Do you want to merge and bulk edit categories and tags in WordPress? Find out in this WordPress tutorial how to easily merge and edit categories and tags in wordpress

After a while, most WordPress blogs need a spring cleaning. Sometimes this requires moving posts between categories and tags, or merging similar categories and tags.

In this article, we will show you how to merge and bulk edit categories and tags in WordPress.

But before, if you have never installed WordPress discover How to Install a WordPress Blog in 7 Steps et How to search, install and activate a WordPress theme on your blog 

Then back to why we are here.

Why and when to merge categories and tags in WordPress?

When creating your WordPress website, you will use categories and tags to organize the content of your website.

This allows website visitors to quickly find the content they are looking for. Proper use of categories and tags is also good for improving your WordPress SEO ranking.

But over time, you may have too many categories and tags that you no longer use. Or, your categories and tags may be too similar and may be categorized under a single category or tag.

One way to solve this problem is to modify each article of WordPress blog and reassign categories and tags. However, if you have a lot of posts, it can take a long time.

The best solution is to bulk edit your WordPress categories and tags.

That said, let's take a look at how to bulk edit and merge categories in WordPress step by step.

Bulk edit categories and tags with built-in WordPress settings

The WordPress Posts Dashboard includes settings that allow you to manage your post categories and tags.

If you want to assign a category to multiple posts, add tags, or transfer single posts from one category to another, you can do so in your WordPress admin dashboard.

Bulk add multiple posts to a new WordPress category

First, go to Articles -> All articles and check the box next to the items you want to edit.

Next, click on the “Bulk Actions” drop-down menu, select the “Edit” option and click “Apply”.

bulk add multiple posts to a new WordPress category

This will bring up a new section which will show the bulk editing tools.

To add the items to a new category, simply check the box corresponding to the new category(ies). You can also add new Tags or Item Tags to the "Tags" field.

Note: Items can only be added to new categories, they cannot be deleted from the existing category.

Then click on the button 'Update profile'.

Now your items will automatically be assigned to the new category you selected.

Manually Transfer Posts to New WordPress Categories

If you only have a few articles, you can move them individually to a new category.

In the post dashboard, hover over the post you want to edit and click the " Quick modification ».

Manually Transfer Posts to New WordPress Categories

This brings up a section similar to the bulk editing tools section above.

Now you can uncheck the current category and check the box for the new category. You can also add or remove tags in the “Tags” area.

WordPress tutorial - merge and edit categories

Be sure to click the " Update profile To save your changes.

Merge and Bulk Edit Categories and Tags in WordPress

If you want to merge and bulk edit categories and tags, you can use a WordPress Plugin.

We recommend using the Term Management Tools plugin. It is easy to bulk manage your tags and categories with just a few clicks with it.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After activation, you need to go to Articles -> Categories and click on the “Bulk actions” drop-down menu.

Term Management Tools plugin - merge and edit categories

You will notice that there are a few new bulk actions that have been added to the menu. Now you can set a new parent category, merge categories and tags together, and edit taxonomies.

Merge a WordPress category into another category

To merge categories, simply check the box next to the categories you want to merge.

Then select " Merge in the “Bulk Actions” drop-down menu and type in the name of the category you want to merge.

Then click on the button Apply ».

Merge a WordPress category into another category

Switch from WordPress category to tag or custom taxonomy

To switch an existing category to a tag, simply check the box corresponding to the category.

Next, select "change taxonomy" from the " bulk actions ", and click on the button " Apply ».

Also discover to go further How to convert categories to taxonomies on WordPress

Your category will transition to an article tag or custom taxonomy.

Assign a parent category to multiple categories

Then you can assign a single parent category to multiple categories.

To do this, check the boxes corresponding to your new child categories and select " Assign Parent in the “Bulk Actions” drop-down list.

Next, choose your parent category from the “ No »And click on« Apply ».

Assign a parent category to multiple categories

If you want to move from tags to categories and merge existing tags, just go to Articles » Labels.

Then follow the same steps as above.

Other recommended resources

We also invite you to consult the resources below to go further in the grip and control of your website and blog.

Conclusion

There ! That's it for this tutorial. We hope this article helped you learn how to merge and bulk edit categories and tags in WordPress.

However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation.

But, in the meantime, don't forget to leave us your Comments and suggestions in the dedicated section.

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