How to Change the Number of Posts Displayed On Your WordPress Blog Page

Managing the number of posts that show up on your blog page gives you more control over how visitors experience your site. Instead of being locked into the default settings, you can decide whether you want a shorter feed that highlights your latest updates or a longer list that encourages browsing.

In this guide, you’ll learn the different ways to change the number of posts displayed on your blog page, how those changes affect your site, and what you should consider before making adjustments. Whether you’re using the default settings, a plugin, or a custom theme, we’ll walk you through the options, step by step.

How WordPress decides the number of posts to show

When you install WordPress, the system is set to show ten posts on your blog page by default. A setting in your WordPress dashboard controls the number of posts that appear on your main blog page, category pages, tag pages, and other archive-style templates across your site.

If you haven’t changed this yet, the default number that you see is ten.

Method 1: Change the number of posts via WordPress settings

This is the most common and user-friendly method. It works for most WordPress themes and takes less than a minute.

To do this, log into your WordPress dashboard, then look for Settings on the left-hand side. Then, click Reading.

Look on the page for the setting that reads “Blog pages show at most” and input the number of posts you want to display.

Lastly, scroll down and click Save Changes. 

That’s it. Your blog page will now show the number of posts you set.

Method 2: Adjust post count in a custom loop (for developers)

If your site uses a custom theme or template that doesn’t rely on the default WordPress settings, the number of posts shown may be controlled directly in the code. This usually applies when the blog page is created with a custom query or template rather than the standards options under Settings → Reading.

If you’re comfortable editing PHP files, look for the file handling the blog index. This might be home.php, index.php, or a custom template file.

Look for a query that defines the number of posts. You’ll often see something like this:

$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'post',
    'posts_per_page' => 10,
);
$query = new WP_Query($args);
To change the number of posts, adjust the posts_per_page value:
'posts_per_page' => 5,

Before you start making changes to code, though, be sure to use a child theme if you’re editing theme files. This way, your changes won’t get lost during updates. Also, back up your site before editing any code.

Once you’re done making edits, clear or refresh your cache to see the updated post count.

Method 3: Use a plugin for more control

If you want more flexibility without editing code, a plugin can provide finer control over how many posts display across different parts of your site. Some plugins let you set unique post counts for the blog index, category archives, search results, or even custom taxonomies.

Here are two useful plugins worth considering: 

• Advanced Post Block: This plugin lets you design custom post grids and lists with options for how many posts to display per block. It’s a useful choice if you want different counts on different pages.
• TaxoPress: Use this plugin to manage categories, tags, and taxonomies. It also includes settings for how content is displayed, like how many posts appear in archives.

Once installed, these plugins usually add new settings panels or block options where you can choose how many posts to show in specific contexts.

Method 4: Change posts per page with the REST API 

This is a more advanced option, but if you have the development skills, it’s worth looking into. If you’re building a headless WordPress site or working with the REST API, you can control how many posts are returned by using the per_page parameter in your requests.

Here’s an example request:

https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts?per_page=5

This code snippet will return five posts per page. By default, WordPress allows up to 100 posts per page. If you need more, the server or theme can raise this limit, but most setups keep 100 as the maximum for performance reasons.

This method is mainly useful if you’re:

• Fetching posts for a custom JavaScript front end, like React, Vue, or Next.js.
• Integrating WordPress content into a mobile app.
• Working with external applications that pull in your site’s posts.

Things to consider before changing post counts

Changing the number of posts that display on a page affects the look of your blog and influences site performance, user experience, and even how search engines crawl the content. It’s worth thinking through these factors before settling on a number.

Impact on performance

Showing more posts per page means that your site has to load more images, scripts, and layout elements at once. That can slow down page speed, especially on mobile devices or slower connections. That being said, showing fewer posts per page can speed up load time, which improves performance but may increase the number of requests if visitors need to click through multiple pages. 

Impact on user experience

A very long page with dozens of posts feels overwhelming and much harder to scan. Visitors may give up before finding the content they want. In contrast, too few posts per page frustrates readers if they have to keep clicking “Next.” 

The ideal number depends on your content style and audience. A photography blog might be better with fewer posts per page, while a text-heavy blog could comfortably show more. Test different post counts to find what works best for your audience.

What about pagination?

When you change the number of posts per page, WordPress automatically updates the pagination to match.

For example, if you have 30 posts and you set the display count to five, your blog page will show six pages. If it was set to ten posts per page, you’d only see three pages.

Customize how pagination looks and functions with plugins like WP-PageNavi or themes with built-in pagination styles.

Troubleshooting common issues

If the number of posts doesn’t update the way you expect, don’t worry: it usually comes down to caching or overrides. Start by clearing your browser cache and, if you’re using a caching plugin like WP Super Cache, clear that as well. 

If the problem persists, your theme or page builder may be overriding the global settings. Developers sometimes use the pre_get_posts function or custom loops in theme files to control post output. In other cases, a plugin may be forcing its own post count. Try disabling plugins one at a time to see if one of them is the culprit.

Speed up your content process with Jetpack AI Assistant

Adjusting the number of posts that show on your blog page can shape performance and how visitors interact with your content. Once you’ve found a layout that feels right, the next step involves keeping your site fresh with consistent updates.

That’s where Jetpack AI Assistant can really help. Built directly into the WordPress editor, Jetpack AI Assistant helps you:

• Write new blog posts and pages from scratch using clear prompts
• Rewrite or shorten content to match your style and tone
• Create quick headlines, calls to action, or meta descriptions
• Translate your posts into multiple languages without extra tools
• Get real-time content suggestions without ever leaving your dashboard

It’s simple to use. Just type a prompt or ask a question in the block editor, and the AI Assistant responds in seconds. It helps you go from idea to draft much faster than writing everything on your own. Use it as often as you like while keeping full control over the final result.

To try it out, just make sure Jetpack is installed and activated, then look for the Jetpack AI block in your block editor. It works smoothly with your existing workflow and requires no setup.

Jen Swisher

Jen is a Customer Experience Specialist for Jetpack. She has been working with WordPress and Jetpack for over a decade. Before starting at Automattic, Jen helped small businesses, local non-profits, and Fortune 50 companies create engaging web experiences for their customers. She is passionate about teaching others how to create on the web without fear.