WordPress Widgets Reference

Widget Description Usage
Text Adds arbitrary text or HTML to your sidebar. Can be used for announcements, advertisements, or custom content. Appearance → Widgets → Add Text widget
Categories Displays a list or dropdown of all categories. Shows post counts for each category. Widget area → Categories widget → Configure display options
Recent Posts Shows the most recent posts from your blog. Configurable number of posts to display. Widget area → Recent Posts → Set number of posts
Recent Comments Displays the most recent comments on your site. Shows comment excerpt and author. Widget area → Recent Comments → Configure display count
Archives Shows monthly archives of your posts. Can be displayed as a dropdown or list. Widget area → Archives → Choose dropdown or list format
Tag Cloud Displays your most used tags in a cloud format. Tag size indicates frequency of use. Widget area → Tag Cloud → Configure taxonomy and display options
Calendar Displays a calendar of your posts. Dates with posts are linked. Shows current month by default. Widget area → Calendar → Automatically displays post calendar
Custom Menu Displays a custom menu in your widget area. Create menus in Appearance → Menus. Widget area → Custom Menu → Select menu to display
RSS Displays entries from any RSS or Atom feed. Shows feed title, items, and meta information. Widget area → RSS → Enter feed URL and configure items
Search Adds a search form to your widget area. Allows visitors to search your site content. Widget area → Search → No configuration needed
Pages Displays a list of your site's pages. Can sort by page title, menu order, or page ID. Widget area → Pages → Configure sort order and exclusions
Meta Displays login, RSS, and WordPress.org links. Useful for admin access and site feeds. Widget area → Meta → Displays standard WordPress meta links
Audio Embeds an audio player in your widget area. Supports MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV, and WMA formats. Widget area → Audio → Add audio file URL or upload file
Video Embeds a video player in your widget area. Supports YouTube, Vimeo, and self-hosted videos. Widget area → Video → Add video URL or upload file
Image Displays an image in your widget area. Can link to a URL, media file, or attachment page. Widget area → Image → Upload image and configure link
Gallery Displays an image gallery in your widget area. Create galleries from the Media Library. Widget area → Gallery → Select images and configure display
Navigation Menu Displays a navigation menu created in Appearance → Menus. Replaces Custom Menu in newer versions. Widget area → Navigation Menu → Select menu from dropdown
HTML Adds custom HTML code to your widget area. Useful for embedding third-party content or scripts. Widget area → Custom HTML → Add HTML code
Shortcode Executes shortcodes in your widget area. Paste any shortcode to display its output. Widget area → Shortcode → Add shortcode code