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How to Change the Front Page in WordPress (Set a Static Homepage)

Set a static WordPress homepage in minutes. This guide explains the required pages, Reading Settings and Customizer paths, Posts page assignment, theme conflicts, and troubleshooting when the wrong page appears.
WorldWordPress Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To change the front page in WordPress, first create the page you want visitors to see. Then open Settings > Reading, choose A static page under Your homepage displays (the wording can vary), select your page in the Homepage dropdown, choose a separate Posts page for your blog if needed, and click Save Changes.

The page selected as the homepage and the page selected as the Posts page serve different jobs. The homepage is your site’s landing page; the Posts page is the index where WordPress lists your blog posts. A theme may also add its own front-page controls, so check the theme documentation if the standard setting does not produce the expected result.

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Before you change the front page: create the pages

WordPress can only assign an existing page as the front page. Create and publish that page before opening the reading settings.

Create a homepage

  1. Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
  2. Go to Pages > Add New.
  3. Give the page a clear title, such as Home, Welcome, or Game Reviews.
  4. Add the content you want visitors to see when they arrive at your domain. This can be a welcome message, featured content, navigation links, or any other material your theme supports.
  5. Publish the page. A draft or privately published page will not be a dependable choice for a public front page.

The title you use is only an example; WordPress uses the page you select later, not a page name that it recognizes automatically. You can name the page something different if that better fits your site.

Create a page for posts

If you publish a blog, create a second page for the post archive. Repeat Pages > Add New, title the page Blog (or another descriptive name), and publish it. The page can be completely blank. WordPress uses it as a location for the posts index when you assign it as the Posts page.

You do not have to create a Posts page if you want the front page itself to show your latest posts. In that case, leave the site set to display the latest posts instead of a static page, or configure only the options your theme provides.

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How to change the front page in WordPress with Reading Settings

This is the main method and works independently of the page editor.

  1. From the dashboard, open Settings > Reading.
  2. Find the section labeled Your homepage displays. Some WordPress versions or themes use wording such as Front page displays.
  3. Select A static page.
  4. Open the Homepage dropdown and select the page you created for the front page.
  5. If you created a blog page, open the Posts page dropdown and select it. For example, select the blank page titled Blog.
  6. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

The change takes effect after the settings are saved. Visit your site’s root address in a new browser tab to check the result. If you are logged in, also test a private or incognito window so a cached view does not mislead you.

What each dropdown controls

Setting What visitors see Typical choice
Homepage The page displayed at the site’s main address. A page titled Home or a custom landing page.
Posts page The archive where WordPress lists your blog posts. A blank page titled Blog or News.

These assignments are separate. Selecting a homepage does not automatically decide where posts appear, and selecting a Posts page does not make that page the front page.

Set a static page as your homepage in WordPress: a practical example

Suppose your site currently opens on a stream of recent posts, but you want a designed landing page with a featured game, an introduction, and links to review categories.

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  1. Create and publish a page titled Home with that landing-page content.
  2. Create and publish a second page titled Blog. Leave its content area blank.
  3. Open Settings > Reading.
  4. Choose A static page.
  5. Set Homepage to Home.
  6. Set Posts page to Blog.
  7. Save the settings.
  8. Open the site root to confirm that the landing page appears, then open the Blog page to confirm that your posts are listed there.

When you edit the landing page later, you are editing the content visitors see at the front of the site. When you publish a new post, it appears in the Posts page archive rather than replacing the landing page.

Change the homepage through the Customizer

The official WordPress guide identifies two places for the static-front-page setting: Reading Settings and the Customizer. The Customizer can be convenient when you are already previewing theme changes.

  1. Open the Customizer from the dashboard. Its location and name can vary with the active theme and WordPress version.
  2. Find the section for homepage or front-page settings.
  3. Choose the option for a static page.
  4. Select the page to use as the homepage and, when available, select the page for posts.
  5. Use the Customizer’s publish or save control.

If you cannot find a homepage section in the Customizer, use Settings > Reading instead. The two interfaces change the same underlying front-page assignment; they are not two independent homepage systems.

How the static front page and posts page work together

The homepage is a normal WordPress page

Your selected homepage remains an editable item under Pages. You can revise its text, images, blocks, or other page content there. Changing the page’s title does not change which page is assigned; the assignment remains tied to the page you selected until you choose another one.

