How to Change Text Color in WordPress (Words, Blocks or Site)

A splash of colour can make a key line stand out, a call to action pop, or a whole site feel on-brand. WordPress gives you three different ways to change text colour, and picking the right one saves you from a site full of random colours later. Here's how to colour a whole block, a few words, or your entire site, plus the readability check built into the editor.

Choose the right level

You want to colour	Use
A few words in a sentence	Highlight in the block toolbar
A whole paragraph or heading	Text color in the block settings
Text across the whole site	Styles > Colors in the Site Editor

Change the text color of a block

1. Click the paragraph, heading or other block you want to change.
2. Open the Settings sidebar using the icon next to Save or Publish.
3. Find the Color options and choose Text.
4. Pick a colour from your theme's palette, or add a custom one.
5. Save or update the post.

WordPress.org notes that the colour settings available vary by theme and block. Most text blocks let you set text, background and link colours; some also offer gradients.

Color just a few words

1. Select the words you want to colour.
2. In the block toolbar, open the dropdown for more text options.
3. Choose Highlight.
4. Pick Text to colour the letters, or Background to highlight behind them.
5. Choose a colour.

WordPress.org's Paragraph block guide lists highlighting among the extra rich text options in that toolbar dropdown, alongside things like inline code and strikethrough.

Use your brand colours with a custom colour

If your brand uses a specific shade, add it exactly. WordPress.org explains that you can click the colour box above the palette options and paste in a HEX code, such as your brand's six-character colour code, or a named colour like darkblue. Keep a note of your brand codes somewhere handy so every colour matches.

Change text color across your whole site

1. Go to Appearance > Editor.
2. Open Styles.
3. Choose Colors.
4. Set the colours for text, links, headings and buttons.
5. Click Save.

This is the right place for brand-wide decisions, because WordPress.org confirms that setting colour on a site basis affects the entire site. If you have a classic theme, look in Appearance > Customize instead, where many themes include colour options.

The built-in check most people ignore

Here's the useful bit. WordPress.org says the editor has accessibility tests built in, and it warns you when your text may be hard to read against the background colour you've chosen. Don't dismiss that warning. Light grey on white or yellow on orange might look stylish on your screen, but it's hard work for many readers, especially on phones in bright light.

Coloring links and nested elements

Links often need their own colour so people can spot them. In Styles, set a link colour for the whole site. For links inside a container such as a Group block, WordPress.org explains that the Elements colour settings let you style links and nested items separately. That's handy for a dark section where your normal link colour wouldn't show up.

Use colour with restraint

• Pick one accent colour for emphasis and stick to it.
• Keep body text dark and readable, rather than coloured.
• Don't rely on colour alone to show meaning; bold text helps too.
• Set colours in Styles first, and only colour individual blocks when you need to.

A site with a consistent, simple colour scheme always looks more professional than one where every post uses different shades. If you're working on your site's overall look, my guide to making your website successful covers the bigger picture, and my checklist of signs your website needs a makeover helps you spot what to fix first.

Change the colour of headings everywhere

Want every heading in your brand colour? Don't change them one by one. In Styles, open Colors and look for a Headings option, or open the Blocks section in Styles, choose the Heading block and set its text colour. Every heading on your site updates at once, and any new headings you add will match automatically. It's the same idea for buttons, which usually have their own colour settings in Styles.

Reset a colour you don't like

If you've coloured a block and want to go back, open the block's colour settings and use the reset option, or clear the colour so it falls back to your site's default. For site-wide changes in Styles, you can undo straight away, or open the Styles menu and reset to your theme's defaults if you've gone too far.

My verdict

Use Highlight for a few words, the block's Text colour setting for a whole paragraph or heading, and Styles > Colors for site-wide changes. Paste in your brand's HEX codes for exact matches, and always listen to the editor's readability warning. Restraint and consistency look far more polished than a rainbow.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change text color in WordPress?

Select the block, open the Settings sidebar and choose a text colour in the colour options.

How do I change the color of a single word in WordPress?

Highlight the word, open the toolbar's more options dropdown, choose Highlight, then pick a text colour.

Can I use my brand's exact colour in WordPress?

Yes. Click the colour box above the palette and paste in your HEX code.

How do I change text color across my whole WordPress site?

Go to Appearance > Editor > Styles > Colors and set your text colours.

Why does WordPress warn me about my text color?

The editor checks contrast and warns when text may be hard to read against the background.