In this tutorial, we will show you a little trick to rearrange the post writing screen of WordPress. This quick change can enhance your post writing experience by providing quick access to most used options.
Why Rearranging the Post Writing Screen is Helpful?
After using WordPress for a few weeks, you may observe that there are some widgets on the post edit screen that you do not use at all. For example, I do not use "Post Type" option. Similarly, you will also observer that you use certain sections of that screen more often, but are placed on the downward side of the screen. For me, one such option is featured image.
So, you might think that it would be nice if you could rearrange the WordPress post edit screen in a way you want. Cheers... It's absolutely possible!
In this article, you will learn how to rearrange the post writing screen in WordPress to improve your writing experience.
How to Rearrange the Post Writing Screen in WordPress:
When you first install WordPress, the default layout of your post edit screen looks somewhat like the below:
Note: It may appear differently depending on the theme and plugins you have installed. You may see additional buttons, options, or extra meta boxes inside the Visual post editor.
All the default and custom metaboxes on that post edit screen can be hidden, minimized, and rearranged.
To minimize a meta box you need to click on the upward arrow icon appears on the right corner next to the title of the meta box. This will also change the upward arrow into a downward arrow sign. To maximize it, just click on the downward arrow sign displayed next to the title of the meta box.
In order to change the position of the metaboxes, just click and hold on a meta box title and then drag it to rearrange its position on the WordPress post edit screen. You can move the metabox downwards and upwards. These metaboxes can be moved to two different areas within the screen, i.e. - the right hand side column or at the bottom of the post content editor.
To hide any unused meta boxes from your post edit screen, you need to utilize the screen options menu. To do that, just click on the screen options button in the top right corner of the screen. A menu will appear with the checkboxes to display or hide the meta boxes on the screen.
Here, you will also get an option to choose between a single or double column layout. Single column option is especially useful for those who are working on a small screen (<15" screen).
If you need more space to concentrate on writing, WordPress also has an option called distraction free writing mode. It is a full-screen editor with minimal options visible on the screen. To enable that, just click on the full-screen button on the visual post editor or press ALT+Shift+W (for Mac: Options+Shift+W) keys on your keyboard.
In the full-screen distraction-free writing mode, all metaboxes are hidden except basic formatting buttons, post title, and the post editor. The left side navigation toolbar and other metaboxes only show up when you move your mouse outside post editor.
You can experiment with the arrangement to improve your writing experience. The best part is that all these customizations are user specific. That means each user (author) can have their own arrangement without impacting the other author’s screen arrangement.
We hope that you have enjoyed the above article explaining how to rearrange the WordPress post edit screen to improve your writing experience. Be with us to explore free training on Leading Technologies and Certifications.
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