Summarize this article with:
That “Powered by WordPress” text at the bottom of your site? It screams amateur.
Learning how to change copyright in WordPress takes under 10 minutes and instantly makes your site look more professional.
Most themes display generic footer credits by default. Visitors notice. Clients notice.
Your footer should display your business name, not free advertising for theme developers.
This guide covers four methods to edit your WordPress footer copyright:
- Theme Customizer (fastest option)
- Remove Footer Credit plugin (works with any theme)
- Elementor page builder (visual editing)
- Direct footer.php code editing (full control)
Pick the method matching your theme and skill level. Each includes exact paths, settings, and expected results.
How to Change Copyright in WordPress
How to change copyright in WordPress is the process of replacing default footer text with custom copyright information using Theme Customizer, plugins, page builders, or direct PHP file editing.
Website owners need this when launching a business site, rebranding, or updating yearly copyright dates.
This guide covers 4 methods requiring 2-10 minutes each.
You need basic WordPress admin access to complete these steps.
Prerequisites
Before editing your WordPress footer copyright, confirm you have the following:
- WordPress version 5.0 or later installed
- Administrator access to WordPress dashboard
- Your active theme name (check Appearance > Themes)
- FTP access or File Manager access (Method 4 only)
- Recent backup of website files
Time required: 2-10 minutes depending on method chosen.
Skill level: Beginner for Methods 1-3. Intermediate for Method 4.
Method One: Theme Customizer
Step One: How Do You Access Footer Settings in Theme Customizer?
Open WordPress Dashboard, click Appearance, then select Customize to access the theme customizer panel where footer options appear based on your active theme.
Action:
- Path: WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Customize
- Look for: Footer, Footer Settings, or Copyright section
- Result: Editable text field displays current copyright notice
Purpose: Theme Customizer provides the fastest method when your theme supports footer customization directly.
Not all themes include this option. If you don’t see a Footer section, skip to Method Two.
Step Two: How Do You Edit Copyright Text Using Theme Options?
Click the Footer section within Customizer, locate the copyright text field, type your new notice including the copyright symbol and current year, then preview changes before publishing.
Action:
- Click: Footer or Footer Settings in left panel
- Field: Copyright Text or Footer Credits
- Enter: Your business name, copyright symbol, year
- Example format: © 2024 Your Company Name. All Rights Reserved.
The live preview shows your updated footer text on the right side of the screen.
Click Publish when satisfied with the changes.
Purpose: Previewing before publishing prevents errors and lets you test different copyright formats without affecting your live site.
Step Three: What If Your Theme Lacks Footer Customization Options?
Some WordPress themes hide footer editing options or don’t include them at all.
This requires alternative methods like plugins or code editing.
Check for these indicators:
- No Footer section appears in Customizer
- Footer section exists but lacks text editing field
- Only color and layout options available
Themes like Starter Templates, Starter theme, and some starter theme versions restrict footer customization through theme options.
Proceed to Method Two for a plugin-based solution that works with any theme.
Method Two: Using a Plugin
Step Four: How Do You Install the Remove Footer Credit Plugin?
Navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin panel, search for “Remove Footer Credit,” click Install Now, then Activate.
Action:
- Path: WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Add New
- Search: Remove Footer Credit
- Developer: WPChill (80,000+ installations)
- Result: Plugin appears in active plugins list
This plugin works with any theme. No coding required.
Step Five: Where Do You Configure the Remove Footer Credit Plugin?
Go to Tools > Remove Footer Credit to access the configuration interface with two text fields for original and replacement text.
Action:
- Path: WordPress Dashboard > Tools > Remove Footer Credit
- Field 1: Original footer text (exact match required)
- Field 2: Your new copyright text
The plugin scans your site and replaces matching text strings site-wide.
Step Six: How Do You Replace the Copyright Text with the Plugin?
Copy your exact current footer copyright text into Field 1, type your new copyright notice in Field 2, then click Save.
Action:
- Field 1 example: Proudly powered by WordPress
- Field 2 example: © 2024 Your Business Name
- Click: Save Changes
- Result: Footer updates immediately across all pages
Text must match exactly. Include HTML tags if present in original.
View your site’s source code (Ctrl+U) to copy the exact footer text.
Method Three: Using Elementor Page Builder
Step Seven: How Do You Access the Theme Builder in Elementor?
