How to Edit WordPress Footer Copyright, Links (4 Best Methods)

The footer is normally the least tended-to and most undervalued section of your WordPress site. It appears at the bottom of every page and can play various roles, including branding, promoting user experience, and enhancing the site’s search engine optimization techniques. Common elements in a footer include copyright information and disclaimers, quick navigation links, social media icons, and recent posts or newsletter sign-up widgets. 

However, plenty of classic WordPress themes come with default WordPress footer text, such as “Powered by WordPress” or theme-specific credits, which you may want to modify or remove entirely to maintain a professional and customized appearance. Fortunately, WordPress offers several ways to edit the footer to suit your website’s branding and functional needs.

In this article, you will find the many ways of modifying the WordPress footer to add improved branding efforts and functionality to your site. Whether changing the default copyright text, removing unwanted links, or adding other custom features, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. From this post, you will learn different techniques that range from simple customization to more complete advanced editing of the WordPress footer.

Understanding the WordPress Footer

The footer, the bottom section of your site, is one of the most important and commonly neglected areas. It has its function and adds to the user experience. A footer usually contains elements like copyright, links to your key pages such as Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and legal disclaimers as well as links to your social media profiles. Also, footers can often be digitized to display contact information, recent blog posts, or even a newsletter sign-up form so that you can engage with your visitors in an even more dynamic way.

Editing and changing your site’s footer is a chance to show off your site’s branding, making it attractive and boosting overall design. Personalized footers also enhance the user experience by providing important resources quickly and helping navigate the site. Other than aesthetics and usability, footers can affect your website’s SEO. The search engines recognize the footer links on a website, and strategically optimizing them can lead to higher rankings. For these reasons, taking the extra steps to personalize and optimize this area of your site can greatly enhance both user experience and search engine optimization.

WordPress Footer: Classic Theme vs Block Theme

Customization differs for the classic and block WordPress themes when it comes to modifying the footer.

Classic Theme Customization: Older themes invariably required a line or two of coding for making changes to the footer; it could be through the inheritance of the footer.php file, custom CSS, or through applying a child theme- where any amendments made to it won’t be lost in an update. This allows for a lot of customizations, while at the same time, the innards of technicalities could easily boggle someone with no skills in coding.

Block Theme Customization: Hardcore coding is therefore completely out of the question for users with block themes like the CozyThemes. A user-friendly interface composed of a footer builder drag-and-drop widgets and countless other customizable options through the WordPress Customizer or theme settings makes it easy for users to tweak their footers. 

Feature	Classic Theme Footer	Block Theme Footer
Customization Method	Manual coding (PHP, CSS)	Drag-and-drop editor
Editing File	footer.php	WordPress Site Editor
Ease of Use	Requires Coding Knowledge	Beginner Friendly
Update Safety	Changes can be lost after updates (unless using a child theme)	Changes remain intact after theme updates
Customization Scope	Highly flexible but technical	Flexible with pre-designed block patterns
Real-Time Preview	No (requires saving and refreshing)	Yes, with live preview

Methods to Edit the WordPress Footer in Classic Themes

Depending on your theme capability, how much and what kind of modification you would want to do, and based on your comfortability doing the technical job, editing your site’s footer in WordPress may be done using various approaches described below. There are easier ways of doing this that require minimal knowledge of coding, and more complex ones where even greater detail can be achieved but which require some knowledge of PHP, HTML, or other theme files. In the following sections, we will review the most widespread methods of modifying the footer-from simple changes on WordPress Customizer to more proficient methods using theme files and plugins.

Editing Footer via WordPress Customizer

The easiest way of editing a footer is through WordPress Customizer; pretty convenient for users who desire quick changes without digging into the code. Most modern WordPress themes have options in the Customizer where the look and content of the footer can be easily changed with just a click of a few options.

Steps to Edit Footer Using the Customizer:

1. Log in to your WordPress.
2. Go to Appearance > Customize from the sidebar.
3. In the Customizer, look for the Footer section. 
4. You may expect editing options to change the footer text, discard unnecessary links, and change footer widgets, among many other things under this section. Some themes let you add social media icons, custom HTML, or your brand. 
5. Once you’ve made the necessary changes, click Publish to save your edits.

