The WordPress Screen Options Tab

Learn about the WordPress Screen Options tab in this tutorial …

The WordPress Screen Options Tab

The WordPress Screen Options TabIn this tutorial, we’ll look at the WordPress Screen Options tab – a feature of WordPress that can help you display ‘hidden’ options, view additional functions and settings and customize different sections of your WordPress administration area.

Related tutorials:

Display Hidden Options And Customize Sections Of Your WordPress Dashboard

Next time you log into your WordPress Dashboard, take a look at the top right-hand corner of your screen. You should see a tab called ‘Screen Options’.

The WordPress Screen Options Tab
The WordPress Screen Options Tab

Depending on which section of WordPress you are working on and what plugins you have installed on your site, clicking on the ‘Screen Options’ tab will reveal a range of additional ‘hidden’ options for that section.

Clicking on the Screen Options Tab reveals additional options
Click on the Screen Options Tab to reveal additional options.

Ticking and unticking checkboxes in the ‘Screen Options’ tab lets you hide or display the features available for that section. You can also adjust settings here, such as the number of items to display in a menu or list or view lists in different ways.

For example, if you go to your WordPress dashboard, you will see options to display or hide information panels like the Welcome, At a Glance, Activity, WordPress Events and News, etc.

WordPress Dashboard - Screen Options Tab
WordPress Dashboard – Screen Options Tab

If you’re looking at your Posts screen, you will see options to display or hide fields like Author, Categories, Tags, Pagination, View Mode, etc.

WordPress Posts - Screen Options Tab
WordPress Posts – Screen Options Tab

And if you are editing a post, you will see options related to displaying or hiding elements of the edit post screen, such as Revisions, Excerpt, Comments, Featured Image, etc.

Edit Post - Screen Options Tab
Edit Post – Screen Options Tab

In most cases, ticking or unticking checkboxes in the Screen Options tab will display or hide screen elements immediately. Some options require clicking the ‘Apply’ button to configure the screen.

Display or hide screen options by ticking or unticking checkboxes.
Display or hide screen options by ticking or unticking checkboxes.

Info

If there are no available options for a specific section or screen, the ‘Screen Options’ tab will not display.

The Screen Options tab does not display on all WordPress screens.
The Screen Options tab does not display on all WordPress screens.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for next time you’re working in your WordPress administration area, check the ‘Screen Options’ tab.

Chances are, the function or option you’re looking for is there, but it’s just hidden from view.

Hopefully, this tutorial has given you a better understanding of the WordPress Screen Options tab and how to use it.

The WordPress Screen Options Tab
The WordPress Screen Options Tab

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