Widgets Tab

This article discusses:

WHERE TO ACCESS THE WIDGETS TAB

The Widgets tab may be accessed by going to Appearance > Customize > Widgets. 

Alternatively, you may access all widget areas by going to Appearance > Widgets from your WordPress dashboard.

Here's a sample screenshot of how the Widgets tab looks for one of our Hayes theme demos. Your theme's Widget tab may not mirror this exactly, but it will look similar:

Within the Widgets tab, notice the series of  widget area sub-tabs. Clicking into any one of these widget areas allows you to add individual widgets to your theme. By customizing each of these widget areas, you can feature the content, links, posts, social platforms, images (and more!) that matter to you and your readers.

NEW TO WIDGETS?

ENABLING WIDGET AREAS FOR YOUR THEME

Depending on your theme, widget areas may appear by default, or you may need to enable them in other parts of the Customizer.

To view all default widget areas, simply navigate to Appearance > Customize > Widgets.

For other widget areas, here are places to look for and enable these areas, based on each theme:

Hayes & Pearl Themes → enable widgets in the Blog Feed Tab

Look for these sub-tabs:

  • Post Feeds 1, 2 and 3 (any post feed layouts with sidebar capability will enable sidebar widget areas)
  • Interstitials (enable any interstitial area to enable the corresponding widget area)
  • Blog Archives (enabling select feed layouts with sidebar capability will enable sidebar widget areas)
  • Learn more about the Hayes and Pearl Blog Feed tab here.

 Pearl Theme → enable widgets in the Footer Options Tab

  • Enable up to three columns to enable corresponding footer widget areas. Learn more here.

Rania, Presidio, Brevier → Blog Feed Tab

  • Enable any layout with a sidebar to enable the corresponding sidebar widget area. Learn more here.

NOTE: At the end of this article, we have listed all available widget areas for each theme, and how to add/enable them.

BLOCK VS. CLASSIC WIDGET EDITING

After accessing a widget area, the widget customizer will load on the left side of your Customizer screen. Depending on how your WordPress site is configured, widgets will load in one of two formats: Block-based or with Classic layout.

What's the difference?

In the September of 2021, WordPress released updates to its Customizer widget editor. Mirroring the use and functionality of the post and page Gutenberg blocks system, WordPress users now have the option of using a  blocks-based widget editor directly in the Customizer. Here's a visual example of how the two formats differ:

If you're a longtime WordPress user, this change may feel confusing. Luckily, if you don't want to use the new blocks system, WordPress has released the Classic Widgets plugin, which restores the previous widgets settings screens and disables the block editor from managing widgets.

Developers may opt to manually restore the Classic widgets editor within the site PHP. If you are a developer or an advanced WordPress user capable of writing and editing PHP, you may find instructions on how to disable the new widget block editor default here. 

Does the format I choose change how the widgets look on my site?

No, it should not. Because the block-based editor is fairly new though, it is possible that some block widgets—even ones native to WordPress—might be a little difficult to edit within the Customizer. Or, EmPress widgets may look different in the Customizer than they do in our sample screenshots around the site. If you're concerned, you can simply install the Classic Widgets plugin from WordPress.

ADDING A WIDGET TO A WIDGET AREA (Customizer Method, Classic Widget)

The steps below discuss how to add a widget to a widget area via the Customizer, with the Classic Widgets plugin enabled.

1. To add a widget to any widget area, simply click on the widget area tab.

2. Next, click on the blue +Add a widget button.

3. A panel will load to the right. Scroll through the list of available widgets, and add your favorite(s).

4. For each widget you add, be sure to carefully read the instructions to customize it as needed. Once the widget settings are in place, the widget will update in the Customizer, so you can preview it.

Here is a short video showing the above steps in action:

5. Continue adding widgets to each widget area of your theme. Remember that in many cases, you can add multiple widgets to one widget area! 

TROUBLESHOOTING WIDGET AREAS

If you have landed on the Widgets tab and  don't see the widget area you are trying to customize (for example, you want to add a widget to a sidebar but there's no tab connected to that sidebar), please troubleshoot with this Help Desk article.

