Quick Trick to Remove /category/ From WordPress URL

Having /category/ in the url of your blog url isn’t very handy for most people, especially those wanting to use WordPress as a non-blog style CMS. By default WordPress shows category archives like so:

http:/yourblog.com/category/quotes/

If you want to remove /category/ from the url, follow these two steps:

1. Go to Settings >> Permalinks and select Custom and enter: /%category%/%postname%/

2. Next set your Category Base to /.

Save it and you’ll see your URL changed to this format:

http:/yourblog.com/quotes/

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Comments (15)

  1. Hi there,

    We have the same problem with sub-categories (404 error page), using WordPress RC2.0. We have tried using Top Categories and Pathless Categories Plugin, but always the same problem : URL looks good, but it throws a 404 error…

    Hope someone will find a solution…

  2. I also get the looping problem in WordPress v 3 final release. Works fine with default permalinks set or when leaving /category/ in the url, but as soon as I change the category base to /. I get looping 404 errors.

    Please someone find a fix for this!

  3. Hi,

    We found a solution a few days ago for the 404 problem. First install and enable the Top Level Categories Plugin, then go to Settings > Permalinks, and set a custom structure like this :

    /%category%/%postname%.html

    You can leave the other fields empty. Note the “.html” after the post name. This will prevent WordPress from confusing categories and products URLs.

    The 404 problem will occur when you have a structure like this :

    /%category%/%postname%

    • i have tried so many thing no category base plugin,top level plugin etc but didnt found helpful these all things.when i install no category base plugin that works fine but my pagination didnt work correct.when install top level category plugin and set structure /%category%/%postname%.html it didnt work as well please help me if any one using something nice and helpful

  4. I had child categories that weren’t working when I did this method. I had to employ #IRCF’s solution. I have WordPress multisite installed. You will need to apply this solution to each individual blog.

    Go to Settings -> Permalinks
    Choose Custom Structure and enter”/%category%/%postname%.html” (without quotes)
    Category base enter “.” (without quotes)

    If your WordPress Multisite is up to date.. this method should work! No plugins needed… which I prefer ;)

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