How to Remove or Delete Categories in WordPress

Updated 28 September 2026 1 min read

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: WordPress 7.1

Delete categories you no longer use to keep your site tidy. The posts are not deleted.

Log in to your WordPress dashboard (https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
Open Posts › Categories.
Hover over the category and click Delete, or tick several and use Bulk actions › Delete.
Confirm.

Posts that were only in a deleted category move to the default category. Subcategories of a deleted category move up one level.

Note: The category's archive page disappears. If it had search traffic, redirect its old address to a related page.

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