LIST OF ALL WIDGET AREAS BY THEME


Barton Theme
  • Post Feed 1, 2, 3, Sidebars
    • Must be enabled under Blog Feed > Post Feed 1, 2, and/or 3 (choose a layout with a sidebar)
    • Appears within corresponding Blog Feed sidebars
  • Showcase Column 1, 2, 3
    • Must be enabled under Showcase Options > Showcase Column 1, 2, or 3 
    • Showcase appears atop Home Page
  • Interstitial 1, 2, 3
    • Must be enabled under Blog Feed > Interstitials
    • Appears after corresponding Post Feeds on the Home Page
  • Home Featured Interstitial
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: underneath the Home Page Showcase
  • Header Featured
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears above the header and top navigation, on every page of the site
  • Footer Featured
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above footer widget area, on every page of the site
  • Footer
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: below the Footer Featured widget area, and above the Footer menu, on every page of the site
Hayes Theme
  • Home Featured Interstitial
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: underneath the Featured Post
  • Post Feed 1, 2, 3, Sidebars
    • Must be enabled under Blog Feed > Post Feed 1, 2, and/or 3 (choose a layout with a sidebar)
    • Appears within corresponding Blog Feed sidebars
  • Interstitial 1, 2, 3
    • Must be enabled under Blog Feed > Interstitials
    • Appears after corresponding Post Feeds on the Home Page
  • Archival sidebar
    • Must be enabled
    • Appears ONLY if Post Feeds 1, 2, 3 do not have a sidebar, AND if Blog Feed > Blog Archives Options is assigned a layout WITH a sidebar
  • Footer Featured
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above footer area
Pearl Theme
  • Home Featured Interstitial
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: underneath the slider, if enabled
  • Post Feed 2 Sidebar
    • Must be enabled under Blog Feed > Post Feed 2 (choose a layout with a sidebar)
    • Appears within corresponding Post Feed 2 sidebar of Home Page
  • Interstitial 1, 2, 3
    • Must be enabled under Blog Feed > Interstitials
    • Appears after corresponding Post Feeds on the Home Page
  • Archival sidebar
    • Must be enabled
    • Appears ONLY if Post Feeds 2 does not have a sidebar, AND if Blog Feed > Blog Archives Options is assigned a layout WITH a sidebar
  • Footer Featured
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above footer area
  • Footer Left, Right, Center
    • Must be enabled under Footer Options tab. 
    • If one-column layout selected, only Footer Center widget area will appear. If two-column layout selected, Footer Left and Footer Right widget areas will appear. If three-column layout selected, all three widget areas will appear.
Rania Theme
  • Featured Interstitial
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: underneath featured posts atop Home Page, if using
  • Sidebar Section Top
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar next to the first series of posts, after the Featured Interstitial
  • Sidebar Main or Section Bottom
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar in the feed following the Interstitial Post Grid, if enabled
  • Interstitial #1
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Control where it appears under the Interstitials tab
  • Interstitial #2
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Control where it appears under the Interstitials tab
  • Footer
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
Presidio Theme
  • Featured Interstitial
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: underneath featured post atop Home Page
  • Shopping Widget (find this under its own tab under Appearance > Customize > Shopping Widget)
    • Must be turned on within the individual tab 
    • May be used only with affiliate shopping widget. If you wish to add a different type of widget to this area, UNCHECK Enable shopping widget here, then navigate to the Widgets tab and click on the Featured Interstitial widget area.
  • Sidebar Section Top
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar next to the first series of posts, between the Featured Interstitial and Interstitial #1, if enabled
  • Sidebar Section Middle
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar/post feed between interstitials, only if both are active.
  • Sidebar Section Main or Section Bottom
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the blog feed after the second interstitial (if using), or the sidebar used if no interstitials are enabled at all
  • Interstitial #1
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Control where it appears under the Interstitials tab

    Interstitial #2

    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Control where it appears under the Interstitials tab
  • Footer
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
    • Default widget area (no need to enable)
    • Appears: underneath featured posts atop Home Page, if using
  • Sidebar Section Top
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar next to the first series of posts, after the Featured Interstitial
  • Sidebar Main or Section Bottom
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar in the feed following the Interstitial Post Grid, if enabled
  • Interstitial #1
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Control where it appears under the Interstitials tab
  • Interstitial #2
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Control where it appears under the Interstitials tab
  • Footer
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
  • Instagram
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
Miramar Theme
  • Shopping Widget (find this under its own tab under Appearance > Customize > Shopping Widget)
    • Must be turned on within the individual tab with path above
    • May be used only with affiliate shopping widget. 
  • Interstitial (Topics) Widget (find this under its own tab under Appearance > Customize > Interstitial)
    • Must be turned on within the individual tab with path above
    • Edit the widget directly within its tab
  • Footer 
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
Brevier Theme
  • Sidebar 
    • Appears if a sidebar has been enabled under Blog Feed
    • Corresponds to the sidebar that runs alongside blog posts throughout the site
  • Footer 
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
Archer Theme
  • Footer 
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu
  • Instagram
    • Default widget (no need to enable)
    • Appears directly above the footer menu