Want to learn how to paste code snippets from a web page into WordPress? Copying and pasting code in WordPress theme files may seem easy to experienced users, but for beginners, it can be daunting.
I publish a lot of WordPress tutorials that require users to add code snippets into WordPress. As a result, I receive a lot of inquiries from beginners who are, of course, worried about doing it wrong.
That’s why we wrote this guide. In this article, I will show you how to copy and paste code snippets from the web into WordPress without breaking your site.
Why Add Code Snippets to Your WordPress Site?
WordPress is the best website building tool in the world due to the flexibility it offers. It is easy to add new features to your website and can build almost any type of website.
We share tips and tricks to help you build a better website. Some of these tips will require you to add code to WordPress.
While adding custom code snippets to your website is optional, and you can often find plugins to perform the same task, sometimes a simple code snippet is more effective.
In general, adding code snippets can easily fix many common WordPress errors , improve WordPress security , and add new features to your website.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to safely add code snippets to your WordPress site.
What is the best way to add code snippets in WordPress?
It’s worth mentioning that before you start adding code snippets to your WordPress site, you should install and use a WordPress backup plugin .
This keeps your WordPress site safe and if anything goes wrong you can always restore it from the backup.
When adding snippets to WordPress, you may find instructions to add them to your WordPress theme template files, such as index.php, single.phpand so on.
These snippets are only useful for those specific theme files, so you must add them directly or create a WordPress child theme.
However, most code snippets are added to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file. Some tutorials may suggest adding directly to the file, but there are better alternatives that will future-proof your changes.
This way, if you change themes, your custom functionality will not be removed.
Depending on how you choose to add custom code snippets to your WordPress blog or website, there are several ways to edit WordPress files.
That being said, let’s take a look at some of the most beginner-friendly ways to add custom code snippets in WordPress.
- Add custom code using WPCode plugin (easy)
- Adding custom code in a site-specific WordPress plugin
- Add custom code to Functions.php or other theme templates
- Troubleshooting PHP errors when adding custom code (FAQ)
Method 1: Add custom code using WPCode plugin (easy)
Using a code snippet plugin is the safest and most beginner-friendly way to add code to WordPress.
The WPCode plugin allows you to easily add and manage custom code snippets on your website without editing your theme files.
It comes with smart code snippet validation to help you avoid common code mistakes. This prevents you from crashing your site when adding code snippets.
WPCode also has a built-in code library where you can easily find all the most popular WordPress code snippets. Add these expert-written code snippets in just a few clicks.
The best part is that it allows you to manage all your snippets from one central screen and even organize them using tags.
The free version of WPCode includes everything you need to add custom code in WordPress. WPCode Pro offers advanced features like a private cloud snippet library, conversion pixels, timed snippets, and more.
Note: The WPCode method is useful for functions.phpcode snippets that need to be added to a file. If you are asked to add a code snippet in another theme file, then this method will not work.
How to Edit and Add WordPress Code with WPCode
If you are adding code to WordPress using the WPCode plugin, then you will be adding the code directly in the WordPress admin dashboard.
First, you’ll need to install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, see our beginner’s guide to installing WordPress plugins .
Upon activation, simply go to Code Snippets » + Add Code Snippet in your WordPress admin panel . Then click on the Add New button.
![A Beginner's Guide to Pasting Code Snippets from a Web Page into WordPress](http://127.0.0.1:85/uploads/image/202507/ag/f26fdb28dd05d34d.png "In WPCode click on "Add New Code Snippet"")
This will take you to a screen where you can select a code snippet from a pre-made library or add your custom code.
To add custom code, click on the “+ Add Custom Code Snippet” button under the “Add Custom Code (New Code Snippet)” option.
Then, select the type of code you want from the options that appear on the screen.
For this tutorial, we will select the "PHP Snippet" option.
On the next screen, start by giving your snippet a name to help you remember it.
Then, paste your code into the Code Preview box.
Next, scroll down to the Insert section. Here you can choose to use the code snippet as a shortcode and manually copy and paste it anywhere on your website.