Open Templates > Theme Builder from your WordPress dashboard to access Elementor’s footer template creation interface.
Action:
- Path: WordPress Dashboard > Templates > Theme Builder
- Section: Footer
- Requirement: Elementor Pro license
Free Elementor version cannot edit footer templates.
Step Eight: How Do You Create a Custom Footer Template?
Click Add New in the Footer section, choose a starter template or blank canvas, then enter the Elementor visual editor.
Action:
- Button: Add New
- Options: Pre-designed template or start from scratch
- Result: Drag-and-drop editor opens with footer layout
Step Nine: How Do You Edit Copyright Text in Elementor?
Click the copyright text element, edit content in the Text Editor section under the Content tab, add dynamic year shortcode if desired.
Action:
- Click: Existing copyright text block
- Tab: Content > Text Editor
- Dynamic year: Use [currentyear] shortcode
- Styling: Adjust typography, color, alignment in Style tab
Elementor supports automatic year updates. No manual changes needed each January.
Step Ten: How Do You Publish the Custom Footer?
Click Publish, set Display Conditions to “Entire Site,” then confirm to apply your custom footer across all pages.
Action:
- Button: Publish (bottom left)
- Condition: Include > Entire Site
- Confirm: Add Condition > Save & Close
- Result: Custom footer replaces theme default site-wide
Method Four: Editing footer.php File
Step Eleven: How Do You Access the Theme Editor?
Navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor, then locate footer.php in the right sidebar file list.
Action:
- Path: WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Theme Editor
- File: footer.php (Theme Footer)
- Warning: “Making changes to active theme” message appears
If the WordPress theme editor is missing, your theme or hosting disabled it for security.
Use FTP or cPanel File Manager as alternative access.
Step Twelve: How Do You Find the Copyright Code in footer.php?
Use Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search for “copyright,” “powered,” or “footer” within the PHP code.
Action:
- Shortcut: Ctrl+F or Cmd+F
- Search terms: copyright, powered, credits, footer-info
- Result: Matching code sections highlight
Look for text strings inside PHP echo statements or between HTML paragraph tags.
Step Thirteen: How Do You Modify the Copyright Code?
Replace the existing text string while keeping PHP syntax and HTML structure intact. One wrong character breaks the entire site.
Action:
- Locate: Text between quotes in echo statements
- Replace: Old text with new copyright notice
- Keep: Opening/closing PHP tags, HTML markup
- Format example:© 2024 Your Company
Create a child theme before editing. Theme updates overwrite parent theme files.
Learn how to edit functions.php in WordPress for adding custom shortcodes.
Step Fourteen: How Do You Save Changes to footer.php?
Click Update File at the bottom of the editor, then immediately check your live site for the updated copyright text.
Action:
- Button: Update File
- Check: Visit website frontend (open new tab)
- Verify: Footer displays new copyright text
- Backup: Download modified file via FTP
If you see errors, restore your backup immediately or fix syntax errors in the code.
Method Five: Block Theme Site Editor
Step Fifteen: How Do You Access the Site Editor for Block Themes?
Go to Appearance > Editor to open the Full Site Editing interface available in block themes like Twenty Twenty-Four.
Action:
- Path: WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Editor
- Navigate: Patterns > Footer (or Template Parts > Footer)
- Compatible themes: Twenty Twenty-Three, Twenty Twenty-Four, Flavor theme, and other FSE themes
Classic themes show Customize instead of Editor. Use Method One or Two for classic themes.
Step Sixteen: How Do You Edit Footer Blocks?
Click the footer area, select the paragraph block containing copyright text, edit directly in the visual block editor, then click Save.
Action:
- Click: Footer template part
- Select: Paragraph block with copyright text
- Edit: Type new copyright directly
- Add: Site Title block, Dynamic Year block if needed
- Save: Click Save button (top right)
Block editor works like Gutenberg. Drag blocks to rearrange footer layout.
Verification
Confirm your copyright text change worked correctly:
- Visit homepage in incognito/private browser window
- Scroll to footer section
- Check multiple pages (homepage, blog, contact)
- Clear browser cache if old text persists
- Test on mobile device for responsive design display
- Verify copyright symbol renders correctly
Log out of WordPress before checking. Admin bar can hide footer on some themes.
Troubleshooting
Copyright Text Reverts After Theme Update
Issue: Theme updates overwrite footer.php edits.
