How to Add a “Last Modified” Column in WordPress

Are you looking for a way to add a “last modified” column in WordPress post editor? While there’s probably a plugin for this, we have created a quick code snippet that you can use to add a “last modified” column in WordPress.

Instructions:

All you have to do is add this code to your theme’s functions.php file or in a site-specific plugin:

// Register the column
function modified_column_register( $columns ) {
	$columns['modified_list'] = __( 'Modified', 'my-plugin' );
 
	return $columns;
}
add_filter( 'manage_edit-post_columns', 'modified_column_register' );

// Display the column content
function modified_column_display( $column_name, $post_id ) {
	if ( 'modified_list' != $column_name )
		return;
	echo the_modified_date();
}
add_action( 'manage_posts_custom_column', 'modified_column_display', 10, 2 );

// Register the column as sortable
function modified_column_register_sortable( $columns ) {
	$columns['modified_list'] = 'modified_list';
 
	return $columns;
}
add_filter( 'manage_edit-post_sortable_columns', 'modified_column_register_sortable' );

Credit for this code goes to Scribu’s Custom Sortable Columns post.

Note: If this is your first time adding code snippets in WordPress, then please refer to our guide on how to properly add code snippets in WordPress, so you don’t accidentally break your site.

If you liked this code snippet, please consider checking out our other articles on the site like: 15 best content marketing tools and how to create a contact form in WordPress.