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
  • 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 Display Any Number of Posts in a WordPress Loop

How to Display Any Number of Posts in a WordPress Loop

Last updated on April 10th, 2013 by Editorial Staff
3 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Special WordPress Hosting offer for WPBeginner Readers
How to Display Any Number of Posts in a WordPress Loop

The Loop is used by WordPress to display each of your posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each of the posts to be displayed on the current page and formats them according to how they match specified criteria within The Loop tags. Normally, the number of posts to be displayed is set in your WordPress Admin Panel Settings area under the readings tab. But in this article, we will show you how to override that number by using a Super Loop which will allow you to display any number of posts in that specific WordPress loop. This will allow you to customize the display of your pages including author profiles, sidebars, and more.

Open a template file where you would like to place the posts and then simply add this loop:

// if everything is in place and ready, let's start the loop
 
<?php if ( have_posts() ) : while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>

// to display 'n' number of posts, we need to execute the loop 'n' number of times
// so we define a numerical variable called '$count' and set its value to zero
// with each iteration of the loop, the value of '$count' will increase by one
// after the value of '$count' reaches the specified number, the loop will stop
// *USER: change the 'n' to the number of posts that you would like to display

<?php static $count = 0;
if ($count == "n") { break; }
else { ?>

// for CSS styling and layout purposes, we wrap the post content in a div
// we then display the entire post content via the 'the_content()' function
// *USER: change to '<?php the_excerpt(); ?>' to display post excerpts instead

<div class="post">
<?php the_title(); ?>
<?php the_content(); ?>
</div>

// here, we continue with the limiting of the number of displayed posts
// each iteration of the loop increases the value of '$count' by one
// the final two lines complete the loop and close the if statement

<?php $count++; } ?>
<?php endwhile; ?>
<?php endif; ?>

And you are done. This code will be very helpful to you specially when designing the author’s template because you would want to control the number of posts displayed in each loop.

Source: Super Loop for WordPress

3 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • Checklist

    Checklist: 15 Things You MUST DO Before Changing WordPress Themes

  • Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

  • 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

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

19 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Kevin Fonseca says:
    Aug 22, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    Hey, thank you so much for this trick, I really needed it!!. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  2. Uchenna says:
    Sep 24, 2016 at 12:08 am

    Please I need help from you guys on how to go about this. the problem is that while i have set a static front page on my Desktop view using a different theme which is Admag magazine and blog theme it appears fine and i like it but my mobile view which i used carrington theme displays nothing & when i try to call up posts on it it displays the link to the page i used on my desktop view which continues to open same link without showing any post. please who can help me find my way here. thanks in advance.
    This is my site please help me. its good on desktop but cant call up posts on mobile front page.

    Reply
  3. ali says:
    Aug 11, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    hi
    How to modify loop to split posts into groups of threes?

    example?

    Reply
  4. Khaled says:
    Apr 26, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    global $wp_query;
    $args = array_merge( $wp_query->query_vars, array( ‘posts_per_page’ => ‘6’ ) );
    query_posts( $args );
    query_posts( $args );

    Inspired from here

    Reply
  5. Absarul Haque says:
    Aug 6, 2015 at 12:41 am

    I want to show 2 Post in Home Pages and 5 Posts in all other archive pages (Like Tag, Category and search results).

    Reply
  6. Ramon Hitzeroth says:
    Jun 8, 2015 at 3:32 am

    Thanks for this tutorial. Just one question though, my posts for some reason only show 50 at most on one page, if I set “n” to anything less than 50 it shows only that number of posts but anything more than 50 it stops at 50.

    Reply
  7. Holger says:
    Jul 9, 2014 at 3:51 am

    Thanks a lot! Perfect solution for my problem… Works great.

    Reply
  8. SHWAN NAMIQ SALEEM says:
    Sep 1, 2013 at 3:49 am

    Thank you very nice code i used this code in my blog to times , to show limit posts in homepage and in sidebar > the code work correctly without any problem . it is very simple code to use

    Reply
  9. Gustavo says:
    Aug 24, 2013 at 12:24 am

    Great! Works perfectly for me. Thanks a lot.

    Reply
  10. Kirk says:
    Jun 27, 2013 at 9:00 pm

    It seems that, although I can alter the number of posts displayed using your method, the “number of posts setting” in the admin panel under Settings > Reading still sets the maximum.
    So, for instance, if I set that number to 20 in my wp-admin panel and then within my template I set $count to equal any number OVER 20, it will still only show 20 posts. I can, however, set $count in my template to equal a number UNDER 20 and it will only show that amount of posts. So, the number in the admin panel seems to be the maximum. Is there a workaround for this? Thanks

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Jul 18, 2013 at 9:41 am

      You would have to use posts_per_page in the WP_Query variable and then set count 20.

      Reply
  11. Roy Omwell says:
    Apr 5, 2013 at 1:14 am

    hi team,
    row #28 is missing “++”. It should be: count++
    otherwise thank you, that was exactly what I was looking.

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Apr 10, 2013 at 11:15 am

      Fixed it.

      Reply
  12. AliMohammedAli says:
    Oct 28, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    in line 28 .. you didn’t increment the $count variable !

    Reply
  13. JonPage11 says:
    Sep 28, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Is there any button in the menu…. that make us easiest to edit number of post in wordpress?

    Reply
  14. Carik says:
    May 5, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Can not you do it through a function or get_posts query_posts?

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      May 5, 2010 at 12:24 pm

      Yes you could do that through the posts_per_page function in query_posts … this method will allow you to customize each post on the display and much more.

      Reply
  15. Bjarni says:
    Jan 19, 2010 at 12:02 am

    Thanks for the info, it would be good if there was a link to the code in action too

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Jan 19, 2010 at 4:10 am

      Visit any of our category pages.

      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
RafflePress - WordPress Giveaway and Contest Plugin
RafflePress
Giveaway and Contest Plugin for WordPress. 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]
    • 25 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 2019 (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 (2019)
    • 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 (2019)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 1032 Users & Our Experts (2019)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2019)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • 7 Best CRM Software for Small Businesses (Compared)
    • 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 2019 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
Weglot Coupon
Get 15% OFF on Weglot multilingual plugin for WordPress.
Webnus
Webnus Coupon
Get 20% OFF on Webnus themes and plugins for WordPress.
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).

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

Copyright © 2009 - 2019 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

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