How to Fix Custom Fields Not Showing in WordPress

Are you unable to locate the ‘Custom Fields’ option on your WordPress site?

‘Custom fields’ is an advanced feature in WordPress that allows you to add custom content and metadata to your posts and pages.

In this guide, we will show you how to quickly fix the issue of custom fields not showing up in WordPress.

Fixing the Custom Fields Not Showing Issue in WordPress Custom fields are typically associated with WordPress posts, pages, or custom post types.

You might have come across mentions of custom fields in various WordPress tutorials online. However, especially if you recently started your WordPress blog, you might not see the custom fields option on your site.

In the past, custom fields were visible by default on the post editing screen for all WordPress sites.

However, the WordPress core development team decided to hide it by default for all new users since it is an advanced feature.

They also made it easy for anyone to make the custom fields visible with just a few clicks from within the post editing screen.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Create or edit a post/page on your WordPress website.
2. Click on the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the screen.
3. From the menu, click on the ‘Preferences’ option.
4. This will bring up the block editor ‘Preferences’ popup. Switch to the ‘Panels’ tab and toggle the switch next to the ‘Custom Fields’ option.
5. WordPress will then prompt you to reload the page to enable Custom Fields. Click on the ‘Enable & Reload’ button to proceed.
6. The editor screen will reload, and now you will find the ‘Custom Fields’ box at the bottom of the page.

WordPress will remember your display choice and continue to show the custom fields box whenever you edit posts or pages on your website.

Now you can use the Custom Fields box to add, edit, and delete custom fields and their values.

What Are Custom Fields? What Can You Do With Them? By default, when you create a new post, page, or any content type in WordPress, it is saved into two different areas. The first part is the main body of your content that you add using the block editor.

The second part is the information about that specific content, such as the title, author name, date/time, and more. This post information is called metadata.

In addition to the default post metadata, WordPress also allows you to save custom metadata by using custom fields.

If you want to learn more about custom fields and explore examples, tips, and tricks you can use on your website, you can check out our beginner’s guide to WordPress custom fields.

WordPress developers use custom fields to store custom post metadata for your posts. For example, plugins like All in One SEO use custom fields to store SEO settings for your posts.

However, plugin developers often create custom meta boxes instead of using the default custom fields box. This makes it easier for users to input information.

If you wish to create a custom meta box for easily inputting custom metadata, you can refer to our guide on adding custom meta boxes in WordPress.

Troubleshooting Custom Fields in WordPress If you find that the Custom Fields option is missing from the block editor preferences on your WordPress site, there might be a specific cause.

Check if you have the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin installed and activated on your website.

ACF is a popular WordPress plugin that developers use to create custom meta boxes.

In ACF version 5.5.13, they added a setting to remove the default WordPress custom field meta box to speed up load times on the post editing page. The assumption is that you won’t need the default meta box if you are using ACF.

However, if you want to enable the default WordPress custom field meta box, you can add the following code to your WordPress theme using the functions.php file or WPCode:

add_filter('acf/settings/remove_wp_meta_box', '__return_false');

For more details on adding custom code in WordPress, you can refer to our guide.

We hope this article has helped you resolve the issue of custom fields not showing on your WordPress site. You may also be interested in exploring our ultimate list of the most useful WordPress tips, tricks, and hacks, as well as our expert picks for the must-have WordPress plugins to grow your website.