Do you want visitors to filter your blog posts by category? A row of category buttons above the listing lets people jump straight to the topic they care about, without leaving the page.
The Blog/Post Listing widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor builds that filter from your existing WordPress categories. No extra plugin, no code.
To check the complete feature overview documentation of The Plus Addons for Elementor Blog Listing widget, click here.
Requirement – This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor, make sure it’s installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.
Before You Start
- Edition: Pro — Category Wise Filter is part of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. In the free plugin the option is visible but shows an upgrade notice instead of its settings.
- Posts with categories. The filter lists the categories your posts are actually assigned to. A category with no posts will not appear.
- Widget to enable: Blog/Post Listing, switched on under ThePlus Settings > Widgets.
Step 1: Add the widget and pick a layout
Drag the Blog/Post Listing widget onto the page. In Content > Layout, keep Post Listing Types on Normal Page and choose Grid, Masonry or Metro.
The filter is not available with the Carousel layout, or with the Archive Page and Single Page Related Posts listing types. On those, the Category Wise Filter section does not appear.
Step 2: Turn on Category Wise Filter
Open the Content > Category Wise Filter section and switch on Category Wise Filter. A row of category buttons appears above the posts straight away.
Step 3: Choose how the filter searches
Filter Type decides which posts a click can reach:
- Normal (default) — filters only the posts already on the page.
- AJAX — fetches matching posts from your whole blog, even ones not loaded yet.
If Maximum Post Display (labelled Maximum Posts Display in the free plugin) is lower than your total post count, Normal can show an empty category simply because its posts are not on the first page. Use AJAX in that case. The difference is shown step by step in display posts using an AJAX filter.
Select Taxonomy lets you filter by tags or post format instead of categories.
Step 4: Set the All button and the look
- All Filter — on by default. Adds a button that shows every post again.
- Category Text — the label on that button, default All.
- Category Filter Style and Filter Hover Style — four preset designs each, for the normal and hover states.
- Filter Alignment — left, centre or right.
Colours, typography and spacing for the buttons are on the Style tab, in the Filter Category section.
Settings Reference
| Setting | Where | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category Wise Filter | Content > Category Wise Filter | Show / Hide | Hide |
| Filter Alignment | Content > Category Wise Filter | Left, Center, Right | Center |
| Select Taxonomy | Content > Category Wise Filter | Category, Tag, Post Format | Category |
| Filter Type | Content > Category Wise Filter | Normal, AJAX | Normal |
| Search Type | Content > Category Wise Filter | ID, Slug | Slug |
| All Filter | Content > Category Wise Filter | Show / Hide | Show |
| Category Text | Content > Category Wise Filter | Free text | All |
| Category Filter Style | Content > Category Wise Filter | Style 1 to 4 | Style 1 |
| Filter Hover Style | Content > Category Wise Filter | Style 1 to 4 | Style 1 |
Limitations
- Pro only. In the free plugin the toggle is visible but shows an upgrade notice.
- Not on Carousel, Archive Page or Single Page Related Posts listings.
- Normal filtering is page-bound. It only sees the posts already loaded. Use AJAX when the listing is paginated or limited.
- Empty categories are skipped. A category appears only if at least one post in the listing uses it.
Troubleshooting
I cannot find the Category Wise Filter section
Check the Layout is not Carousel and Post Listing Types is Normal Page. On the free plugin the section shows an upgrade notice, because the feature is Pro.
A category shows no posts when clicked
With Filter Type on Normal, the filter only searches posts already on the page. Switch to AJAX, or raise Maximum Post Display (labelled Maximum Posts Display in the free plugin).
A category is missing from the filter
No post in the current listing is assigned to it. Assign the category to at least one post, and check it is not excluded in Content > Content Source.
Related Docs
- Blog Listing widget: settings overview — every control in the widget.
- Display posts using an AJAX filter
- Create a shareable URL with the category filter
- Create a category archive page in Elementor
- Exclude blog posts by category and tags
The same kind of category filter is available in other The Plus Addons listing widgets, including the Gallery Listing widget.
