Limit WordPress Search to Post Titles Only

To restrict WordPress search results to only include post titles, you can customize the main query using the posts_search filter. Follow these steps:

  1. Access your WordPress theme folder and open the functions.php file.
  2. Insert the code snippet below into the file:
function limit_search_to_post_titles($search, $wp_query) {
    if (is_search() && !is_admin()) {
        $search_terms = $wp_query->query_vars['s'];
        
        if (!empty($search_terms)) {
            global $wpdb;
            $search = $wpdb->prepare(" AND {$wpdb->posts}.post_title LIKE %s", '%' . $wpdb->esc_like($search_terms) . '%');
        }
    }
    return $search;
}
add_filter('posts_search', 'limit_search_to_post_titles', 10, 2);

Once saved, your WordPress search will only return posts whose titles contain the searched keywords, ignoring content from body text or other areas.

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.