WordPress Block Editor – Categories Block
This tutorial is part of our series WordPress Gutenberg: The Ultimate Guide For Non-Technical WordPress Users
- To learn more about using the WordPress block editor interface, go here: The WordPress Block Editor – Content Area
- To learn more about using blocks, see this tutorial: How To Use WordPress Block Editor Blocks
- For additional information, see this tutorial on How To Use Post Categories In WordPress.
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Categories Block – Description
The Categories block organizes and displays your published posts as a list of categories. Use this block to provide your site visitors with a useful way to discover your related posts.
![Sample content with a Categories block.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-001.jpg)
How To Use The Categories Block
In this section, we’ll cover:
- How to add a Categories block to your content.
- How to edit and configure your Categories block and block settings.
- How to remove the Categories block from your content.
For more details on using blocks (e.g. how to move blocks around your content), see this tutorial: How To Use Blocks.
Adding A Categories Block
To add a Categories block to your content:
- Either:
- Click on the ‘Add Block’ tool in the Editing Toolbar section and select a Categories block (in Most Used or Widgets section), or
- Add the Categories block in the Content Area.
- Use the tools in the Categories block Editor or Block Settings section to edit your category list.
Let’s go through the above steps:
First, create a new post or page or open an existing post or page and either:
Click on the ‘Add Block’ tool and select the Categories block…
![Add Block Tool - Add Categories block](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-002.gif)
Or, select a Categories block using the Inserter tool in the Content Area.
![Categories block](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-003.gif)
(Add a Categories Block from the Content Area)
After adding a Categories block, you can:
- Edit and configure block settings,
- Save, publish, or update your post or page.
How To Edit A Categories block
To edit a Categories block:
- Click inside the Categories block to select it.
- Use the Block Editor tools to:
- Reposition the Categories block in your content using the Drag block tool and Move up and down arrows.
- Change the alignment of the categories list.
- Perform additional tasks using the More Options feature.
- Use the Block Settings to change category settings.
Use the Block Editor to change block alignment.
![Align Categories block.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-004.png)
Use Block Settings to change category settings.
![Categories block settings.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-005.gif)
Remember to update and publish your post or page to save your settings.
How To Remove A Categories Block
To delete or remove a categories block:
- Click inside the Categories Block to select it.
- Select the ‘More Options’ tool in the Block Editor.
- Click on ‘Remove Block’.
- The block will be removed from your post or page.
![Removing a Categories block.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-006.gif)
Additionally…
- You can reposition your block using the ‘Move Up’ and ‘Move Down’ arrows or the Drag and Drop handle tool (see this tutorial if you need help with this step: How To Use Blocks).
- You can also convert Categories blocks into Reusable Blocks.
Categories Block Tools, Options & Settings
The Categories block includes tools, options, and settings for:
- Categories Block Editor
- Categories Block Settings
Categories Block Editor
![Categories block editor.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-007.png)
The Categories block editor includes tools that let you perform the following operations:
- Change block type or style (See ‘Categories Block – Additional Info’ section below.)
- Drag block
- Move block up and down
- Change alignment:
- Align left
- Align center
- Align right
- Wide width – wide-aligned elements stick out on either side of normal content.
- Full width – stretches elements to cover the entire width of the browser window (normal content remains within margins on either side).
- More Options – See How To Use Blocks to learn how to use this section.
Categories Block Settings
![Categories block settings.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-008.png)
Categories block settings include:
- Block description area
- Categories Settings
- Display as Dropdown – Converts a list of categories into a single-line dropdown menu.
- Show Hierarchy – Display categories nested in a parent/child hierarchy.
- Show Post Counts – Displays the number of posts included under each category.
- Advanced Settings
- Additional CSS Class(es) – This field lets you add multiple CSS classes to your block separated with spaces. This allows you to write custom CSS and style the block as you see fit. Note: This requires having knowledge of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Categories Block – Additional Info
The Categories block can be converted into the following block types:
![Transform Categories block.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-009.png)
Installing plugins or themes on your site may also add new functionality, options, or settings to Categories blocks.
![Sample content with a Categories block.](https://wptrainingmanual.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elite/tut/wptm-048/WPTM-048-010.png)
Congratulations! Now you know how to use the WordPress content editor’s Categories block.
- To learn more about using categories, go here: Using WordPress Categories
- For tutorials on how to use other blocks, go here: WordPress Block Editor – How To Use Blocks
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