Solution: Create a child theme. Copy footer.php to child theme folder. Edit the child theme version only.
Path: wp-content > themes > your-theme-child > footer.php
Plugin Not Replacing Footer Text
Issue: Remove Footer Credit plugin shows no change.
Solution: Copy exact footer text from page source (Ctrl+U). Include all HTML tags and spaces. Paste precisely in plugin’s first field.
Some themes use JavaScript to load footer text. Plugin cannot replace dynamic content.
Elementor Footer Not Appearing
Issue: Custom Elementor footer doesn’t display on site.
Solution: Check Display Conditions. Path: Templates > Theme Builder > Footer > Edit Conditions. Set to “Entire Site” and save.
Conflicts occur when theme has built-in footer. Disable theme footer in Customizer.
Theme Editor Shows File Not Writable
Issue: Cannot save footer.php changes.
Solution: Fix WordPress permissions via FTP. Set footer.php to 644 temporarily. Change back to 444 after editing.
Some managed hosting providers disable file editing. Contact host support or use FTP/SFTP instead.
White Screen After Editing footer.php
Issue: Site shows blank page after saving code changes.
Solution: Access footer.php via FTP or cPanel File Manager. Restore backup or fix PHP syntax error. Missing semicolons and unclosed quotes cause this.
Enable WordPress error log to identify exact error location.
Related Processes
- How to create a child theme in WordPress
- How to add widgets to WordPress footer
- How to change footer layout in WordPress
- How to add social icons to WordPress footer
- How to remove Just Another WordPress Site tagline
- How to change link color in WordPress footer
FAQ on How To Change Copyright In WordPress
Can I change copyright text without coding?
Yes. Use Theme Customizer (Appearance > Customize > Footer) or install the Remove Footer Credit plugin. Both methods require zero coding knowledge and work within the WordPress dashboard. Elementor Pro also offers visual footer editing.
Why can’t I find footer options in my theme?
Not all themes include footer customization in Theme Customizer. Check Theme Options panel if available. Otherwise, use a plugin or edit footer.php directly. Block themes use Appearance > Editor > Patterns > Footer instead.
Will theme updates delete my copyright changes?
Yes, if you edited footer.php in the parent theme. Create a child theme first, then copy footer.php to the child folder. Child theme files survive parent theme updates.
How do I add a dynamic year that updates automatically?
Add PHP code to footer.php: <?php echo date('Y'); ?> displays the current year. Elementor uses the [currentyear] shortcode. Some themes include dynamic year options in Customizer settings.
Is it legal to remove “Powered by WordPress” text?
Yes. WordPress uses the GPL license, which permits removing credits. Theme developers may have restrictions, so check your theme’s license agreement. Most free themes allow credit removal.
How do I add a copyright symbol in WordPress?
Type © in HTML or use the keyboard shortcut Alt+0169 (Windows) or Option+G (Mac). The copyright symbol renders as ©. Block editor also has a special characters inserter.
Can I have different footers on different pages?
Elementor Pro and other page builders support conditional footer display. Set display conditions per page, post type, or category. Default WordPress does not offer this without plugins or custom coding.
Why is my footer text not changing after editing?
Clear your browser cache and any WordPress caching plugins. Check if you edited the correct theme (parent vs child). Verify the plugin saved settings properly. Undo changes in WordPress if needed.
What should I include in my copyright notice?
Include copyright symbol, year, and business name. Add “All Rights Reserved” optionally. Format example: © 2024 Company Name. Some sites include links to privacy policy or terms pages.
Does changing footer copyright affect SEO?
No direct SEO impact. Google does not penalize custom footer text. Removing “Powered by WordPress” improves perceived professionalism, which may reduce bounce rates indirectly. Keep footer clean and relevant.
Conclusion
Knowing how to change copyright in WordPress gives you full control over your site’s footer section and professional appearance.
Four methods exist. Theme Customizer works for supported themes. Plugins handle any theme without code. Page builders offer visual editing. Direct PHP editing provides complete control.
Pick one method and stick with it.
Create a child theme before touching footer.php files. Theme updates will overwrite parent theme changes every time.
Add a dynamic copyright year to avoid manual updates each January. Both PHP code and shortcodes handle this automatically.
Your footer represents your brand. Generic “Powered by WordPress” text does not.
Update your copyright notice today. Takes 10 minutes or less.
