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How to Customize the Footer in Twenty Twenty: Moving Copyright and Removing 'To the Top'

34 threads Sep 11, 2025 Theme → Twenty twenty

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Many users of the Twenty Twenty theme want to personalize their site's footer, specifically by removing the default 'To the Top' link and repositioning the copyright text. This is a common customization request to better align the footer with a site's specific design goals.

Understanding the Twenty Twenty Footer

The Twenty Twenty theme structures its footer in the footer.php template file. The placement of elements like the 'To the Top' link and the copyright information is controlled by the HTML and PHP code within this file. To make changes, you will need to directly edit this theme file.

Important: Use a Child Theme

Before making any changes, it is highly recommended to use a child theme. Editing theme files directly is not best practice, as your modifications will be overwritten and lost the next time the Twenty Twenty theme is updated. A child theme protects your customizations from being erased during updates.

Step-by-Step Guide to Customizing the Footer

Method 1: Using the Theme Editor (For Quick Changes)

  1. From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
  2. Ensure the 'Twenty Twenty' theme is selected in the dropdown menu in the upper right.
  3. On the right-hand side, select Theme Footer (footer.php) from the list of theme files.
  4. Locate the code for the 'To the Top' link and the copyright section. The exact code may vary, but you can search for text like to-the-top.
  5. To remove the 'To the Top' link, simply delete its corresponding block of HTML/PHP code.
  6. To reposition the copyright text, you can cut the code for the copyright section and paste it elsewhere within the footer structure, for example, inside a different <div> container to move it to the right.
  7. Click Update File to save your changes.

Method 2: Using a Child Theme (Recommended)

  1. If you haven't already, create and activate a child theme for Twenty Twenty.
  2. Copy the original footer.php file from the parent theme (located in /wp-content/themes/twentytwenty/) into your child theme's directory.
  3. Open the copied footer.php file in your child theme using a text editor or the Theme Editor.
  4. Make the same code modifications described in Method 1—deleting the 'To the Top' link and moving the copyright code.
  5. Save the file. Your changes are now safe from parent theme updates.

Alternative: CSS Styling

If you only wish to hide the 'To the Top' link visually without removing the code, you can use CSS. This is a simpler but less comprehensive solution.

  1. Go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS.
  2. Add the following code to hide the link: 
    .to-the-top { display: none; }
  3. To reposition the copyright text using CSS, you would need to inspect the footer elements with your browser's developer tools to find the correct classes and then use CSS properties like text-align and float.

Conclusion

Customizing the Twenty Twenty footer is a straightforward process of modifying the footer.php template. The most common and supported method, as seen in community discussions, is to edit this file directly within a child theme. This approach allows you to safely remove the 'To the Top' link and reposition the copyright text to the bottom right corner, ensuring your site's footer looks exactly how you want it to.

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