How To Add Search Bar In Header WordPress (Updated 2025)

How To Add Search Bar In Header WordPress (Updated 2025)

Adding a search bar in the header of a WordPress site can be done in several ways, depending on the theme and level of customization you require. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Option 1: Using a Theme with Built-in Search Functionality

  1. Check the Theme Customizer:
    • Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard.
    • Look for a section like Header or Widgets.
    • Enable the search bar if the option is available.
  2. Widgets:
    • Navigate to Appearance > Widgets.
    • Look for a widget area labeled Header or similar.
    • Add the Search widget to the header widget area.

Option 2: Adding Search via a Plugin

If your theme doesn’t support search bars in the header, you can use a plugin:

  1. Install a plugin like SearchWP Live Ajax Search or Ivory Search.
  2. Configure the plugin to display the search bar in the header:
    • Check for a shortcode provided by the plugin (e.g., [search-bar]).
    • Add the shortcode to your header using a custom HTML widget or PHP.

Option 3: Adding Search with Code

For advanced customization, you can add the search bar directly into your header using PHP.

Steps:

  1. Edit the Header File:
    • Go to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
    • Select the header.php file.
  2. Insert the Search Form Code: Add the following code where you want the search bar to appear:phpCopy code<?php get_search_form(); ?>
  3. Style the Search Bar: Use CSS to style the search bar. Add your custom CSS in Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS: 
.search-form { max-width: 300px; margin: 10px auto; } 
.search-field { width: 100%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 5px; } 
.search-submit { padding: 10px 15px; background-color: #0073aa; color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 5px; cursor: pointer; } 
.search-submit:hover { background-color: #005177; }

    Option 4: Using a Page Builder

    If you use a page builder like Elementor or WPBakery:

    1. Open the header template in your page builder.
    2. Drag and drop the Search widget/module to the header.
    3. Customize the styling and placement.

    Pro Tip:

    Always backup your site before making changes to files or installing plugins. Use a child theme if editing core theme files to ensure updates don’t overwrite your changes.

    This blog post cover the following topics/things:

    • How to add search bar to WordPress menu without plugin?
    • Add search bar WordPress header”
    • WordPress header search functionality”
    • Search bar in WordPress navigation”
    • Add search box WordPress theme”
    • Customize WordPress search bar”
    • Best WordPress search bar plugin”
    • How to insert WordPress header search form”
    • Responsive WordPress search bar tutorial”
    • Ajax search bar WordPress”
    • Add search bar to WordPress site without plugin.

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