Two numbers decide how much of your blog people see at once: how many posts your archive pages list, and how many items go out in your feed. Both live on one settings screen, and you can change them in a minute.

## Before you start

- An Administrator account on your site — Reading Settings are only available to Administrators.
- Your site's dashboard open in a browser.

## Steps

### Step 1: Open the Reading Settings

In the dashboard, open **Settings** and choose **Reading**. Everything in this guide lives on the screen that opens.

![Open the Reading Settings](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3NzcsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--28072a0f92d48552aaa8a7924c86bb2684b8e8da/block_open-reading-settings.png)

### Step 2: Set how many posts your archive pages show

Find **Number of recent posts shown on archive pages** and type the number you want — 10 is the default. This one number covers your blog page and every category, tag, and date archive on your site.

![Set how many posts your archive pages show](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3NzksInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--4b414ebaf515b32ba8abc734aa77dd6c9a6f8d6b/block_set-archive-posts.png)

### Step 3: Set how many items your feed carries

At **Number of recent items shown in syndication feeds**, enter how many items your feed should hold. Feed readers and email subscribers get this many posts, newest first.

![Set how many items your feed carries](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3MDMsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--622f0cdc6ea5f222731694b065c084dcc3f5cd71/block_set-feed-count.png)

### Step 4: Choose what each feed item includes

At **For each post in a feed, include**, pick **Full text** to send the whole post, or **Excerpt** to send a short summary that links back to your site.

![Choose what each feed item includes](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3NzYsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--63433c179690867018aacaa2bc8c72db8e196efd/block_choose-feed-content.png)

### Step 5: Save your changes

Click **Save Changes** at the bottom of the screen. The confirmation at the top lets you know your new settings are live.

![Save your changes](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3NzgsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--ad1b7a57fcc6432a9559eec437176977d6756cd5/block_save-changes.png)

## Tips

- A smaller archive number keeps pages quick to load and easier to scroll through.
- Sending excerpts invites readers back to your site for the full story.
- Feed readers cache what they have already downloaded, so a change can take a little while to appear for existing subscribers.

## Summary

Your archive count, your feed count, and the format each feed item uses all sit on **Settings** > **Reading**. Set the two numbers, choose full text or excerpt, and save.