How to Use a Custom Page Template

Basic Usage

  1. Add a new page or Edit an existing page
  2. On the right side, there’s a Page Attributes panel. If you do not see it, at the top right corner of the screen, click on the Screen Options button. Afterward, mark the Page Attributes check box.
  3. The Page Attributes panel has a Template option. It’s a drop-down list of optional custom page templates.
  4. Select the page template you want to use.
  5. Click on the Publish page button or Update button.

Your theme typically has information on whether the custom page template needs content filled in as well.

Taking It a Step Further

After you’ve assigned a custom page template to a page, you can tell your site to use this page as the front page and here’s how:

  1. On the left side of the WordPress dashboard, go to Settings > Reading.
  2. For the Front Page Displays setting, select A Static Page
  3. Now, the Front Page drop-down options are available to you.
  4. Select the page you want to use as the front page.
  5. Click on Save Changes button.

If this is your first time using this option, you more than likely don’t have a page already reserved for the Posts Page option. If you really don’t, create a new blank Page and then come back to Settings > Reading to set your Posts Page.