How to Change the Author in WordPress (5 Ways)

In the dynamic world of WordPress, managing authorship is an essential aspect of content administration. Whether you're a blogger, a website owner, or a content manager, there might come a time when you need to change the author of a post. This could be due to staff changes, a shift in content strategy, or simply correcting an error. Here are five ways to change the author in WordPress, ensuring that your content remains accurate and well-attributed.

Method 1: Directly from the Posts Editor

The simplest way to change the author of a post is directly from the posts editor screen.

1、Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

2、Navigate to Posts > All Posts.

3、Locate the post for which you want to change the author.

4、Click on the post title to Open it for editing.

5、On the right-hand side of the screen, under the "Publish" module, find the "Author" field.

6、Click on the current author's name to bring up a drop-down list of all available users on your site.

7、Select the new author from the list.

8、Click "Update" or "Save Draft" to save your changes.

Method 2: Using Quick Edit

The Quick Edit feature allows you to make changes to posts without opening them for full editing.

1、Go to Posts > All Posts.

2、Hover over the post you want to edit and click on the "Quick Edit" link.

3、In the quick edit pop-up, find the "Author" field and select the new author from the drop-down menu.

4、Click "Update Post" to save your changes.

Method 3: Bulk Change Author Using Plugins

For bulk changing authors, using a plugin like "WP Batch Processor" can save a lot of time.

1、Install and activate the WP Batch Processor plugin.

2、Navigate to Tools > Batch Processing.

3、Under "Select a Task," choose "Change Author."

4、Choose the criteria for selecting posts (e.g., all posts, by specific author, within a date range).

5、Select the new author from the drop-down menu.

6、Click "Run Selected Tasks" to apply the changes.

Method 4: SQL Database Manipulation (Advanced)

If you're comfortable working with databases, you can update the author directly in the database. This should be done with caution and only by those familiar with SQL.

1、Backup your database before proceeding.

2、Use a database management tool like phpMyAdmin to access your WordPress database.

3、Locate the "wp_posts" table where your posts data is stored.

4、Execute an SQL query to update the post author. For example: UPDATE wp_posts SET post_author = 'new_author_id' WHERE post_title = 'Post Title';

5、Replace 'new_author_id' with the new author's ID and 'Post Title' with the title of the post.

6、Always test on a staging site before performing updates on a live site.

Method 5: Programmatically Through Code (Developers)

Developers can use code to change the author of a post during certain events or conditions.

$post_id = 123; // The ID of the post
$new_author_id = 456; // The ID of the new author
wp_update_post(array('ID' => $post_id, 'post_author' => $new_author_id));

This code snippet can be added to your theme's functions.php file, a custom plugin, or hooked into an action such as 'save_post' or 'transition_post_status' to change the author programmatically.

Changing the author in WordPress can be a straightforward task depending on the method you choose and the number of posts you need to update. Always remember to proceed with caution, especially when making bulk changes or altering your database directly, as unintended consequences can occur if proper precautions are not taken. Always backup your website before making significant changes, and if you're unsure, seek assistance from a professional or experienced developer.