How to create custom post types in WordPress with CPT UI and ACF Easiest Way 2026 Guide

Want to make your WordPress site smarter, more organized, and tailored to your needs? Today, I'm going to walk you through how to create custom post types in WordPress using two incredibly powerful plugins, custom post type UI and advanced custom fields. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to build specialized area for content like books, movies, or whatever suits your project, complete with custom fields, so your site isn't just blog, but fully featured content management system. All right, let's dive in. The first thing you want to do is install and activate two plugins. Head to your WordPress dashboard, then go to plugins, add new. Search for custom post type UI. This one lets you easily create and manage custom post types, which is what we'll be using to structure your new content area. Next, search for advanced custom fields. This plug-in is favorite among developers and site owners because it lets you add all sorts of custom fields to your posts. Think of it as giving your content different parts: titles, images, author names, and so on. If you've ever wished WordPress was little less one-sizefits-all, these two tools open up world of possibilities. With both plugins activated, you'll see new menu item in your WordPress admin sidebar called CPT UI. Go ahead and click it. From here, choose add edit post types. Now, we're going to tell WordPress what kind of custom content you want to store. Imagine you're launching site for your favorite books. You set your post type slug to something simple and lowercase like books. This slug is important because it becomes part of your site's URLs. So, keep it short and relevant. Next, give your post type plural label like books and singular label book. These labels will show up around the WordPress dashboard. So, choose something that makes sense for you and anyone else helping with the site. Don't rush past the settings and labels. This is where you really shape how your custom post type behaves. For example, you might change the menu icon to little book, make it public if you want visitors to see your posts, or enable support for certain editors depending on what features you need. If you're unsure about any options, try hovering over the info icons for quick tips or think about what your audience should be able to do with this content. When you're ready, scroll down and click the add post type button. Give it moment and now you'll see your shiny new post type like books appear in the sidebar. Next up, let's make your custom post type truly unique by adding custom fields with advanced custom fields. In your admin menu, look for ACF and select field groups. Hit the add new button and give your field group clear descriptive title. Say book details. Now start adding fields by clicking plus add field. For each one, give it label that makes sense for editors like author name and machine readable name which is usually lowercase and has underscores instead of spaces. This helps WordPress keep everything organized under the hood. Choose the right field type. For example, use text for an author's name, image for book cover, or date picker for publication date. Don't worry if you're not sure about every field you'll need. These can always be changed or expanded later. Repeat this process for all the unique details you want to capture. Maybe you add synopsis, genre, or even rating. The more thoughtfully you set up these fields, the more flexible and intuitive your content will be down the road. The last vital step, scroll down to the location box. Here, you'll set rule so this field group only appears on entries of your newly created post type. Select post type is equal to and choose, for example, book from the drop down. This ensures your custom fields show up where they're needed, not cluttering other post types or pages. Click publish to save your field group. Take moment to pat yourself on the back. Now, whenever you add new book post, you'll see all your custom fields ready for use. This is where your site starts to feel truly customtailored. You can create beautiful organized structures for whatever kind of content you need. Thanks for following along. If you found this walkthrough helpful, please hit the like button and let me know your questions in the comments. I'm always happy to help you troubleshoot or get creative with WordPress. And don't forget to subscribe for more hands-on tutorials.