If your theme supports direct footer modifications within the Customizer, this is the easiest and safest method. It avoids dealing with code and ensures that your customizations persist even if the theme is updated.

Editing Footer Using the Theme Editor (footer.php & functions.php)

If the footer cannot be customized directly from the Customizer, customizations can only be made through the WordPress Theme Editor and manual editing of the footer code. This process requires some basic knowledge of PHP and HTML, but it gives complete control over the footer’s content and structure. You will edit files such as footer.php and functions.php to remove the default footer elements or add new ones.

Steps to Edit Footer Manually:

1. Go to Appearance > Theme Editor in the WordPress dashboard.
2. In the right sidebar, find and open the footer.php file. This is where most footer-related content, including copyright text and links, is stored.
3. Locate the section of code that contains the footer text or unwanted links. It might look something like this:
   <div class=”site-info”>
   <p>Powered by WordPress</p>
   </div>
4. Modify the content, whether changing the text, removing certain elements, or replacing them with your custom footer information.
5. After making your changes, click the Update File to save.

Notes:

• Whenever making changes to the theme, the files should be first backed up. That is how one gets the original when something goes awry.
• If you upgrade your theme, your edits to footer.php will get wiped out. For this reason, it is highly recommended to make changes to a child theme so that the edits are not lost when upgrading your theme.

If you want to make the footer text dynamic, to customize it based on certain conditions you can also modify the functions.php file with the following code:

function custom_footer_text() {
return ‘Your Custom Footer Text Here’;
}
add_filter(‘theme_footer_text’, ‘custom_footer_text’);

Using WordPress Footer Plugins

If you’re not keen on fiddling with the code, a WordPress block plugin for editing the footer is a great alternative. WordPress boasts a variety of footer plugins that allow you to edit the footer text, links, and widgets without any coding skills. These plugins provide an easy, code-free way to edit the footer and usually come equipped with other add-ons for advanced adjustments. 

Best WordPress Footer Plugins

• Remove Footer Credit – This plugin enables easy customization of footer text and allows you to add custom HTML, such as social media links or contact information.
• Header Footer Code Manager: This plugin allows you to attach custom scripts or content to your site’s header and footer areas without directly editing theme files.
• Header Footer Post Injection: A multi-purpose plugin for editing footer content for a wide array of themes, with the possibility of adding text, links, or code.

Steps to Edit Footer Using a Plugin:

1. You can install the required plugin by going to Plugins > Add New and searching for any plugin you need to use.
2. After installation and activation, you can access this plugin settings from the Settings section in the dashboard.
3. You can make desired changes, such as footer text, links, or widgets. Most plugins have straightforward processes for editing this content.
4. Check to see if your changes were saved successfully. Then, click on the site to see if it appears correctly.

Plugins are a great choice for changing footer options without editing the code. Users who prefer an uncomplicated approach will also appreciate this option.

Editing Footer Widgets

Many themes also support adding a widget footer, where users can easily add or remove content via the widget management interface. This is ideal for users who may want to display extra content-such as recent posts, contact information, social media links, and so on-without touching any code.

Steps to Edit WordPress Footer with Widgets:

1. Go to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Look for the footer widget areas (e.g., Footer 1, Footer 2, etc.). These are typically located near the bottom of the widget page.
3. You can now add, remove, or customize widgets in these areas. For example, you can add a text widget with custom HTML, a recent posts widget, or a contact form widget.
4. Once you’ve made your desired changes, click Save and preview your site to see the updated footer.

Editing footer widgets is one of the easiest and most flexible ways to modify the footer content without needing to touch the underlying code. This method is also ideal for users who want to create a dynamic, content-rich footer that changes over time.

How to Remove “Powered by WordPress” from the footer

Well, most WordPress themes come with that “Powered by WordPress” text in their footer sections. That may be good for some; for others, it’s necessary to remove or change it into something that makes more sense with your brand. Fortunately, removing or changing this footer text can be done with several methods. You can easily style your footer through the WordPress Customizer, Theme Editor, or a plugin-whichever option you feel most comfortable using. Let’s take a more detailed look at each approach below.

