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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteTo make a compact date archive, add WordPress’s Archives block and turn on its dropdown display. To show a compact list of posts instead, use a Query Loop and keep its Post Template lean. If you want to change archive pages across a block theme, edit the relevant archive template in the Site Editor.
Choose the archive format you need
| What you want to show | Use | Key choices |
|---|---|---|
| A compact way to browse posts by date | Archives block | Dropdown; year, month, week, or day grouping; optional label and post count |
| A selected set of posts in a compact list or grid | Query Loop | Post type, category or tag filters, ordering, layout, and items per page |
| Consistent changes to category, tag, author, or date archive pages | Site Editor archive template | Theme support, Archive Title, and the template’s Query Loop and Post Template |
The Archives block is specifically for date archives. A Query Loop is the more flexible option when you want to control which posts appear and what details each item shows. Your available template-editing route and some block settings depend on your active theme, plugins, and post type.
Create a compact date archive dropdown
- Edit the page or template where you want date navigation and insert the Archives block.
- In the block settings, enable Display as dropdown. If useful, also turn on Show label or Show post count; the label option is available with dropdown display.
- Choose whether archive entries are grouped by year, month, week, or day.
- If the editor exposes them, adjust typography, color, spacing, and borders to fit the page.
The dropdown replaces a longer display of date links with a compact control. It navigates date-based archives rather than creating a filtered list of posts. WordPress documents these settings on its Archives block page.
Build a compact list of posts with Query Loop
- Insert a Query Loop block and choose a pattern or start with a blank layout.
- Set Query Type to Custom to access controls such as post type, ordering, display options, and filters. Apply a category or tag filter if you want to narrow the results.
- Trim the repeated Post Template to the information readers need. A title and date may be enough; add an excerpt, image, category, or other block only when it helps readers choose a post.
- Set Items per Page to a suitable number. Use offset or maximum pages only when those controls match the list’s purpose.
- If readers need to reach more results, include a Pagination block inside the Query Loop.
Query Loop supports list and grid layouts, and its Post Template controls the repeated structure. Check the nested blocks’ link settings if you want titles or featured images to link to their posts. Settings can vary by theme, plugins, and post type. See WordPress’s Query Loop block documentation for the available controls.
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Keep the list compact without hiding useful context
- Use a list when readers are scanning titles; choose a grid when images are important to identifying posts.
- Include only metadata that helps distinguish items, such as a date or category.
- Keep pagination in the loop when the list spans multiple result pages. WordPress documents its controls on the Pagination block page.
Change archive pages with the Site Editor
To change category, tag, author, or date archive pages throughout a site, edit the relevant archive template in the Site Editor if your active theme supports that workflow.
- Open the archive template in the Site Editor.
- Add an Archive Title block so visitors can identify the archive they are viewing.
- Adjust the template’s Query Loop and Post Template to control the results and how each post appears.
Archive Title is designed for archive pages and does not display on ordinary pages. For details, see WordPress’s Archive Title block documentation. A Categories block can display category terms and may be nested in a Query Loop when customizing its appearance; see the Categories block documentation.
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