How to Create a FullWidth Page in WordPress With a Free Plugin

Need to create a full-width page in WordPress? That is, a page where the content takes up the full width of your site and there’s no sidebar to get in the way?

Unfortunately, not all WordPress themes come with their own full-width templates, which might be why you’re reading this post.

Don’t worry, though. We’re going to share how you can use a 100% free plugin to add a full-width layout to any WordPress theme – no technical knowledge required.

Let’s get started…

Why some themes don’t include full-width page templates

Every page you visit features a different template. Some of them have footers, others have massive hero sections, a few have hidden menus, and myriad other layouts. However, we can break down most page layouts into two categories: with and without sidebars.

Sidebar-only templates don’t allow you to get rid of that element. Although sidebars can be helpful in many cases, a specific design may not call for it. As such, you’ll often feel stuck (or at least limited in your choice of theme.)

Most modern themes enable you to use full-width templates with any of your pages. However, some themes don’t provide the same level of flexibility. This can be a dealbreaker, but switching themes is often too much of a hassle.

To check if your theme already includes a full-width template, create or edit a WordPress page and expand the Template drop-down under Page Attributes in the sidebar. If your theme already includes a full-width template, you can use that.

Some themes, like the free Neve theme, also give you additional page settings to control the width of your page:

If your theme doesn’t offer built-in settings to control page width, keep reading to learn how to use a free full-width page WordPress plugin to add this feature to any theme.

How to create a full-width template in WordPress (two methods)

Using WordPress means you can modify any aspect of your website’s experience and design, and themes are no exception. With the right approach, you can add full-width templates to any theme.

1. Use the Fullwidth Templates plugin

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s a plugin to help you add full-width templates to your theme.

Using the free Fullwidth Templates plugin, you can set up a layout without a sidebar, page title, and comments section for any of your pages or posts.

The plugin also includes other templates out of the box. There’s a ‘no-sidebar’ template that doesn’t touch any other element, and a blank option if you want to start from scratch.

Using the plugin is easy – simply install and activate it, and the new template options will show up in the Page Attributes section when you edit any page or post:

Select the template you want and you can start customizing your page.

To get the best results, we recommend starting your design from scratch if you’re changing a page’s template, as the plugin can drastically affect the way your existing page looks in this case.

If you’re using a page builder plugin such as Elementor, you’ll be glad to know the Fullwidth Templates plugin is compatible with it by default. What’s more, the plugin works with many of the most popular themes (at least, during our quick tests,) so it’s unlikely to give you any headaches.

2. Manually add a full-width template to your theme

Unless you feel comfortable working with code and theme template files, we’d highly recommend sticking with the free plugin above.

If you don’t want to use a plugin, you can create a new full-width template file manually for any theme you’re using. The process is straightforward, but it will require you to tinker with your theme files.

As always, if you’re going to be major changes, it’s smart to use a child theme and to back up your website. Once you’re ready, here’s what to do:

1. Create a blank template file on your computer and save it as full-width-template.php (look for the code below these steps).
2. Locate the page.php file within your active theme’s directory (public_html/wp-content/themes/), which you can access using FTP.
3. Copy all the contents of the page.php file and paste them after the header in full-width-template.php.
4. Look for the following line within the full-width-template.php file and delete it: <?php get_sidebar(); ?>.
5. Upload the full-width-template.php file to your theme’s directory.

All you’re missing is the header code for the full-width-template.php, which you can copy below:

<?php
/*
*
Template Name: Full-Width Template
*/
get_header(); ?>

Remember, you need to paste the full contents of the page.php file after the header section. If you do so correctly, your template will work without any issues.

That’s it! Now you’ll be able to select your new full-width page template from the Page Attributes section within the editor, as with other templates.

Conclusion

If your theme doesn’t support full-width pages, this doesn’t mean you need to switch to a new one. In most cases, it’s a big hassle, and it’s far easier to create a full-width template you can use with your current theme.

There are two ways you can create a full-width template in WordPress:

1. Use a free full-width page WordPress plugin such as Fullwidth Templates.
2. Add a new full-width template to your theme manually.

Once you have your full-width page template, we also have some tutorials that can help you create a great-looking full-width page. We have guides for Elementor, the WordPress block editor, and Divi Builder – you can pick your favorite method.

Do you have any questions about how to set up a full-width page in WordPress? Ask away in the comments section below!

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Keep reading the article at ThemeIsle Blog. The article was originally written by John Hughes on 2020-02-26 04:00:00.

The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.