WordPress continues to dominate the CMS landscape, offering thousands of plugins, endless forums, and dedicated sites. However, this vast ecosystem isn’t organized into a single, neat index. As a result, leveraging simple features like the WordPress excerpt can feel challenging if you’re unsure which method is both effective and compatible with your current WP version.
Beyond the technical的选择, consider your comfort level with manipulating code in the editor via the dashboard. Some users thrive on minimal code snippets, while those relying on the “Visual” editor may hesitate to touch CSS or PHP. This guide simplifies both approaches for the 2026/2027 era.
Why WordPress Excerpts Are Essential for Modern Blogs
The primary benefit of adding a WordPress excerpt is to truncate lengthy post bodies. Even well-written, informative content can become overwhelming or boring in long scrolls. By presenting a concise teaser, you entice visitors to click, reduce bounce rates, and increase average time on site—a powerful three-for-one engagement strategy[1].
Additionally, excerpts signal purpose and niche consistency to your audience. If a visitor on a football team’s fan site encounters unrelated posts about short-selling homes, they will likely disengage immediately. Conversely, consistent, curated content reinforces trust that they’ve arrived at the right destination. A WordPress excerpt ensures this consistency.
How to Add WordPress Excerpts in 2026: Two Proven Methods
Modern WordPress offers two primary ways to implement excerpts: using the built-in Excerpt metabox (often hidden by default) or inserting the More tag (<!--more-->) directly in your content[1][2]. For those who prefer visual plugins, the thumbnail excerpts plugin remains a viable option for users who love visuals[1].
Method 1: The Visual Editor & Excerpt Metabox
Log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Posts > All Posts (for existing posts) or Posts > Add New (for new content). To enable the Excerpt field, click the Six-Dot (Kebab) or Ellipsis icon in the top-right corner, select Options (or Preferences), and ensure the Excerpt checkbox is enabled under Screen Options[3][4][5].
Once visible (usually at the bottom of the post), type your custom summary—punchy, relevant, and no more than 50–100 characters[2]. This custom summary will replace the default auto-generated snippet wherever your theme uses the_excerpt()[4].
In the alternative, you can insert <!--more--> at the exact point you want the post to truncate. This is the modern, block-based equivalent of the old “Kitchen Sink” method, and it works seamlessly with the default WordPress editor[1].
Method 2: The CSS/PHP Code Method (For Developers)
This method involves editing your theme’s PHP files, typically index.php, category.php, or home.php[2]. Locate the following line that displays full content:
<code><?php the_content(‘Read the rest of this entry »’); ?></code>
Replace it with:
<code><?php the_excerpt(); ?></code>
To maintain a “Read More” link on individual posts, add this line below the excerpt:
<a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>" title="Read the rest of <?php the_title(); ?>">Read the rest of this entry »</a>
Optionally, control excerpt length programmatically via your theme’s functions.php file:
add_filter('excerpt_length', function($length) { return 100; });[2]. This ensures all excerpts are consistently 100 characters long, regardless of default settings.
That’s it: your site will now display optimized WordPress excerpts.
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