Change the WordPress Homepage
To change the WordPress homepage, publish the page you want, open Settings → Reading, choose A static page, select it as Homepage and click Save Changes. If the theme has a Front Page template, that template still controls the root, so edit it in Appearance → Editor. Check the result in a private window.
For WordPress site owners on classic or block themes who want a specific page at the site root and need to fix it when it will not change.
knowledge
- Read time
- 5 min
- Sections
- 7
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026.
How does WordPress decide what the homepage shows?
Two things decide the WordPress homepage: the Reading setting (latest posts or a static page) and the theme's template hierarchy, where a Front Page template wins whenever it exists. Most "homepage will not change" problems come from the second part.
| Reading: "Your homepage displays" | Theme has a Front Page template? | What visitors see | Where to edit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your latest posts | No | Newest posts, via the Blog Home or Index template | The posts themselves |
| Your latest posts | Yes | The Front Page template | Appearance → Editor |
| A static page | No | The page you picked, in the Page template | Pages → that page |
| A static page | Yes | The Front Page template; your page's content appears only if the template contains a Post Content block | Editor, then the page |
To see which kind of theme you have, look under Appearance. An Editor item means a block theme; Customize without Editor means a classic theme. The homepage setting never changes your domain, which lives under Settings → General as the Site Address.
How do you set a static page as the WordPress homepage?
Publish the page first, then choose it under Settings → Reading → A static page and click Save Changes. The Homepage dropdown lists published pages only, so a draft or a private page will not appear.
- Go to Pages → Add New, build the page and click Publish.
- Open Settings → Reading.
- Under Your homepage displays, select A static page.
- In Homepage, pick the page. Leave Posts page on "— Select —" for now if you have no blog.
- Click Save Changes, then open the domain in a private window and check that the first heading matches your page.
If you manage the site over SSH, WP-CLI does the same in three commands. Find the page ID first, then set the two options:
wp post list --post_type=page --fields=ID,post_title,post_status
wp option update show_on_front page
wp option update page_on_front 42Replace 42 with your page's ID. show_on_front accepts posts or page; setting it back to posts restores the latest-posts homepage.
Where do blog posts go after you set a static homepage?
Create an empty published page such as "Blog" and assign it as the Posts page under Settings → Reading; WordPress then lists your posts at that page's address. Leave the page body blank, because WordPress replaces it with the post loop.
Never choose the same page for both Homepage and Posts page, since one URL cannot be both. With WP-CLI the equivalent is wp option update page_for_posts 57, using the blog page's ID. On a block theme, the posts page is rendered by the Blog Home template (or Index if there is none), which you can restyle in the Editor.
How do you edit the homepage design in a block theme or a classic theme?
In a block theme, edit the homepage under Appearance → Editor; in a classic theme, edit the assigned page itself and use Appearance → Customize for theme options. Change one source at a time so you can tell which one visitors are seeing.
- Block theme, keeping the theme's design: leave Reading on latest posts, open Editor → Templates → Front Page (or the homepage preview), replace the sample blocks and Save.
- Block theme, using your own page: set the static page, then make sure the Front Page template contains a Post Content block so the page's own content renders.
- Header and footer: these are template parts shared across the site; an edit there changes every page.
- Classic theme: Customize → Homepage Settings mirrors the Reading screen; pick the same page and click Publish.
Still choosing a design? Install a WordPress theme first, because switching themes later can bring a different Front Page template with it.
How do you change the homepage when using Elementor?
Set the static page in Settings → Reading first, then open that page and click Edit with Elementor; Elementor edits the page but does not choose it. Click Update and check a private window.
If an Elementor Pro Theme Builder template has a display condition such as Entire Site or Front Page, it overrides what you built on the page. Open Templates → Theme Builder, check each template's conditions, and keep only one source for the front page.
Why is the WordPress homepage not changing?
The usual causes are an unpublished page, a Front Page template overriding the setting, or a cached copy of the old homepage. Work down this list and stop when a logged-out private window shows the right page.
- The page is a draft or private, so it never appeared in the Homepage dropdown. Publish it and save Reading again.
- The theme's Front Page template has no Post Content block. Add one, or design the homepage inside the template.
- A page-cache plugin is serving yesterday's root. Purge it; the steps are in clear the WordPress cache.
- A CDN or the browser holds an old copy. Purge the CDN or test with a query string such as
?v=2. - A coming-soon or maintenance plugin replaces the front page for logged-out visitors.
- A page builder's theme template targets the front page. Remove its condition.
On WebJi® WordPress hosting, email support@webji.services if you cannot find the server cache control; the team answers 24/7 in Hindi and English, with an average first reply under 60 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a WooCommerce shop page the homepage?
Yes. Choose the Shop page as the Homepage under Settings → Reading. WooCommerce then shows products at the root. Clear any page cache afterwards, and confirm the cart and checkout pages are still excluded from caching.
Will changing the homepage hurt my SEO?
The root URL stays the same, so no redirect is needed. What changes is the content Google sees there. Keep a clear title, a single H1 and links to your main service pages, and the old blog list will still be reachable at the posts page.
Why does the Homepage dropdown not list my page?
Only published pages appear. Drafts, scheduled pages, private pages and posts (as opposed to pages) are excluded. Publish the page under Pages, reload Settings → Reading, and it will be in the list.
How do I undo a static homepage?
Go to Settings → Reading, select Your latest posts and click Save Changes, or run wp option update show_on_front posts. The page you used stays published at its own address, so delete or draft it if you no longer need it.
Can different visitors see different homepages?
Logged-in administrators often bypass the cache and see the newest version, while visitors see a cached copy. That is why every check here uses a private window. A multilingual plugin can also serve a separate homepage per language, set inside that plugin.
Steps checked against WordPress 6.x menus and WP-CLI on 14 November 2026 · Reviewed by the WebJi® team, Jaipur.
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