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The Posts page is an archive location

A Posts page is a designated location for the site’s post list. Because WordPress generates the list, the page’s own editor content may not be shown in the same way as an ordinary page. Keep the page available and published, but do not add essential introductory text there unless your theme documents that it will display it.

Pages and posts are different content types

Pages are generally used for stable sections such as Home, About, or Contact. Posts are time-ordered entries such as news, guides, and updates. Choosing a static homepage changes where visitors enter the site; it does not convert posts into pages or move existing content.

WordPress homepage not showing my page: troubleshooting

If the selected page does not appear at the site address, work through these checks in order. They cover the most common causes without changing unrelated settings.

Confirm that the setting was saved

Return to Settings > Reading and check that A static page is still selected and that the Homepage dropdown shows the intended page. If it does not, select the page again and click Save Changes. A browser back button or an abandoned edit screen does not apply the setting.

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Check that you selected the correct page

Sites often contain similarly named pages, such as an old “Home” draft and a newer “Homepage” page. Open Pages > All Pages and verify the title and content of the page selected in Reading Settings. Edit the assigned page rather than creating another page with a similar name.

Make sure the page exists and is public

The page must already exist before it can be selected. If you deleted it, moved it to the trash, or changed its visibility, choose a currently published page or restore and publish the intended one, then save the reading settings again.

Check the Posts page assignment

If the wrong content appears at a URL, verify that you did not select your blog page as the homepage by mistake. The Homepage dropdown controls the site root; the Posts page dropdown controls the post archive. They should normally point to two different pages.

Test for a cached view

After saving, reload the page in a private window or another browser. A cached browser or site layer can temporarily show the previous front page even though WordPress has accepted the new setting. If the private window shows the new page, clear the cache using the caching system configured for your site before judging the change unsuccessful.

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Look for theme-specific front-page controls

Some themes include their own front-page features. A theme may offer a separate layout selector, starter homepage, or front-page panel that affects what is rendered. Read the documentation for the active theme and look for a setting that controls the front page. Do not assume that changing an unrelated menu, template, or widget will replace the Reading setting.

Check the Customizer if the labels differ

Dashboard labels vary across WordPress versions and themes. You may see Front page displays instead of Your homepage displays, or the static-page controls may be exposed in the Customizer. The important choices are still the static-page option, the Homepage page, and the Posts page.

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When a theme’s own homepage settings take precedence

The standard WordPress assignment tells the system which page is the front page, but a theme can add another layer of presentation. For example, a theme may provide a dedicated front-page layout or require you to select sections in its own settings. If the assigned page is correct but the design does not resemble the page editor, consult the active theme’s documentation for its front-page workflow.

  • Record which theme is active before changing theme settings.
  • Look for a front-page, homepage, starter-site, or layout option in that theme’s documentation.
  • Confirm that the theme’s selected page or layout matches the page chosen in Reading Settings.
  • Save the theme-specific option, then test the public site again.

Theme-specific controls do not necessarily mean the WordPress setting failed. They may determine how the selected page is rendered or provide a separate designed front-page experience.

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How to change back to the latest-posts homepage

If you decide that the blog stream should be the front page again, return to Settings > Reading and select the option that displays your latest posts instead of A static page. Save the change and open the site root to verify it. Your previously assigned homepage and Posts page are not deleted; they simply stop being used as the front-page arrangement until you select the static-page option again.

Choosing the right arrangement

Goal Reading Settings choice Page setup
Show newest articles immediately Display latest posts. A separate Posts page is not required for the front-page stream.
Show a designed landing page and keep a blog Select A static page. Choose the landing page as Homepage and a second page as Posts page.
Show a landing page without a post archive Select A static page. Choose the landing page; leave the Posts page unassigned unless your site needs an archive.

Choose based on the first action you want a visitor to take. A static page is useful when the site needs a stable introduction or featured destination; a latest-posts layout is suited to sites where freshness and chronology are the primary navigation.

Final verification checklist

  • The intended homepage was created under Pages > Add New and published.
  • The optional Posts page was created separately and can remain blank.
  • Settings > Reading shows the static-page option selected when a custom homepage is required.
  • The Homepage dropdown points to the intended landing page.
  • The Posts page dropdown points to the intended blog archive, if used.
  • Save Changes was clicked after every assignment.
  • The public site was checked in a fresh or private browser window.
  • The active theme’s documentation was consulted if its own front-page controls affect the output.

With those assignments in place, WordPress has a clear distinction between the page visitors see first and the location where your posts are listed.

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