Last Update: September 13, 2024
On version 5.9 WordPress released a new feature called Site Editing which utilized templates as its main feature to build the whole site.
Templates are different from Pages. Templates are located in Appearance->Editor and can be used to edit the whole frontend aspect of the side including 404, archives, search, categories, etc.
How to Create a Template
1. First, you need to go to Appearance->Editor (If your site doesn't have this option then it means the Theme you're using is not a block theme or doesn't support Site Editing).
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-create-template-1.png)
2. Inside the editor, you will see many options on the left sidebar. Choose Template.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-create-template-2.png)
3. After that, click the + button to add a new template.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-create-template-3.png)
4. A popup will appear and choose a template mode, in this example we choose Custom Template.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-create-template-4.png)
5. Another popup will appear, input your template name and click the create button.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-create-template-5.png)
Your template is now ready to use, happy building!
How to Use a Template
1. Go to the Pages dashboard
2. The quickest way is to click on the Quick Edit option, choose a template you want to use for that template, and click Update.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-use-template-1.png)
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-use-template-2.png)
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-use-template-3.png)
3. Another option is to Edit the page and click on the Page tab on the right sidebar. Click on Template and choose Swap Template.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-use-template-4.png)
4. Then a popup of a template list will appear choose a template you want to use and then update the page.
![](https://gutenverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/docs-use-template-5.png)
Your template is now assigned to a page and you can preview it.
NOTE: Only Custom Templates can be assigned to a page, default templates such as Front Page, 404, Archives, etc cannot be assigned to a page.