A post format tells your theme what kind of post this is — a short note, a photo gallery, a quote — so it can style it differently. Choosing one takes a few clicks in the editor.

## Prerequisites

- A post you can edit — a draft or one that's already published.
- A theme that supports post formats. Twenty Twenty-Five, the theme that ships with WordPress, supports them all.
- Permission to edit posts on the site.

## Steps

### Step 1: Open the post you want to change

In the dashboard, click **Posts** in the left-hand menu. Then click the title of the post you want to change.

![Open the post you want to change](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTM0MiwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--283c4a26d043789d849c6d8269decedb237d104f/block_open-the-post.png)

### Step 2: Find the Format setting

The editor opens with the settings panel on the right. Click the **Format** row — it shows **Standard** until you pick something else.

![Find the Format setting](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTMyNSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2c9981aa8f682b67f7fb7ba60667597ca08d9727/block_find-the-format-setting.png)

### Step 3: Pick a format

A list of formats appears beside the row. Choose the one that matches your post — **Gallery** for a set of photos, **Aside** for a short note, **Quote** for someone else's words. Your theme takes care of the styling from there.

![Pick a format](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTM0MywicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2afc2ed83d58073039318e8fd9c95078e3b63f27/block_pick-a-format.png)

### Step 4: Save the post

Click **Update** at the top right of the editor. The format sticks, so you only need to set it once.

## Tips

- **Standard** is the everyday format — no special styling. Use it when nothing else fits.
- Themes decide how each format looks, so on some sites two formats may appear almost the same.
- You can change or reset a post's format at any time by following these steps again.

## Summary

Open your post, click the **Format** row in the settings panel, pick a format, and click **Update**. That's all there is to it.