Edit and manage your patterns

Patterns help you quickly add reusable layouts to your site without recreating them from scratch. In this guide, you will learn how to update patterns you’ve created, remove patterns you no longer need, and restore previous versions if needed.

When you edit a synced pattern, your changes update everywhere the pattern is used. When you edit an unsynced pattern, your changes only impact new instances you add in the future.

To update an existing pattern, follow these steps:

1. From your site’s dashboard, navigate to Appearance → Editor.
2. Click Patterns and select My Patterns to see the patterns you have created.

3. Click the pattern you want to edit.
4. Make your changes. You can update text, images, or rearrange blocks.
5. Click the Save button to apply your changes to the pattern.

When you add a pattern to a page or post, you can edit it directly without going to Appearance → Editor → Patterns.

To edit a pattern from a page or post, follow these steps:

1. Click the + Block Inserter.
2. Click the Patterns tab.
3. Locate a pattern and click it once to insert it onto the page or post.
4. Depending on the type of pattern, edit it by:
   • Synced patterns: Click the “Edit original” button that appears in both the block toolbar and block sidebar settings.
   • Unsynced patterns: Click directly on the content (text, images, and buttons) to edit it, or click the “Edit pattern” button to adjust the structural layout and add, move, and remove blocks.
5. Click < Back in the title bar to return to the page or post you were editing and click the Save button.

If you want to edit a pattern as a regular collection of blocks without them being associated with a pattern, you can detach the pattern. Detaching turns the pattern into regular blocks that you can edit freely in that location.

To detach a pattern, follow these steps:

1. Select the pattern.
2. Click the three dots (⋮) in the block toolbar.
3. Select the “Detach pattern” option (for provided and unsynced patterns) or the “Disconnect pattern” option (for synced patterns).
4. Edit the blocks as needed. Your changes will only apply to this page or post.

Detaching a pattern is a one-way action. Once detached, the pattern becomes regular blocks and will not update if you later change the original pattern.

WordPress.com automatically saves previous versions (revisions) of your patterns. Restoring a revision lets you undo unwanted changes and return your pattern to an earlier state.

To restore a previous version of a pattern, follow these steps:

1. Go to your site’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to Appearance → Editor.
3. Click Patterns and select My Patterns to view your custom patterns.
4. Find the pattern you want to restore. Click the three dots (⋮) next to its name.
5. Click the “View Revisions” option from the drop-down menu. If you do not see “View Revisions“, there are no saved revisions for this pattern.
6. Use the slider at the top of the screen to browse earlier versions of your pattern.
7. To compare two versions side by side, check the “Compare any two revisions” box.
   • The most recent version appears on the right, and the previous version appears on the left.
   • To restore a version, click “Restore This Revision“. The editor will load the selected revision.
   • To exit without restoring, click “Go to editor” at the top left.
8. Click Save to confirm and keep your changes.

You can repeat these steps to restore a newer revision if you change your mind after restoring an earlier version.

To change the category of a pattern, take the following steps:

1. From your site’s dashboard, navigate to Appearance → Editor.
2. Click Patterns and select My Patterns to see the patterns you have created.
3. Click the pattern you want to edit.
4. In the settings sidebar, look for Patterns Category.
5. Add, remove, and adjust the categories shown here.
6. Click the Save button.

If you no longer need a pattern on your site, you can delete the pattern by following the steps below:

1. Go to your site’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to Appearance → Editor.
3. Click Patterns and navigate to My Patterns to see the patterns you have created.
4. Find the pattern you want to delete. Click the three dots (⋮) next to its name.
5. Select Delete from the drop-down menu.

Deleted patterns cannot be recovered.