WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Themes» How to Add Load More Posts Button in WordPress

How to Add Load More Posts Button in WordPress

Last updated on December 6th, 2017 by Editorial Staff
141 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Add Load More Posts Button in WordPress

Do you want to add a load more posts button in WordPress? Many popular platforms allow users to load more posts when they reach to the bottom of the page. In this article, we will show you how to easily add a load more posts button in WordPress.

How to add load more posts button in WordPress

When and Why Add Load More Posts Button in WordPress

Keeping your users engaged with the content helps you get more views and ultimately more subscribers.

Many blogs use the simple ‘Older posts’ navigation link at the end of their home, blog, and archive pages. Some websites use numeric page navigation which adds more context.

However, there are certain type of websites that can benefit immensely from infinite scroll or load more posts button. Some examples include: photography websites, listicles, and viral content websites.

Instead of loading a whole new page, ‘load more posts’ button works like infinite scroll. It uses JavaScript to quickly fetch the next set of content. This improves user experience and gives them a chance to view more of your content.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily add load more posts button in your WordPress site.

Adding Load More Posts Button in WordPress

First thing you need to do is install and activate the Ajax Load More plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin will add a new menu item labeled ‘Ajax Load More’ to your WordPress admin menu. You need to click on it and head over to the plugin’s settings page.

Ajax Load More settings

On the settings page, you can choose the color of your button. You can also replace the button with infinite scroll which loads next batch of posts automatically without users clicking on the button.

Next, you need to visit Ajax Load More » Repeater Template page to add your template for displaying posts.

The plugin comes with a basic template containing the WordPress loop to display posts. However, it does not match your theme and may look out of place on your website.

To fix this, you need to copy the code your theme uses to display posts on index, archive, and blog pages.

Normally, this code is located in the template-parts folder of your theme. In that folder, you will see templates to display different content. For example content-page.php, content-search.php, and more.

You will be looking for the generic content.php template. Here is an example from our demo theme’s content.php file:

<article id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?>>
	<?php
		// Post thumbnail.
		twentyfifteen_post_thumbnail();
	?>

	<header class="entry-header">
		<?php
			if ( is_single() ) :
				the_title( '<h1 class="entry-title">', '</h1>' );
			else :
				the_title( sprintf( '<h2 class="entry-title"><a href="%s" rel="bookmark">', esc_url( get_permalink() ) ), '</a></h2>' );
			endif;
		?>
	</header><!-- .entry-header -->

	<div class="entry-content">
		<?php
			/* translators: %s: Name of current post */
			the_content( sprintf(
				__( 'Continue reading %s', 'twentyfifteen' ),
				the_title( '<span class="screen-reader-text">', '</span>', false )
			) );

			wp_link_pages( array(
				'before'      => '<div class="page-links"><span class="page-links-title">' . __( 'Pages:', 'twentyfifteen' ) . '</span>',
				'after'       => '</div>',
				'link_before' => '<span>',
				'link_after'  => '</span>',
				'pagelink'    => '<span class="screen-reader-text">' . __( 'Page', 'twentyfifteen' ) . ' </span>%',
				'separator'   => '<span class="screen-reader-text">, </span>',
			) );
		?>
	</div><!-- .entry-content -->

	<?php
		// Author bio.
		if ( is_single() && get_the_author_meta( 'description' ) ) :
			get_template_part( 'author-bio' );
		endif;
	?>

	<footer class="entry-footer">
		<?php twentyfifteen_entry_meta(); ?>
		<?php edit_post_link( __( 'Edit', 'twentyfifteen' ), '<span class="edit-link">', '</span>' ); ?>
	</footer><!-- .entry-footer -->

</article><!-- #post-## -->

Once you find that code, you need to paste it inside the Repeater Templates field in plugin settings.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Template’ button to store your settings.

Next, you need to visit Ajax Load More » Shortcode Builder page to generate the shortcode.

This page contains many different options that you can customize. First you will need to select the container type. If you are unsure, just look at the template you copied earlier. Most modern themes use the <div>; element.

After that scroll down to the button labels section. Here you can change the text that appears on the button. By default, plugin uses ‘Older Posts’, and you can change that to ‘Load more posts’ or anything you want.

Button label

Lastly, you need to choose whether you want posts to load automatically or wait for users to click on the load more posts button.

Disable scroll

Your shortcode is now ready to be used. In the right column, you will see the shortcode output. Go ahead and copy the shortcode and paste it in a text editor as you will need it in the next step.

Shortcode output

Adding Load More Posts in Your WordPress Theme

This part of the tutorial requires you to add code into your WordPress theme files. If you haven’t done this before, then take a look at our guide on how to copy and paste code in WordPress.

Don’t forget to backup your WordPress theme before making any changes.

You will need to find the template files where you want to add the load more posts button in your theme. Depending on how your theme is organized, usually these files are index.php, archives.php, categories.php, etc.

You will need to add the shortcode you copied earlier into your theme right after the endwhile; tag.

Since we are adding the shortcode in a theme file, we will need to add it inside the do_shortcode function, like this:


echo do_shortcode('[ajax_load_more container_type="div" post_type="post"]'); 			

You can now save your changes and visit your website to see the ‘Load more posts’ button in action.

Click to load more posts button preview

We hope this article helped you learn how to add load more posts button in WordPress. You may also want to see our mega list of the most useful WordPress tips, tricks, and hacks for beginners.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

141 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

  • How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

    How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

  • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

  • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

8 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Katie says:
    Jun 19, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    This article was so easy to follow, however I got stuck at this step:

    “You will need to add the shortcode you copied earlier into your theme right after the endwhile; tag.”

    I looked through index.php and anything else that could possibly contain the template files and I couldn’t find an endwhile; tag anywhere. I know this article is a couple years old; is there a new alternative code that this tag may have been replaced with?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 22, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Your theme may have a setup specific to it, we would recommend reaching out to your specific theme’s support and they should be able to let you know where you would add this.

      Reply
  2. Joe Sebastian says:
    Dec 11, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    First of all that you too much for this tut. It was a saviour. However I am having an issue. When I click on the load. more button the post get repeated once, after that it works perfectly. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

    Reply
  3. Mohammed says:
    Sep 30, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    Thank you, but it shows all post

    Reply
  4. anu says:
    Apr 2, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    i am using colormag free version is it possible to enable infinite code

    Reply
  5. Tamara Ali says:
    Feb 15, 2018 at 4:23 am

    Hello Team,

    I created my first new theme for a blog, and I want to have either load more button or infinite scroll, I applied everything in this post but the load more didn’t work and it is not functional, I’ve made few researches and nothing works,
    Would you help me please?

    Thank you
    Regards

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 15, 2018 at 5:25 pm

      Hi Tamara,

      Try deactivating all plugins and then add load more button. If it works then turn on plugins one by one to find out which plugin may be causing the compatibility issues.

      Reply
  6. Michele says:
    Dec 21, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    Perfect timing as I needed this feature today! I’ve set everything up per your instructions and they work great until I actually need to click the button on the page. It looks like the load is pending but then doesn’t do anything else. Couldn’t find a similar issue on their support. Any thoughts?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
WPForms Logo
WPForms
Drag & Drop WordPress Form Builder Plugin. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
SeedProd Logo
SeedProd Coupon
Get 50% OFF SeedProd Coming Soon Page plugin for WordPress.
Cozmoslabs
Cozmoslabs Coupon
Get 15% OFF on Cozmoslabs WordPress premium plugins.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.