Method 1: Remove via Customizer

For users who prefer an easy, code-free solution, the WordPress Customizer is the simplest way to remove or modify the “Powered by WordPress” text, provided your theme supports this option. Most modern themes allow you to make such adjustments directly via the Customizer, making this option easy for beginners or people who want a quick solution.

Steps to Remove via Customizer:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to Appearance > Customize.
2. Depending on your theme, this section may be called Footer Settings, Theme Settings, or Widgets.
3. In the settings, you may be able to change or delete the footer text option. If there is a space for editing, you could delete or replace the “Powered by WordPress” text with your wording. 
4. Once you’ve made your changes, click Publish to save and apply them.

This method is ideal for those who are not comfortable with code and want to modify the footer in a few simple steps.

Method 2: Remove via Theme Editor

If your theme doesn’t offer an option to remove or replace the footer text through the Customizer, you can do so manually by editing the theme files through the Theme Editor. This method provides greater flexibility, but it requires a basic understanding of HTML and PHP. You’ll be editing the footer.php file, which controls the footer content for your site.

Steps to Remove via Theme Editor:

1. Go to Appearance > Theme Editor in your WordPress dashboard.
2. In the right-hand sidebar, find and open the footer.php file. This is where the footer code, including the “Powered by WordPress” text, is stored.
3. Look for the line that contains the “Powered by WordPress” text, which may look something like this:<div class=”site-info”><p>Powered by WordPress</p>
   </div>

    4. Delete this line or change it to read your desired footer text.
5. After making changes, click Update File to save your changes.

Note: Always remember to back up theme files before making any modifications. You will lose that stuff after updating your theme unless you use a child theme that preserves your changes after the updates. 

Method 3: Use a Plugin

For those who do not want to touch code, there is a great alternative: using a plugin. Plugins, like Remove Footer Credit, allow you to replace or remove the default text in the footer without having to edit anything manually. This is helpful if you want an easy, hassle-free way to change the footer for multiple themes.

Steps to Remove via Plugin:

1. Install and activate a plugin such as Remove Footer Credit from the WordPress Plugin Repository.
2. After activation, go to the plugin settings, typically found under Settings > Remove Footer Credit.
3. In the plugin settings, you’ll see options to either remove or replace the default footer text. You can remove the “Powered by WordPress” text entirely or customize it with your message.
4. Save your changes and preview your site to ensure the footer is displaying the way you want.

Using a plugin is a great choice for users who want to make this change across multiple sites or who prefer not to deal with coding at all. It’s also a safer option, as it won’t require modifying theme files directly.

---

Adding Custom Footer Text & Links

You can extend this with your branding or other helpful links to enhance your professional look and develop ease of navigation within your site. Adding text and links in the footer is rather simple, manually editing the footer.php or using other ways such as plugins. Below, we’ll go over how to add custom footer text and links to your WordPress site.

Adding Custom Text

1. Go to Appearance > Theme Editor and open the footer.php file.
2. Find the section where you want to add your text and insert
   <p>&copy; 2024 YourWebsite.com. All Rights Reserved.</p>
3. Save your changes and preview your site.

Adding Custom Links

1. In the footer.php file, add links.
2. Save the file and preview your site.

These quick edits let you personalize your footer with custom text and helpful links for users.

---

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Footer Changes Not Appearing?

If your footer changes aren’t showing up, try clearing your browser and WordPress cache. Cached versions of your site might prevent the new changes from displaying. Additionally, ensure that your theme isn’t overriding the footer settings, as some themes have built-in options that might conflict with manual changes. Lastly, double-check that you’re editing the correct footer file (footer.php) in the Theme Editor.

Footer Disappears After Editing?

If the footer does not appear after being edited, the issue can be due to a particular coding error. If possible, revert to the version of footer.php from the backup. Then, check for syntax errors, like a missing tag to close or HTML correctness, since they can break your footer display. Correcting those will bring it back.

FAQs

Conclusion

Customizing your WordPress footer is a simple yet powerful way to improve your site’s appearance, functionality, and SEO. Various approaches are available, such as using the Customizer, editing the Theme Editor, or installing plugins. You can customize your footer by what you need to change: maybe removing some default text, placing your brand, or developing navigation. With these adjustments, you’ll take the user experience to a new level. Take your time to give it your look and make the website just yours.