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How to Use Categories to Organize Content in Joomla

Getting Started · Joomla 4, 5, 6 · Updated June 1, 2026

✅ Verified on Joomla 5.4.6: the Categories screens and labels match the live admin.

In Joomla, Categories group your Articles. Good category structure makes your site easier to navigate and to build menu pages from.

Step 1 — Create a category

  1. Go to Content → Categories.
  2. Click New, give it a Title, and (optionally) a description.
  3. To nest it, set a Parent category. Save & Close.

Joomla starts with an “Uncategorised” category; you can leave simple sites there, but real structure helps SEO and navigation.

Step 2 — Assign articles to a category

When editing an article, pick its Category on the right-hand side. An article belongs to exactly one category.

Step 3 — Show a category as a page

Categories shine when you point a menu item at them:

  1. Menus → (your menu) → Add New Menu Item.
  2. Menu Item Type → Articles, then choose either:
    • Category Blog — shows article intros in a blog-style layout, or
    • Category List — a compact list of article titles.
  3. Select your category and Save & Close.

Tips

  • Don’t over-nest. Two or three levels is plenty for most sites.
  • Category pages are great SEO landing pages — give each a clear title and description.
  • You can set a different layout per menu item, so the same category can appear as a blog in one place and a list in another.