engine visibility. If the development request remains selected, clear it and save. Also confirm that you are checking the production site and allow time for search engines to revisit it; the Reading setting does not guarantee immediate indexing.
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Changing Reading settings has no visible effect on a block theme
Open Appearance → Editor → Templates and inspect Front Page. A custom Front Page template has priority. Edit or remove that template according to the intended design, then save and test again.
Keep the settings maintainable
- Document whether the front page is intentionally a post feed or a static landing Page.
- Record the names of the selected homepage and Posts page so another administrator can identify them quickly.
- Keep site and feed post counts documented separately; they answer different visitor needs.
- Write manual excerpts for important posts when the first paragraph is not a suitable feed summary.
- Include a pre-launch check of Search engine visibility in the release checklist.
- For block themes, document whether the Site Editor’s Front Page template or Reading controls the front page.
- After theme changes or WordPress upgrades, repeat the front-page and feed verification because labels and template behavior can evolve.
Key points to remember
Settings → Reading is the starting point for homepage mode, site post count, feed post count, feed text format, and the search-visibility request. A static homepage requires published Pages, with the homepage and Posts page kept separate. Feed settings do not mirror site-list settings automatically. Manual excerpts provide the most predictable summaries, while a missing excerpt can fall back to the first 55 words. On block themes, a Site Editor Front Page template overrides the Reading homepage choice, so inspect that template whenever the setting appears to be ignored.
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