How do I change a WordPress permalink structure?

Definition: A permalink is the URL used to link to a WordPress post, page or archive. As of October 2026, WordPress documents changing the post URL pattern in Settings > Permalinks, saving the setting, and ensuring that the host supplies the server configuration required for readable paths.

Key facts

• WordPress's permalink guide lists Post name and Custom Structure among the available choices.
• The Permalinks settings documentation requires Save Changes for a new setting to take effect.
• Apache's per-directory rewrite documentation requires server permission before rewrite rules in .htaccess can operate.
• WordPress's Nginx guide assigns server configuration to an administrator; WordPress cannot edit it automatically.

Where does the structure change?

The WordPress permalink guide places the control in the dashboard under Settings > Permalinks. Post name uses the post name in the URL. Custom Structure accepts structure tags, which are placeholders for information such as a post's publication date or name.

The guide's date-based example is:

/%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/

Only the path pattern belongs in this field; the website address is omitted. WordPress recommends ending the pattern with %post_id% or %postname% so that it identifies an individual post. The %postname% tag represents the sanitized title stored in the post slug field.

According to the settings screen documentation, clicking Save Changes stores the setting in the database and displays confirmation. Category base and Tag base, under Optional, control the prefixes of category and tag archive URLs separately.

What must the web server support?

URL rewriting routes a requested path through the server's rules. On Apache, WordPress's settings documentation describes automatic updates when .htaccess, a server configuration file, is writable. When it is unwritable, the screen displays the rewrite rules for manual insertion into that file.

Apache's rewrite documentation requires AllowOverride FileInfo or AllowOverride All for these .htaccess rules. It also requires Options FollowSymLinks or Options SymLinksIfOwnerMatch for the directory. These are server settings for the host or administrator to check.

For standalone Nginx, the WordPress Nginx guide requires administrator-managed configuration. Its single-site example includes this routing block:

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}

The block is an excerpt; the same guide supplies the surrounding server configuration. The permalink guide directs site owners to their hosting provider when readable permalinks lack the required server setup.

What happens to existing URLs?

As of October 2026, Google's site-move guidance covers changes to URL paths. Applied to a permalink change, its procedure calls for mapping old addresses to their corresponding new addresses and configuring permanent server redirects, such as HTTP 301 or 308 responses, which send requests to the replacement URL.

The same guidance recommends directing each redirect to its final destination, updating internal links and supplying a sitemap containing the new URLs. Testing individual redirects with Search Console's URL Inspection tool, or testing larger sets with scripts, checks that old addresses reach the intended pages.

Related terms

• How do I change the URL slug of a WordPress post?
• How do I change the category URL base in WordPress?
• HTTP redirects
• XML sitemap

FAQ

Does opening the Permalinks screen refresh rewrite rules?

Yes. WordPress's settings documentation says visiting the screen flushes rewrite rules. You still need Save Changes when changing the structure itself.

Should I include the domain in Custom Structure?

WordPress's permalink guide instructs you to enter structure tags without the website URL. It also documents an index.php/ prefix for its Almost Pretty permalink format.

How long should I retain old-URL redirects?

Google's site-move guidance recommends retaining redirects for as long as possible, generally at least a year. It also recommends updating links to the replacement URLs.

Sources

1. WordPress.org, "Customize permalinks", 28 June 2025
2. WordPress.org, "Settings Permalinks screen", 8 June 2024
3. Apache Software Foundation, "Per-directory Rewrites", undated
4. WordPress.org, "Nginx", 14 October 2026
5. Google Search Central, "How to move a site", 20 August 2026

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