Alternatively, you can choose the “Auto-Insert” method to select where the code snippet will be automatically inserted (WordPress feature).
You can choose from locations like Run Everywhere, Frontend Only, Admin Only, Site-Wide Header, After Posts, Between Posts, Before Paragraphs, and more.
The best part about WPCode is that, in addition to the various automatic insertion options, it also offers a beginner-friendly option for conditional logic. This lets you choose when to load your code.
Once you've added the code, toggle the switch in the upper right corner from Inactive to Active.
Then, click the Save Snippet button.
Once a code snippet is active, it will be automatically added or displayed as a shortcode, depending on the insertion method you chose.
How to Add Code to WordPress Header and Footer
Sometimes you may just need to add a code to your theme header.phpor footer.phpfiles. The WPCode plugin can help you do that easily as well.
This comes in handy when you need to add tracking code for Google Analytics, Google AdSense, Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, etc. to your website.
Additionally, it allows you to manage all your header and footer code in one place, preventing any manual errors and letting you upgrade or change themes worry-free.
Note: This method works best for tracking scripts, custom CSS, and JavaScript code.
Go to Snippets » Header & Footer and enter the code snippet into the header, body, or footer section of your website.
Make sure to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button, and your code snippet will then be live on your website.
Method 2: Adding Custom Code in a Site-Specific WordPress Plugin
Another flexible option is to use a site-specific WordPress plugin. This is a custom plugin that you can create for your site and use it to hold all of your custom code.
The advantage of this approach is that your code is not dependent on the theme and will remain valid even if you change themes. It will also not be affected by any WordPress updates on your site.
Note: This method only works for functions.phpcode snippets that need to be added to a file.
If you use a site-specific plugin, then you can use the built-in WordPress plugin editor to add your custom code.
First, you need to go to Plugins » Plugin Editor and select your plugin from the drop-down menu labeled ‘Select a plugin to edit:’
The editor will load the plugin specific to your site. Then, all you have to do is add the code to your page.
Once you’re done, be sure to click the Update File button to save your changes.
If there is something missing in your code or that might break your site, then the plugin editor will automatically undo your changes.
Another way to add custom code to your site-specific plugins is by using FTP. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to upload files to WordPress using FTP .
Simply open your website using your favorite FTP client, then right-click on the plugin file and select the View/Edit option.
This will open the file so you can add your code snippet. When you save and upload the file again, the changes will automatically appear.
Method 3: Add custom code to Functions.php or other theme templates
Finally, you can add the code snippet directly into your theme functions.phpfiles. However, we recommend that you use the other options above as they have some drawbacks.
First, if you update your WordPress theme, all your changes will be gone.
Next, the code you add will only work if you use that specific theme.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to properly copy and paste code snippets and avoid breaking your site.
functions.phpIf you want to add the code snippet directly to your theme files or any other page template, then you can add the code by navigating to Appearance » Theme Editor in your WordPress admin panel .
You can then select the file from the right sidebar and it will open in the editor.
The tutorial you are following will tell you where to add the code snippet, but if it doesn't then you will need to add the code at the bottom of the file, below all the existing code.
Another option is to use FTP with your WordPress hosting file manager to add your custom code to your theme files.
Simply connect your FTP client to your website, then go to wp-content » themes » your-theme-folder and right-click on the file you need to edit.
Then, click the View/Edit option to open the file in a text editor and add the code snippet.
Troubleshooting PHP errors when adding custom code
There are a few common mistakes that beginners often make when adding custom code snippets to their WordPress sites. Fortunately, most of these mistakes can be easily avoided and fixed.
Let’s look at these errors and the best ways to fix them.
1. Incorrect usage of PHP start and end tags
WordPress is primarily written in the PHP programming language, which has a specific syntax that tells the server that the following code needs to be processed by PHP. The following is a typical PHP code snippet:
<?php
// Some pre-existing code
// your custom code
?>
All PHP code needs to be placed within the <?phpand ?>tags.
