How to Change the Author of a Post in WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems, allowing users to create and manage blogs, websites, and eCommerce stores. Sometimes, you may need to change the author of a post, whether due to a transfer of responsibility, an error, or other reasons. Fortunately, WordPress makes this process easy. In this article, we’ll walk you through step-by-step instructions on how to change the author of a post in WordPress.

Why Change the Author of a Post?

Before diving into the steps, let’s briefly discuss why you might need to change the author of a post:

Content Reassignment: You may have a team of writers, and you want to reassign a post to a different author.

Admin Tasks: Admins or editors might write a post but want to assign it to the original content creator after publishing.

Mistaken Author Assignment: A post might be accidentally published under the wrong author’s name.

User Role Changes: If an author leaves your website, the content can be reassigned to another person.

Step-by-Step Guide to Change the Author of a Post

1. Log In to Your WordPress Dashboard

Start by logging into your WordPress admin panel. To do this, go to http://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin and enter your credentials (username and password).

Once logged in, you’ll be taken to the WordPress Dashboard.

2. Go to the Posts Section

On the left-hand side of your dashboard, you will find a menu.

Hover over or click on the "Posts" option. A dropdown will appear with several options.

Select "All Posts" to see the list of posts published on your site.

3. Edit the Post

From the list of posts, find the post for which you want to change the author.

Hover over the title of the post you want to edit, and you’ll see a few options, including "Edit". Click on "Edit".

You’ll be taken to the post editor page.

4. Access the Author Dropdown

Once you are in the post editor, scroll down to the "Author" box. This box is usually located in the "Document" panel on the right-hand side.

If you don’t see the "Author" option, don’t worry—it’s just hidden. To reveal it, click on the three dots (vertical ellipsis) at the top right corner of the editor screen.

Select "Options" from the dropdown. A settings menu will appear. From this menu, enable the "Author" option.

5. Change the Author

After enabling the "Author" option, you’ll now see a dropdown menu in the post editor.

This dropdown lists all the users registered on your WordPress site. You can choose a new author from this list.

Select the name of the new author and the post will be assigned to them.

6. Update or Publish the Post

After changing the author, scroll up to the top-right of the screen.

Click the "Update" button to save your changes. If the post hasn’t been published yet, you’ll see a "Publish" button instead.

Once you click "Update" or "Publish", the author of the post will be changed.

Alternative Method for Changing the Author in Quick Edit

If you want to change the author without opening the post editor, you can use the Quick Edit feature.

Go to the All Posts Section

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Posts > All Posts.

Quick Edit

Find the post you want to edit and hover over the title. You’ll see a few options.

Click on "Quick Edit".

Change the Author

In the Quick Edit view, you’ll see a dropdown labeled "Author".

Select a new author from the dropdown menu.

Save Changes

After selecting the new author, click "Update" to save your changes.

Changing the Author in Bulk (for Multiple Posts)

If you need to change the author for multiple posts at once, WordPress allows you to do this in bulk.

Go to All Posts

From the dashboard, go to Posts > All Posts.

Select Posts

On the posts list page, check the box next to each post you want to change the author for. Alternatively, click the top checkbox to select all posts on the page.

Bulk Actions

At the top of the page, you’ll see a "Bulk Actions" dropdown. Select "Edit" and click "Apply".

Change the Author

In the bulk editing menu that appears, find the "Author" dropdown.

Select the new author for the posts you selected.

Update

After selecting the new author, click "Update" to apply the changes to all selected posts.

Things to Keep in Mind When Changing the Author

User Roles: Only users with Editor or Administrator roles can change the author of a post. Contributors and authors can’t change the author of a post they have written.

Content Ownership: Changing the author doesn't affect the actual content of the post. The new author will be listed, but the original post content remains the same.

Permalinks: Changing the author doesn’t affect the URL (permalink) of the post. The link will still be the same, but the author name on the post page will be updated.

Conclusion

Changing the author of a post in WordPress is a simple process that can be done either through the post editor or using Quick Edit. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily manage the authorship of your posts and ensure that your content is attributed correctly. Whether you need to reassign posts due to a team change or correct an accidental author assignment, WordPress provides an efficient way to manage authorship on your site.