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How to Control Post Excerpts and Summaries in Twenty Seventeen

39 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Twenty seventeen

Content

Many users of the Twenty Seventeen theme report difficulty getting their blog index or archive pages to display post summaries instead of the full content. This is a common point of confusion, as the theme's behavior depends on a combination of WordPress settings, theme features, and post editor tools.

Why This Happens

The Twenty Seventeen theme's display of post content is governed by several factors. The 'Content Options' panel in the Customizer, the global 'Reading' settings in WordPress, and the use of the 'More' tag or manual excerpts within individual posts all play a role. A mismatch between these settings is the most frequent cause of the full content appearing when a user expects a summary.

Common Solutions

1. Use the Built-in 'Content Options'

Twenty Seventeen includes a 'Content Options' section in the WordPress Customizer (Appearance > Customize). This panel allows you to switch the blog page from displaying full content to excerpts. It also provides controls to hide post details like the date, author, and categories. If this option is not visible, ensure you are using a recent version of the theme and WordPress.

2. Manually Create a Post Excerpt

For individual post control, you can write a custom excerpt. When editing a post:

  1. Look for the 'Excerpt' meta box below the main content editor.
  2. If you don't see it, click 'Screen Options' at the very top of the edit screen and check the box for 'Excerpt'.
  3. Enter your desired summary text in the Excerpt box. This text will be used instead of the automatic excerpt generated from your post content.

3. Insert the "More" Tag

Within the Visual editor of your post, you can manually define where the summary ends and the "Read More" link begins.

  1. Place your cursor at the point in your post where you want the summary to end.
  2. Click the 'Insert Read More tag' button (it looks like a rectangle with a dashed line between two halves).
  3. This will create a visual divider. Everything above this line becomes the summary.

4. Check Global Reading Settings

Navigate to Settings > Reading in your WordPress dashboard. The 'For each post in a feed, include' option should be set to 'Summary' to ensure excerpts are used in RSS feeds and can influence theme behavior.

Important Notes

  • Post formats like Gallery, Video, Audio, and Quote may not adhere to the excerpt setting and will display their specialized content by design.
  • Using a child theme is strongly recommended before making any direct code changes to the theme files. This protects your modifications from being overwritten during theme updates.

By methodically checking these settings, most users can successfully configure Twenty Seventeen to display the post summaries they want.

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