PHP closing tags are very important in files that switch back and forth between PHP and HTML. This includes most WordPress theme files that use both PHP tags and HTML.
You need to make sure that if you paste the code where the opening PHP tag is not closed, you need to add the code without the opening PHP tag.
<?php
// Some pre-existing code
?>
// Your custom code snippet
<?php
?>
If you paste your custom code outside or after the closing PHP tag, you also need to add the opening PHP tag.
<?php
// Some pre-existing code
?>
// Your custom code snippet
<?php
?>
Almost 90% of the errors are caused by incorrect placement of the PHP opening or closing tags. Checking the code can help you understand if you need to add PHP opening or closing tags in your custom code snippet.
However, many WordPress theme files functions.phpmay not have a PHP closing tag at all. This means that you can add code at the bottom of the file without using an opening or closing tag.
Here is an example of it.
<?php
// Lots of code in your theme's functions.php file
//
//
// Your custom code
function custom_loginlogo() {
echo '<style type="text/css">
h1 a {background-image: url('.get_bloginfo('template_directory').'/images/login_logo.png) !important; }
</style>';
}
add_action('login_head', 'custom_loginlogo');
Keep in mind that some tutorials may assume that you already know how to use PHP's opening and closing tags. Therefore, they may just show you a code snippet without those tags.
function custom_loginlogo() {
echo '<style type="text/css">
h1 a {background-image: url('.get_bloginfo('template_directory').'/images/login_logo.png) !important; }
</style>';
}
add_action('login_head', 'custom_loginlogo');
Sometimes, when code snippets are given, they can be added in multiple locations and therefore will not include the PHP closing and opening tags.
When you add a code snippet like this in your theme files, you need to make sure it is inside a PHP tag.
2. Nesting Error
PHP has specific syntax for functions, conditional logic, and loops . These syntaxes rely on curly braces, which indicate when a function begins and ends.
For example, here is a simple PHP function:
<?php
function wpbeginner_tutorial() {
echo "Hello World!";
}
?>
Now, if you want to add a custom snippet that is not related to this function, then you need to put it outside of this function, like this:
// Pre-existing code in your theme file
<?php
function wpbeginner_tutorial() {
echo "Hello World!";
}
// Your custom code
function custom_loginlogo() {
echo '<style type="text/css">
h1 a {background-image: url('.get_bloginfo('template_directory').'/images/login_logo.png) !important; }
</style>';
}
?>
If you miss an opening or closing curly brace then this will break the code and you'll end up with an error page.
Understanding PHP Errors in WordPress
Errors that occur when adding custom code to WordPress will usually display detailed error information. Most of these errors are syntax errors, parsing errors, or fatal errors due to unexpected characters.
The good news is that these errors will tell you which line in your code caused the error.
You can then go to the exact line to inspect the code and find out what you're missing.
For this purpose, we recommend using a proper text editor for code editing, as they have line numbers and syntax highlighting that can help you troubleshoot issues easily.
If you use the WPCode plugin , it also comes with precise error reporting that can show you the exact line where the error occurred.
When WPCode finds an error that could prevent you from accessing the admin area of your site, it will automatically disable the snippet so you can safely fix the issue.
What to do when your WordPress site is inaccessible?
First, take a deep breath and don’t panic. All of your site’s files are still there and you can access them.
[](https://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/6-best-ftp-clients-for-wordpress-users/ "6 Best FTP Clients for Mac and Windows WordPress Users")Simply connect to your website using an FTP client or the File Manager application in the cPanel of your WordPress hosting account.
For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to upload files to WordPress using FTP .
Next, find the file where you added the code that causes the error and open it for editing.
You can then try to fix the issues in the snippet. If you can't fix them, just remove the snippet you added and save your changes.
Your site should now be back to normal. If you still get the error, download a new WordPress theme and extract the zip file to your computer.
After that, find the file where you made changes earlier and upload it to the server and overwrite the old file.
To learn more ways to fix these problems, see our guide on the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them .
We hope this article helped you learn how to paste code snippets from a web page into WordPress.
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