Post Order Control lets you change the order of posts, pages and custom post types by dragging rows in the normal WordPress admin lists. Drop a row and the new order is saved. There is no extra screen to learn and nothing to configure before your first drag. The order is stored in WordPress’s own me
PricingFree downloadThe WordPress.org download is free. Pro versions, add-ons or external services may cost extra.
CompatibilityRequires WordPress 5.0 and PHP 7.4.
SourceWordPress plugins · Nov 15, 2026
01 / Source details
Aboutthistool.
Post Order Control lets you change the order of posts, pages and custom post types by dragging rows in the normal WordPress admin lists. Drop a row and the new order is saved. There is no extra screen to learn and nothing to configure before your first drag.
The order is stored in WordPress’s own menu_order field, the same field core uses for page order. Themes, page builders and queries that sort by “menu order” pick up your order with no extra code. Turn on Auto Apply Sort and your home page, archives and search results follow it too.
You can also put categories, tags and custom taxonomy terms in any order you like.
What you can reorder
Posts : put a featured or evergreen post at the top of your blog.
Pages : set the order of page lists such as the Page List block. Parent and child pages keep their structure.
Custom post types : portfolio projects, team members, services, testimonials, FAQs, events, products or any other public post type.
Categories, tags and custom taxonomies : control the order of terms in your lists and navigation.
Features
Drag and drop in the lists you already use : All Posts, All Pages, any custom post type list and the category or tag screens.
Saves on drop : no “save order” button. A notice confirms the order was saved.
Works on every page of the list : reorder page 2, a filtered view or search results and every other post keeps its place.
Auto Apply Sort : show the custom order on the home page, archives and search results without editing your theme.
Admin order : the admin lists show your custom order. Click a column such as Date or Title to sort by it instead.
Choose post types and taxonomies : turn ordering on only where you need it.
Permission aware : by default anyone who can edit posts can reorder the posts they are allowed to edit. You can limit reordering to administrators.
Export, import and reset : back up your ordering as JSON and restore it on the same site.
Developer friendly : a helper function, a REST API endpoint and standard menu_order queries.
Lightweight : no custom database tables, and scripts load only on the screens that use them.
Translation ready : every admin and JavaScript string can be translated.
Show the order on your site
Option 1: Auto Apply Sort (no code). Turn on Settings → Post Order Control → Auto Apply Sort . The home page, archives and search results of the enabled post types then use your order.
Option 2: Sort by menu order in your own query. Blocks, widgets and custom queries that run their own query need orderby set to menu_order :
The same arguments work with get_terms() for tags and custom taxonomies.
For developers
Order is stored in menu_order (posts) and the postordercontrol_term_order term meta (terms).
REST API: GET /wp-json/postordercontrol/v1/order/{post_type} returns the post IDs in order. POST the same route with {"ids": [...]} to save a new order. Both need a logged-in user with permission to reorder.
Saving updates menu_order directly, so post content and modified dates are left untouched.
Privacy
Post Order Control does not collect, store or send any personal data. Ordering is saved in your own database.
See it in action
Screenshots & previews.
Drag a post to a new position in the All Posts list. The order saves when you drop it.Reorder any custom post type, such as a portfolio.Reorder pages; child pages stay under their parent. A notice confirms each save.Put categories, tags and custom taxonomy terms in your own order.General settings: choose post types, who can reorder and where the order is applied.Advanced settings: taxonomy ordering, export, import and reset.The built-in How To tab with copy-and-paste code examples.
02 / Source details
Gettingstarted.
01In your WordPress admin go to Plugins → Add New , search for Post Order Control , then click Install Now and Activate .
02Go to Settings → Post Order Control and choose the post types you want to reorder. Posts and Pages are on by default.
03Open Posts → All Posts (or any enabled list) and drag a row by its handle (⋮⋮). The order saves when you drop it.
04Optional: turn on Auto Apply Sort to show the order on your site, and enable categories or tags on the Advanced tab.
To install manually, upload the post-order-control folder to /wp-content/plugins/ and activate it on the Plugins screen.
03 / Source details
Frequently asked questions.
How do I change the order of posts in WordPress?
Install and activate Post Order Control, open Posts → All Posts and drag the posts into the order you want. To show that order on your site, turn on Auto Apply Sort in Settings → Post Order Control .
How do I reorder pages?
Open Pages → All Pages and drag the pages. Child pages stay under their parent. The Page List block and other page lists that sort by menu order use the new order.
Does it work with custom post types?
Yes. Any public post type with an admin screen can be reordered. Turn it on under Settings → Post Order Control → General .
I reordered my posts but my site still shows them by date. Why?
Your theme sorts by date. Turn on Auto Apply Sort to use your order on the home page, archives and search results. Blocks, widgets and custom queries that run their own query need orderby set to menu_order (see “Show the order on your site”).
Can I reorder categories and tags?
Yes. Enable the taxonomy on the Advanced tab, then drag terms on the category or tag screen. Use the wp_list_categories() example above to show them in that order.
Can I reorder posts that are on page 2 of the list?
Yes. Reordering one page, a filtered view or search results only swaps the posts you moved and leaves every other post where it was.
Why can’t I drag rows right now?
Drag and drop turns off while the list is sorted by a column such as Date or Title, because those rows are not in your custom order. Open the list from the admin menu again to clear the sorting. Also check that the post type is enabled in the settings.
Who can reorder posts?
By default anyone who can edit posts, and only for posts they are allowed to edit. You can limit reordering to administrators. The settings page, export, import and reset always need administrator rights.
Will it slow down my site?
No. It adds no database tables. On the front end it only changes the sort order of the queries you choose.
Can I back up my order?
Yes. Use Export JSON on the Advanced tab and paste the file into Import JSON to restore it. Post and term IDs are specific to each site, so restore on the same site.
What happens if I deactivate or delete the plugin?
Deactivating keeps your order. Deleting the plugin removes its settings and category or tag order. Post order stays in WordPress’s own menu_order field.
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