How to Find a Category ID in WordPress (and Hide It)?

While trying to hide a category on my WordPress site, I looked into different methods and ended up summarizing these two approaches. Each one works well, so choose whichever is more convenient for you.

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Check the Category Edit Page (Simple Method)

1. Go to Categories: In your WordPress dashboard, click Posts > Categories.

2. Edit the Category: Find the category you want to hide, hover over it, and click Edit.

3. Look at the URL: In your browser’s address bar, find a parameter like tag_ID=50. The number after tag_ID= is your category ID.

This is usually the quickest way. If the ID doesn’t show in the URL, or if you prefer a more technical route, you can try the next method.

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Query the Database (Advanced Method)

1. Access MySQL: Log in to your server using SSH, then open the MySQL shell.

USE your_database_name;

2. Look in wp_terms: Search for the category by name:

SELECT * FROM wp_terms WHERE name = 'CyberSecurity';

For instance, if you see a row with term_id = 50, then 50 is your category ID.

3. Confirm the Taxonomy (optional): In rare cases, the same term_id can be used for different taxonomies (like tags or custom taxonomies). Check wp_term_taxonomy to make sure the taxonomy is category:

SELECT * FROM wp_term_taxonomy WHERE term_id = 50;

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Hiding the Category

After you have the ID, look for a setting in your theme or plugin that says something like “Exclude Categories.” Enter the ID (or multiple IDs separated by commas). For example:

Exclude Categories: 50, 12, 23

Once saved, the category (or categories) you listed should no longer appear in the areas controlled by that setting.