Recent posts widget list your latest post and it helps you to keep reader longer in your site which reduces the bounce rate.

You can add it to anywhere within your site.

WordPress by default doesn’t show thumbnail in Recent posts Widget and if you want to add it you need to either modify the code or use Plugins.

With plugins, you can set your post featured image as the thumbnail or show any default image if there is no featured image and adjust its size.

In this article, I show you –

• How you can add Recent Post Widget in the sidebar of the WordPress
• And, add the thumbnail using Plugins.

Contents

1. Add recent post widget
2. Showing Thumbnail using Plugins
   • Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
   • Recent Posts Extended Widget
3. Conclusion

1. Add recent post widget

• Login to your WordPress dashboard and go to Widgets from Appearance.
• From Available Widget drag and drop Recent Posts to the Sidebar.
• It has the limited number of options from there you can set the Title, the number of posts lists on the Widget, and display date.
• Open your website to see the changes.

2. Showing Thumbnail using Plugins

I explain about 2 plugins, you can choose one of them for your site.

They are –

• Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
• Recent Posts Extended Widget

# Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails

• First, install and activate the Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails Plugins and go to Widgets from Appearance.
• Within Available Widgets, you will find a new Widget option.

• Add it to the sidebar.

• The widget has the number of options from there you can configure the widget like the title, the number of posts shows in the Widget, adjust from which category posts should show by default it set to All, enable thumbnail, set the image size, etc.

Add thumbnail

For enabling thumbnail,

• You can use your post featured image,
• The post first image, or
• You can use a default image

You can adjust the size of the thumbnail.

# Recent Posts Extended Widget

• The second plugin is Recent Posts Extended Widget, Install and activates the Plugin. For adding the widget go to the Widgets from Appearance.

• Add it to the Sidebar.

• It has the number of options from there you can manage the Widget like its title, select which post type posts show on the list, ordering, limit it to the certain category or tag, the number of posts, enable thumbnail, etc.

Add thumbnail

• First, Checked Display thumbnail checkbox from Widget setting options if it is not.
• The Widget allows to use post featured image for the thumbnail or set the path of the default image. You can also adjust the default size of the thumbnail.

3. Conclusion

Displaying thumbnail is a good idea to capture visitors attention. But you can not do it with default WordPress Widget.

The plugin gives you more flexibility than WordPress default Widget like showing thumbnail, set order, show any particular category posts, etc.

If you want to know How to show upcoming posts you can read my earlier tutorial – How to show Upcoming/Future Posts in WordPress.