There may be times when you need to assign a WordPress post to a different author than the one who originally created it. If you’re new to managing multiple users in WordPress, you might be curious about how to accomplish this.
At CanadaCreate, we operate a multi-author blog and frequently reassign posts to various writers for improved content management. For instance, one writer might draft a post initially, while another may revise it later to align with current standards. Therefore, we recognize the importance of knowing how to efficiently change the author’s name.
Whether you’re reassigning content after a team member departs, giving credit to the appropriate contributor, or reorganizing your content strategy, WordPress allows you to easily change a post’s author without the need for copying and pasting to another account.
In this article, we will guide you through the simple process of changing the author of a post in WordPress with just a few clicks.
Steps to Take Before Changing the Author of a WordPress Post
If you simply want your name to appear as the author on a post written by another user on your WordPress blog, you can proceed with the instructions in this article.
However, if you wish to display a different user as the author, you must first ensure that this user is registered on your WordPress website.
For comprehensive guidance, refer to our beginner’s guide on adding new users and authors in WordPress.
You can view and manage all users on your WordPress site by navigating to the Users menu option while logged in with your WordPress administrator account.
If you simply want to modify how your name appears, check out our guide on adding or changing your full name in WordPress.
Now, let’s explore how to quickly and easily change the author of a post in WordPress. There are several methods available, so feel free to use the links below to jump to your preferred method:
- Method 1: Changing the Author in the Block Editor
- Method 2: Changing the Author in the Classic Editor
- Method 3: Changing the Author Using Quick Edit
- Method 4: Changing the Author of Multiple WordPress Posts
- Bonus: Optimizing Your Author Profiles for SEO
Method 1: Changing the Author in the Block Editor
If you are using the Gutenberg block editor, this method is for you.
First, open the WordPress page or post where you want to change the author’s name.
Navigate to the right-hand sidebar and ensure the ‘Post’ tab is selected. Then, locate the ‘Author’ option in the ‘Summary’ section, where you’ll find a list of authors to choose from.
Select the new author’s name from the dropdown menu.
After making your selection, remember to click the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button to save your changes.
Method 2: Changing the Author in the Classic Editor
If you’re using the classic WordPress editor, follow this method.
Start by opening the post or page where you want to change the author’s name.
You might not see the author panel on the page because it hasn’t been activated in your classic editor yet.
To enable the author panel, click on the Screen Options button located in the top right corner. This will display a menu with various options to show or hide on your post-edit screen.
Check the box next to the ‘Author’ option.
The author panel should now appear on the screen below the visual editor.
You can change the author’s name by opening the dropdown menu under the ‘Author’ option.
After selecting a new author, remember to click the ‘Update’ or ‘Save Draft’ button to ensure your changes are saved.
Method 3: Changing the Author Using Quick Edit
For a quick way to change the WordPress post author, this method is ideal. There’s no need to access the post editor.
Begin by navigating to the Posts » All Posts section in your WordPress dashboard.
Next, hover over the post you want to edit and click the ‘Quick Edit’ link that appears beneath it.
This will bring up the Quick Edit panel on your screen.
In this panel, click on the current author’s name and choose a new author from the dropdown list.
Finally, click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.
Method 4: Changing the Author for Multiple WordPress Posts
If you need to update the authors of several posts at once, this method is perfect for you.
To perform a bulk author update, first go to the Posts » All Posts section from the WordPress admin sidebar.
By default, WordPress displays 20 posts per page. To show more posts, click on Screen Options and adjust the number of posts displayed.
First, choose the posts for which you want to change the author.
Next, select the ‘Edit’ option from the ‘Bulk Actions’ dropdown menu and click the ‘Apply’ button.
You will now see the Bulk Edit meta box in WordPress.
From this box, simply select the new author using the dropdown menu next to the ‘Author’ option.
After making your selections, remember to click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.
Bonus: Tips for Enhancing Your Author Profiles for SEO
Lastly, consider optimizing your author profile pages to boost your SEO performance.
The author profile is displayed at the end of blog posts written under your name.
In this section, you can include a short biography, links, and your social media profiles.
By featuring your author bio, you can enhance your credibility and provide readers with an opportunity to learn more about you and the other authors on your site.
WordPress allows you to add a short author bio, but to include social media links, you’ll need the All in One SEO plugin.
Additionally, AIOSEO can be used to optimize author pages, making it the top SEO plugin for WordPress, utilized by over 3 million websites.
Begin by installing and activating the AIOSEO plugin. For comprehensive guidance, refer to our detailed step-by-step tutorial on installing a WordPress plugin.
After activation, simply go to the Users » Profile section in the WordPress admin sidebar. If you do not have administrator access, click on the ‘Profile’ menu tab in the admin sidebar.
Once there, switch to the ‘Social Profiles’ tab located at the top of the page.
Here, you can add links to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles, as well as create an author biography.
After making the necessary updates, remember to click the ‘Update Profile’ button to save your changes.
Users will now see your updated author biography at the bottom of any post you publish or modify.
We hope this article has helped you understand how to change the author of a post in WordPress. You may also want to check out our beginner’s guide on adding or removing capabilities for user roles in WordPress, along with our expert recommendations for the best front-end posting plugins for WordPress.
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