Setary lets you bulk edit, replace, merge, or consolidate WordPress tags in seconds. A task that’s either impossible or extremely tedious in the native WordPress dashboard. A common real-world use case is consolidating duplicate or near-duplicate tags, such as plural and singular versions (“arrows” → “arrow”, “animations” → “animation”, etc.). Setary makes this simple with its spreadsheet-style interface and powerful Bulk Actions.
When to Use This Feature
- Clean up inconsistent tagging (plural vs. singular, spelling variations, etc.)
- Merge low-count tags into higher-count ones
- Add or remove the same tag across hundreds of posts
- Replace one tag with another across filtered posts
Step-by-Step:
Consolidate Tags (e.g. “arrows” → “arrow”)
- Open Setary and select the WordPress site you want to work on.
- Go to the Posts tab (or the relevant custom post type).
- Enable the Tags column
- Click the Columns button at the top.
- Make sure Tags is checked.
- Filter the posts you want to update
- Click the filter icon in the Tags column header.
- Choose Contains… and type the tag you want to remove (e.g. arrows).
- Setary will show only the posts that currently have that tag.
- Select the posts
- Check the boxes for the posts you want to update (or use the top checkbox to select all filtered results).
- Open Bulk Actions
- Click the Bulk Actions button (it will show the number of selected posts, e.g. “6 posts”).
- Choose Bulk edit.
- Configure the tag replacement
In the “Bulk edit” modal:- Select field to edit: Choose Tags
- Select how to edit field: Choose Replace value
- Search for: Enter the old tag name (e.g. arrows)
- Replace with: Enter the new tag name (e.g. arrow)
- Click Proceed.
Setary will instantly update the tags on all selected posts. - Save your changes
Click the blue Save Changes button at the top right.
A confirmation will appear once the updates are pushed to WordPress. - Verify the results (optional but recommended)
- Switch to the Tags tab.
- You’ll now see the old tag’s count drop to 0 and the new tag’s count increase accordingly.
Bonus: Working Directly in the Tags View
You can also manage tags themselves without touching posts:
- Go to the Tags tab at the bottom.
- You’ll see a full spreadsheet of every tag with columns for Name, Slug, Description, and Count.
- Inline edit any field.
- Sort or filter by count to quickly spot low-use or duplicate tags.
- Once a tag’s count reaches 0, you can delete it directly from this view.
Other Popular Tag Bulk Operations
| Operation | How to do it in Setary |
|---|---|
| Add the same tag to many posts | Bulk edit → Tags → “Add value” |
| Remove a specific tag | Bulk edit → Tags → “Remove value” |
| Replace multiple tags at once | Use the same Replace workflow (repeat as needed) |
| Clear all tags | Bulk edit → Tags → “Clear field” |
Tips for Best Results
- Use the search bar at the top to quickly jump between posts and tags.
- Always preview your filters before running a bulk action.
- Changes are staged locally until you click Save Changes. You can undo locally or discard if needed.
- After large cleanups, consider running a quick “Tags” view refresh to confirm counts updated correctly.
This feature is one of the reasons many users switch to Setary. It turns hours of manual WordPress tag management into a quick spreadsheet task.