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How to Fix Pagination and Navigation Issues in Twenty Sixteen

51 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Twenty sixteen

Content

Many users of the Twenty Sixteen theme encounter issues with pagination and post navigation. These problems can range from pagination links appearing when they shouldn't, to navigation not displaying at all on custom templates. This guide will explain the common causes and provide solutions to get your site's navigation working correctly.

Common Pagination and Navigation Issues

Based on community reports, the most frequent issues include:

  • Pagination displaying when there are fewer posts than the 'Posts per page' setting
  • Custom templates not showing page navigation links
  • Navigation appearing only at the bottom of pages when users want it at both top and bottom
  • Author pages showing blank screens instead of post listings

Why These Issues Occur

Most pagination problems in Twenty Sixteen stem from one of these causes:

  1. Custom code conflicts: Custom templates or functions.php modifications may not properly handle the WordPress query variables that control pagination.
  2. Child theme issues: CSS in child themes can sometimes accidentally hide navigation elements.
  3. Plugin conflicts: Some plugins can interfere with how WordPress handles queries and pagination.
  4. Incorrect template usage: Using the wrong template file or modifying core files without proper understanding can break navigation features.

Solutions and Fixes

1. Fixing Always-Visible Pagination

If your pagination shows even when there aren't enough posts to warrant it, check your custom pagination function. The issue is often in how you're checking the total number of pages:

function wp_numeric_pagination() {
    global $wp_query;
    
    // Only show pagination if we have more than one page
    if ($wp_query->max_num_pages <= 1) {
        return;
    }
    
    $big = 999999999;
    $tag = '' . PHP_EOL;
    echo $tag;
}

The key addition is the conditional check if ($wp_query->max_num_pages <= 1) which prevents the pagination from displaying when there's only one page of results.

2. Adding Navigation to Custom Templates

If you've created a custom template based on archive.php and lost pagination, ensure you're using the correct function for your navigation. For custom post type archives, you might need to use:

// Previous/next page navigation.
the_posts_pagination( array(
    'prev_text'          => __( 'Previous page', 'twentysixteen' ),
    'next_text'          => __( 'Next page', 'twentysixteen' ),
    'before_page_number' => '' . __( 'Page', 'twentysixteen' ) . ' ',
) );

3. Blank Author Pages

If author pages (domain.com/author/name) show blank white screens, check your child theme's CSS for rules that might be hiding author content. One user found this problematic CSS in their child theme:

.author {
    display: none;
}

Remove or modify such rules to restore author page functionality.

4. Plugin Conflict Testing

If you're experiencing unexpected behavior with pagination or navigation, temporarily disable all plugins to see if the issue resolves itself. If it does, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the culprit. Many navigation issues, including blank author pages, can be caused by plugin conflicts.

5. Adding Top and Bottom Navigation

To display navigation at both the top and bottom of post listings, you'll need to modify your template files (index.php, archive.php, search.php) in a child theme. Add the pagination function in both locations within the loop.

Prevention Tips

  • Always use a child theme when modifying Twenty Sixteen
  • Test pagination after making any template changes
  • Keep plugins updated to minimize conflicts
  • Use WordPress's built-in pagination functions rather than custom solutions when possible

By understanding how Twenty Sixteen handles pagination and following these solutions, you can resolve most navigation issues and ensure your visitors can easily browse your content.

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