How to Change the Author of Post in WordPress (5 Easy Ways)

Are you looking for a way to change the Author of a post in WordPress?

Sometimes you may want to change a post to a different author than the one who first uploaded it. You can do it without using a different account or copying and pasting the post.

In this guide, we’ll show you some scenarios in which you might need to change the Author of a WordPress post. Then we’ll show you different ways to change the Author in a WordPress.

Why Might You Need to Change the Author of a WordPress Post?

There are many reasons when you may need to change the author name in WordPress. Even though it doesn’t happen regularly, there are times when it is essential.

The first cause could be that the post’s Author is no longer with you. This is common if you have a team of authors working on your site. If a writer leaves, you may want to change the Author’s name on their posts.

Another scenario is if the post was first written by a ghostwriter whom you later hired to work for you. If you previously published their post under a different name, you may need to update that now that the original Author works with you.

When a writer chooses to use a different name, it could be necessary to change the Author of the post. This may be due to a name change or for any other reason.

Having said that, let’s look at how to easily change the Author of a WordPress post.

How to Change the Author of a WordPress Post (5 Easy Ways)

There are various reasons discussed above why you might want to change the Author in WordPress. Below are some of the easy ways to change the author on WordPress.

How to Change the Post Author in Block Editor

If you’re using the WordPress Gutenberg block editor, you must first open the Post where you want to change the author name. Next, make sure Post is selected in the right-hand sidebar on the post edit screen.

Post Author Option in Gutenberg

Then, under the Status & Visibility section, find Author, and you’ll see a list of available writers to pick from. You must choose the new Author’s name from the dropdown menu.

Select Post Author in Gutenberg

After that, make sure to click Update or Save Draft to save your changes.

That’s all; you’ve successfully changed the Author of a post in the Gutenberg block editor.

How to Change the Post Author in Classic Editor

If you’re using the classic WordPress editor, go to the post where you want to change the author name. If you’ve just started a WordPress blog, you’re unlikely to see the author panel in the editor.

To see the Author option, you will need to click on the Screen Options button at the top right corner of the screen. This will give a menu with various options that you can show or hide on your post-edit screen.

Simply Check the checkbox next to the Author option.

Author Option Under Screen Options

Now, the author panel should be visible on the screen. Once you click on the current Author’s name, a list of other authors will appear for you to choose from.

Select and Update Author in Classic Editor

Once you have selected a new author, click on the Update or Save Draft button to save your changes.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully changed the post author in the classic editor.

How to Change the Author With WordPress Quick Edit

You can also easily change the Author of a post from the Quick Edit screen when browsing all posts from the Posts » All Posts page.

First, you should hover your mouse over the post you want to change, and a menu should appear. Now click on the Quick Edit link.

Post Quick Edit Link

Now, the Quick Edit metabox will be visible. Next, click on the current Author’s name and then choose a new author from the list. Once selected, click Update to save your changes.

Select New Author And Update

That’s It! You have successfully changed the Author of the post using Quick Edit.

How to Change the Author of WordPress Multiple Post

Changing the Author for various posts using the above ways would take a long time. However, there is a faster way to change the Author for multiple WordPress posts at once.

To bulk update authors, go to the Posts » All Posts page first. This will display a list of each post on your WordPress website.

WordPress, by default, displays 20 posts per page. If you want to see more posts, go to Screen Options and adjust the number of posts you want to see.

WordPress Posts Per Page Option Under Screen Options

Then, select the posts where you want to change the Author.

After selecting the posts, select Edit from the Bulk Actions dropdown menu and then click the Apply button.

Select Edit Form Bulk Options

WordPress will now show the Bulk Edit metabox. Click on the dropdown menu next to the Author option to select the new Author.

Change and Update Multiple Post Author in WordPress

Don’t forget to click the Update button to save your changes.

That’s it; you’ve successfully changed the Author of many WordPress posts without having to change each one individually.

Hide or Remove An Author From WordPress Posts

Sometimes you may not want to display your author name at all. You might be the only person who writes for your blog, or you might want your readers to concentrate only on your content.

There are two ways to do this: using plugins or directly editing your theme files. In this guide, we’ll use the plugin method.

First, you must install and activate the WP Meta and Date Remover plugin. If you’ve never installed a plugin before, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

WP Meta and Date Remover – WordPress Plugin

Once installed, go to Settings » WP Meta and Date Remover to open the plugin settings page.

WP Meta and Date Remover Plugin Settings

Here, you can enable all things in Primary Settings Tab, and click on the Save Changes button to save your changes.

Bonus Tips – Change Author in WordPress

How to Add a New Author in WordPress

If you want to assign an existing post to a new author, the Author must exist.

To add a new author, go to Users » Add New from your WordPress dashboard.

On the next page, you need to enter the username and email of the Author you want to create. Then create a password for that user.

Next, click on the Role dropdown and select the Author from the list of user roles.

Add New Author in WordPress

Once all set, click on the Add New User button to create a new author for your blog post.

Best WordPress Author Box Plugins

1. Simple Author Box

Simple Author Box – WordPress Plugin

Simple Author Box inserts an author box at the bottom of each post. It allows you to include the Author’s gravatar, biography, and, most significantly, social media icons. This increases the Author’s social media profile and may help them attract more visitors.

2. WP Post Author

WP Post Author – Best WordPress Author Box Plugin

WP Post Author is an easy-to-use author bio plugin. It blends perfectly with your site’s design and content.

This plugin will show the Author’s avatar, name, company role, a short bio, and social media icons.

You have control over which aspects of the author bio appear, as well as the alignment of the text and author image.

To show your author bio in your sidebar and other sections of your website, you may use three different widgets and a shortcode.

3. Starbox

Starbox – WordPress Author Box Plugin

Starbox is a flexible author box plugin. It lets you select from a range of designs to create the ideal author box for your website. You can put the author box at the bottom or top of the post. Additionally, It supports icons for most major social networks.

If you have an online store, this plugin can work with WooCommerce to display individual author bios.

Conclusion

The WordPress author section allows you to add and show information about the Author of a specific post. If you need to change this information or the Author, we’ve shown you five ways to do it on your WordPress website.

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