Widget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. is a fancy word for tools or content that you can add, arrange, and remove from the sidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme.(s) of your site. Widgets make it easy to customize the content of your sidebar(s). You can learn more about the widgets we offer by checking out the Related links on the right.
You can access your widgets from the Appearance -> Widgets screen in your Dashboard.
To add a widget, drag the widget from the Available Widgets or Inactive Widgets area on the left into the Sidebar area on the right. When you see a dashed line appear, you can drop the widget into place.
You can also change the order of the widgets by dragging and dropping them around in the sidebar.
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Each widget has configuration options. To make changes to a widget in the sidebar, click on the triangle on the right side.
This will open up the options for the widget. Each widget will be different. Here is an example of the Archives widget.
After you have have configured the widget, click the Save button. Clicking the Close link will minimize the configuration options again.
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If you would like to remove a widget from the sidebar, click the Delete link in the configuration options as show above.
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Accessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Mode #Accessibility Mode
If you need a more accessible way to add widgets, click Screen Options -> Enable accessibility mode to turn off the drag and drop feature.
In accessibility mode, you can add widgets to your sidebar using the Add links next to each widget name
and you can modify widgets using the Edit links.
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Why are there widgets showing up on my site that aren’t listed under my sidebar on the Appearance -> Widgets screen?
With some themes if you haven’t added any widgets to your sidebar(s), the theme will show a default set of widgets, which will not be listed in the Sidebar area.
When you add widget(s) to a sidebar the default set of widgets will no longer be used. Try adding a blank Text Widget if you don’t want anything to show up in a widget area.