Change the author of a WordPress post

Why change the author?

WordPress is a program for building websites. Every post has an author, which is the user account that wrote it. The name shows under the title in many themes. You may need to change it if the wrong person published the post, or if a writer left and someone else takes over.

You can only pick users who already have an account. They need a role that can write, such as Author, Editor or Administrator. A role is a set of rights given to a user.

Method 1: In the post editor

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click Posts, then All Posts.
3. Click the title of the post to open it.
4. Open the settings panel on the right. If it is hidden, click the settings icon in the top right corner.
5. Click the Post tab.
6. In the Summary section, find the Author list.
7. Choose the new author.
8. Click Update.

In the older Classic Editor, the Author box may be hidden. Click Screen Options at the top of the page. Tick Author. A new box appears on the page. Pick the new author there and click Update.

Method 2: Quick Edit

1. Go to Posts, then All Posts.
2. Hover over the post title.
3. Click Quick Edit.
4. Find the Author drop-down list.
5. Choose a new name.
6. Click Update.

Method 3: Change many posts at once

1. Go to Posts, then All Posts.
2. Tick the box next to each post you want to change.
3. Pick Edit in the Bulk actions list and click Apply.
4. In the panel that opens, choose the new name in Author.
5. Click Update.

If the user is missing from the list

The person may not have the right role. Go to Users, then All Users. Edit the user and set Role to Author or higher. Then try again.

Quick recap

• The author is the user account tied to a post.
• Change it in the editor, with Quick Edit, or in bulk.
• The new author needs an account and a role that can write.
• Click Update to save.