How to Use orderby in WP_Query in WordPress

Use the orderby parameter in WP_Query to sort posts by fields like date, title, or custom fields. Pass orderby with the field name and optionally order with ASC or DESC to control sorting direction.

Syntax

The orderby parameter in WP_Query defines how posts are sorted. You can use values like date, title, meta_value (for custom fields), and more. The order parameter controls ascending (ASC) or descending (DESC) order.

Example parameters:

• orderby => 'date' - Sort by post date
• orderby => 'title' - Sort alphabetically by title
• orderby => 'meta_value' - Sort by a custom field value
• order => 'ASC' - Sort ascending
• order => 'DESC' - Sort descending

php

$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'post',
    'orderby'   => 'date', // or 'title', 'meta_value', etc.
    'order'     => 'DESC' // or 'ASC'
);
$query = new WP_Query($args);

Example

This example shows how to query posts ordered by title in ascending order.

php

<?php
$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'post',
    'orderby'   => 'title',
    'order'     => 'ASC',
    'posts_per_page' => 5
);
$query = new WP_Query($args);

if ($query->have_posts()) {
    while ($query->have_posts()) {
        $query->the_post();
        echo '<h2>' . get_the_title() . '</h2>';
    }
    wp_reset_postdata();
} else {
    echo 'No posts found.';
}
?>

Output

<h2>Alpha Post</h2><h2>Beta Post</h2><h2>Gamma Post</h2><h2>Omega Post</h2><h2>Zeta Post</h2>

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include:

• Not setting order when using orderby, which defaults to DESC.
• Using orderby => 'meta_value' without specifying meta_key, so WordPress doesn't know which custom field to sort by.
• Trying to order by a custom field without setting the correct meta_type (like NUMERIC for numbers).

php

<?php
// Wrong: missing meta_key
$args_wrong = array(
    'post_type' => 'post',
    'orderby'   => 'meta_value',
    'order'     => 'ASC'
);

// Right: specify meta_key and meta_type
$args_right = array(
    'post_type' => 'post',
    'meta_key'  => 'price',
    'orderby'   => 'meta_value_num',
    'order'     => 'ASC'
);
?>

Quick Reference

Parameter	Description	Example Values
orderby	Field to sort posts by	'date', 'title', 'meta_value', 'meta_value_num', 'rand'
order	Sort direction	'ASC' (ascending), 'DESC' (descending)
meta_key	Custom field key when sorting by meta_value	'price', 'rating'
posts_per_page	Number of posts to return	5, 10, -1 (all)

Key Takeaways

Always use the orderby parameter in WP_Query to control post sorting.

Pair orderby => 'meta_value' with meta_key to sort by custom fields.

Set order to ASC or DESC to define sorting direction.

For numeric custom fields, use orderby => 'meta_value_num' and specify meta_key.

Test queries to ensure sorting works as expected and reset post data after custom loops.