---
title: "How to Add Breadcrumbs with Parent Page in WordPress?"
url: https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-breadcrumbs-with-parent-page-in-wordpress/
date: 2024-11-28
modified: 2026-09-28
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "A parent link in the breadcrumb lets visitors jump back one level, for example from a Web Design page to Services, without using the browser's back button. The free Breadcrumbs..."
image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/How-to-Add-Breadcrumbs-with-Parent-Page-in-WordPress_-1024x519.jpg
word_count: 495
---

# How to Add Breadcrumbs with Parent Page in WordPress?

## Key Takeaways

- Breadcrumbs block in Nexter Blocks shows every parent page between Home and the current page, and each parent crumb links to its page while the current page stays plain text.
- Parent setting in Visibility controls the trail, with the first Parent switch on by default and the second Parent number set to 20 characters, or 100 to show full titles.
- Limitations section says a Parent limit of 0 leaves empty links, a Current limit of 0 hides the current page, and cut titles end abruptly without an ellipsis.

A parent link in the breadcrumb lets visitors jump back one level, for example from a Web Design page to Services, without using the browser's back button.

The free Breadcrumbs block in Nexter Blocks shows every parent page between Home and the page you are on.

*For every Breadcrumbs setting in one place, see the [Breadcrumbs block guide](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-breadcrumbs-in-wordpress/).*

[LIVE BLOCK LINK](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-blocks/blocks/wordpress-breadcrumb-bar/)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** Free — works in Nexter Blocks (free) and with Nexter Blocks Pro.- **Block to enable:** Breadcrumbs, switched on under **Nexter > Blocks** in your WordPress dashboard.- **Pages with a parent:** the trail can only show parents that exist, so set a parent page in each page's settings first.

## Steps

- Open the page, header template or single template where the trail should appear, add the **Breadcrumbs** block and click **Design from Scratch**.

- On the **Layout** tab, open **Visibility** and check that the first **Parent** switch is on. It is on by default.

![The Visibility panel of the Breadcrumbs block with the Parent switch turned on](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/breadcrumbs-vis-parent.webp)

- Under that switch, the second **Parent** setting sets how many characters of each parent title show. The default is 20. Drag it to **100** to show full titles.

- Save, then open the page on your site. The editor shows a sample trail, not your real pages.

![Breadcrumb trail on a published page: Home, Services, Web Design, a shortened parent title and the current page](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/breadcrumbs-result-default.webp)

## Parent Settings

| Setting | What it does | Default |
| ------- | ------------ | ------- |
| Parent (switch) | Shows or hides all parent crumbs between Home and the current page | On |
| Parent (number) | Cuts each parent title to this many characters, with no ellipsis (0–100) | 20 |
| Current (switch) | Shows or hides the current page at the end of the trail | On |
| Current (number) | Cuts the current page title to this many characters | 20 |

## How It Behaves

- On a page, the trail is Home, then every parent page from the top level down, then the current page.- Each parent crumb links to its page. The current page is plain text, not a link.- On a blog post, the parent part is the post's category path instead of parent pages.- With the first **Parent** switch off, the trail shows only Home and the current page.- It works the same in the free plugin and with Nexter Blocks Pro, on the Nexter theme and on block themes such as Twenty Twenty-Five.

![A styled breadcrumb bar showing Home, a parent page and the current page](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/visibility-parent-demo.webp)

## Limitations

- **The limit counts characters, not words.** The help text under the setting says “word limit”, but a limit of 20 cuts “WordPress Website Design” to “WordPress Website De”.- **Do not set a limit to 0.** A **Parent** limit of 0 leaves every parent crumb as an empty link, and a **Current** limit of 0 hides the current page. Use 100 to show full titles.- Cut titles end abruptly, without “…”.

## Troubleshooting

### Only Home and the page title show

The page has no parent page, or the first **Parent** switch in **Visibility** is off.

### Parent names are cut off

Raise the second **Parent** setting. 100 shows titles up to 100 characters in full.

### The breadcrumb links are empty

The **Parent** or **Current** limit is set to 0. Set it to a number above 0, such as 100.

## Related Docs

- [Breadcrumbs block: all settings](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-breadcrumbs-in-wordpress/)- [Add breadcrumbs to blog posts](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-breadcrumbs-on-blog-post-single-page-in-wordpress/)- [Add breadcrumbs to category pages](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-breadcrumbs-to-wordpress-category-page/)- [Create a header template in WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/docs/create-header-template-in-wordpress/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why do only Home and the page title show in my breadcrumb trail?**
A: That usually means the page has no parent page, or the first Parent switch in Visibility is off. Nexter Blocks builds the trail from actual parent pages, so it can only show what exists in the page hierarchy. If you want a full trail, set a parent page in the page settings first, then keep the Parent switch on so the breadcrumb can include those intermediate levels.

**Q: How do I stop parent page names from getting cut off in breadcrumbs?**
A: The Parent number controls how many characters of each parent title appear, and the default is 20. Raising it to 100 shows full titles in most cases, which matters when your page names are longer than a short label. The cut happens by character count, not word count, so a title like “WordPress Website Design” can still be shortened even when it looks short by words.

**Q: Why are my breadcrumb links empty?**
A: Empty breadcrumb links happen when the Parent or Current limit is set to 0. In this setup, 0 does not mean unlimited, it means blank for parents and hidden for the current page. A safer choice is a value above 0, such as 100, if you want full titles instead of empty crumbs.

**Q: Does the breadcrumb block work on pages, headers, and single templates?**
A: Nexter Blocks places the Breadcrumbs block in any of those spots, so it works on a page, a header template, or a single template. That matters because breadcrumbs are often most useful in templates that repeat across many pages. The editor shows a sample trail while you build it, but the real trail appears on the live site after you save.

**Q: What is the best setting for showing full parent titles in WordPress breadcrumbs?**
A: A Parent value of 100 is the practical choice when you want full titles instead of truncated ones. The default is 20, which is fine for short labels but cuts longer names without an ellipsis. Since the limit counts characters and not words, 100 gives you much more room before anything gets shortened.

**Q: How do breadcrumbs behave on blog posts compared with normal pages?**
A: On normal pages, Nexter Blocks shows Home, then each parent page from top level down, then the current page. On a blog post, the parent part switches to the post’s category path instead of parent pages. That difference matters because posts usually follow taxonomy structure rather than a page hierarchy.