Before we delve into the details, let’s first understand what a category is in the WordPress context. A category in WordPress usually covers a broad scope of subtopics and can be used to sort and group your content into different sections. You might want to delete a category if it’s no longer necessary or relevant to your website.
Step 1: Access Your WordPress Dashboard
First, you will need to access your WordPress dashboard. You can do this by typing your website URL followed by /wp-admin. So for example, if your website is www.example.com, you will type www.example.com/wp-admin into your browser’s address bar.
Next, log in using your WordPress credentials i.e., your username and password.
Step 2: Navigate to Categories
Once you have logged in, you’ll see a sidebar menu on your left, search for the Posts option and click on it. Upon clicking on Posts, you will notice a dropdown menu, from there select the Categories option.
Step 3: Deleting the Category
On the categories page, you’ll see a list of all your categories. Each category has different options under it, including Edit, Quick Edit, Delete, and View.
To delete a category, simply hover over that category to trigger these options. Click on the Delete button and WordPress will ask for your confirmation before it deletes this category.
Bear in mind, when you delete a category having posts in it, these posts will be automatically shifted to the default category.
Note: WordPress does not allow you to leave posts un-categorized. Therefore, if your posts are not categorised after deletion, they’ll be automatically moved to your default category. You can change your default category in the writing settings.
Step 4: Confirmation and Completion
After you confirm the deletion, WordPress will instantly remove your chosen category from the category list. It will also take any related posts out of that category and move them into your default category.
Tip! Deleting a category does not delete the posts within the category. Instead, it just removes them from that category. Remember to recategorize these posts if necessary.
Using a Plugin to Delete Categories
If your website contains a significant number of categories that you want to delete, doing this manually can be tedious and time-consuming. In such cases, a WordPress plugin like Batch-Move Posts wp plugin can be quite useful. This plugin can move or delete posts from a category, tag, or custom taxonomy.
To summarize:
- Log in to the WordPress Dashboard.
- From the ‘Posts’ menu, select ‘Categories’.
- Hover over the category name.
- Click the ‘Delete’ option.
- Confirm the deletion.
We hope this detailed guide helps you in seamlessly managing your WordPress categories. Always remember that thoughtful categorization is a stepping stone towards a well-organized and easily navigable site!