How to change the footer of your Joomla website

What is a footer?

The footer is the bottom strip of every page. It often shows a copyright line, links or contact details. In Joomla, the footer text can come from a module or from the template. A module is a small box that shows content. A template is the design of the whole site.

Take a backup first, especially if you plan to edit template files.

Method 1: Edit or hide the Footer module

1. Log in to the Joomla administrator area. The address is your site plus /administrator.
2. Click Extensions, then Modules.
3. Make sure the filter is set to Site modules.
4. Search for Footer.
5. Click the module name to open it.

The standard Footer module shows a copyright line and a "Joomla is free software" note. It does not let you type free text. To hide it, set Status to Unpublished, then click Save & Close.

Method 2: Add your own footer text

1. Go to Extensions, then Modules.
2. Click New.
3. Choose Custom. (In older Joomla versions it is called Custom HTML.)
4. Type a title. Turn off Show Title if you do not want one.
5. Type your footer text in the editor box.
6. Next to Position, choose a footer position. Your template decides the names, for example footer or bottom.
7. Set Status to Published.
8. On the Menu Assignment tab, choose On all pages.
9. Click Save & Close.

Open your site and reload it. Your new text should appear.

Method 3: Change the template file

Some templates write the footer into the file itself. Use this only if you know a little HTML.

1. Go to System, then Site Templates.
2. Click the name of your template.
3. Open index.php in the editor.
4. Find the footer area. Look for a word such as footer.
5. Change the text. Do not delete any code in angle brackets that you do not understand.
6. Click Save.

Quick recap

• The footer comes from a module or the template.
• Unpublish the Footer module to hide it.
• Add a Custom module in a footer position for your own text.
• Edit index.php only if you must.
• Back up first.