To change the layout or template of your blog page in the classic WordPress Twenty Seventeen theme, you cannot use the modern WordPress Full Site Editor because Twenty Seventeen is a traditional PHP-based theme. Instead, you have to use the built-in WordPress Customizer or create a child theme to manually edit core template files. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Here is how you can change your blog template layout using both non-coding and coding methods.
Method 1: Change Layout Options via the Customizer (No Code)
The built-in Customizer lets you switch your blog page template from the standard two-column layout (with a sidebar) to a clean, single-column layout. [1, 2]
- Log into your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to Appearance > Customize.
- Click on the Theme Options tab.
- Look for the Page Layout or Blog Layout dropdown menu.
- Select One Column to make your content full-width, or Two Columns to keep the sidebar layout.
- Click Publish at the top to save your changes. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Method 2: Force Global Structural Changes Using a Plugin
Because Twenty Seventeen has limited default layout settings, many users install the Options for Twenty Seventeen plugin to access advanced template adjustments without writing code. [1, 2]
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your dashboard.
- Search for
Options for Twenty Seventeen. - Install and activate the plugin.
- Return to Appearance > Customize.
- You will see several new advanced menus that allow you to forcefully change the column structure of your search, blog, and archive page templates independently. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Method 3: Manually Override Template Files (Developer Method)
If you need a highly unique blog design, you must override Twenty Seventeen’s core theme files. Modifying files directly will erase your edits during the next theme update, so you should use a child theme. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- Set up a Child Theme: Ensure you have a standard
twentyseventeen-childfolder configured in your website’s directories. [1] - Locate the Index File: In your main theme files (
/wp-content/themes/twentyseventeen/), copy theindex.phpfile, which dictates the core blog layout template. [1, 2, 3] - Paste into Child Theme: Paste
index.phpdirectly into your child theme root folder. [1] - Modify Template Parts: If you want to modify how individual blog posts render inside that template loop, copy files like
content.phpfrom thetemplate-parts/post/directory into a mirrored folder structure inside your child theme