Shortcodes in Sidebar
Runs shortcodes in the Custom HTML widget, the one sidebar widget WordPress still renders without executing them.
Solid choice
Shortcodes in Sidebar is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 400+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (400+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Shortcodes in Sidebar stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| custom html | >100 |
| shortcode | #40 |
| shortcodes | #11 |
| sidebar | #9 |
| widget | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
About Shortcodes in Sidebar
From the official readme · v26.0Description
Paste a shortcode into a Custom HTML widget and WordPress prints it exactly as you typed it — [contact-form], square brackets and all — instead of running it. This plugin fixes that, and nothing else.
What changed since version 3.0
When this plugin was written in 2011, WordPress ran no shortcodes in any widget, and one line of code fixed it for every sidebar on the site. WordPress has caught up since:
- Text widget — core has run shortcodes since WordPress 4.8.
- Block widgets — core has run shortcodes since WordPress 5.8.
- Custom HTML widget — core still does not, on any version, including 7.0.
So the plugin now does the one thing that is still missing. Where core already handles shortcodes, it deliberately stays out of the way — running them a second time is not a feature.
If you have been using version 3.0 on a recent WordPress, this release is also a bug fix. The old code hooked shortcodes onto the Text widget in a way that made core skip its own, correctly ordered pass, and shortcode output could come out with paragraph tags injected into the middle of it. That no longer happens.
Features
- Shortcodes run in the Custom HTML widget, in every sidebar and widget area.
- No settings, no setup. Activate it and it works.
- No database tables, no options, no scripts, no styles, no tracking, no ads, no upsells.
- Nothing to clean up when you delete it, because it stores nothing.
Privacy
The plugin collects nothing, stores nothing, and makes no external requests.
Installation
From your dashboard
- Go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for Shortcodes in Sidebar.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
Manual installation
- Download the plugin ZIP file.
- Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin and choose the file, or unzip it into
/wp-content/plugins/. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen.
There is nothing to configure. Add your shortcode to a Custom HTML widget and it runs.
Frequently asked questions
Are there any settings?
No. The plugin is either active or it is not.
Do I still need this plugin?
Only if you use the Custom HTML widget. Shortcodes in the Text widget and in block widgets are handled by WordPress itself now, and this plugin does not interfere with either.
My shortcodes already work in a Text widget. Why?
Because WordPress has done that for you since version 4.8. Earlier releases of this plugin did it too, which is why you may remember needing it.
I upgraded from 3.0 and something looks different
Version 3.0 ran shortcodes in the Text widget before WordPress added its paragraph formatting, so shortcode output could end up with stray tags inside it. WordPress now runs them afterwards, in the right order, so that markup is cleaner. The content itself is unchanged.
Does it work with the block widget editor?
Yes, in the sense that there is nothing to do: WordPress runs shortcodes in block widgets on 5.8 and above, and the Shortcode block exists for exactly that. A Custom HTML widget kept through the Legacy Widget block is covered by this plugin as normal.
Does it work with page builders and other widget areas?
Anywhere a Custom HTML widget is rendered by WordPress, yes. Widgets rendered by a builder’s own code, outside the core widget classes, are up to that builder.
Will it run shortcodes in widget titles?
No. Widget titles are not filtered by this plugin.
Why does the main file have a different name from the plugin?
shortcodes-in-sidebar-widgets.php is the name it has had since 2011. WordPress identifies an installed plugin by its file path, so renaming it would deactivate the plugin on every site that updates.
Changelog
Shortcodes now run in the Custom HTML widget, which WordPress itself has never supported. Text and block widgets are left to WordPress, which has handled them since 4.8 and 5.8 — this also fixes stray paragraph tags that version 3.0 could introduce into shortcode output. No settings, nothing to reconfigure.
26.0
Full rewrite for modern WordPress. The plugin now uses year-based version numbers.
- Fixed: shortcodes now run in the Custom HTML widget, which WordPress has never covered.
- Fixed: removed the
widget_textshortcode filter, which on WordPress 4.8 and above stopped core from running its own correctly ordered shortcode pass, and could inject paragraph tags into shortcode output in the Text widget. - Changed: Text widget and block widget shortcodes are left to WordPress, which has handled them since 4.8 and 5.8 respectively — no more double processing.
- Added: GPL-2.0 license file and full license headers.
- Added: a test suite, plus continuous integration on PHP 7.4 through 8.4.
- Changed: readme, plugin header and documentation rewritten; the header version and the stable tag now agree, which they had not since 2015.
- Tested against WordPress 7.0.
3.0
- Compatibility tag updated.
2.0
- Compatibility tag updated.
1.0
- First release, 5 December 2011.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Shortcodes in Sidebar alternatives
All custom html plugins →
FAQ
Shortcodes in Sidebar: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
Is Shortcodes in Sidebar free?
Yes. Shortcodes in Sidebar is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Shortcodes in Sidebar safe to use in 2026?
Shortcodes in Sidebar is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 400+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Shortcodes in Sidebar?
Shortcodes in Sidebar is active on 400+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 16,012 times since it launched in December 2011. It was downloaded 221 times in the last 30 days.
Does Shortcodes in Sidebar work with WordPress 7.1?
Shortcodes in Sidebar is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Shortcodes in Sidebar need?
Shortcodes in Sidebar requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Shortcodes in Sidebar last updated?
The latest version, 26.0, was released on August 10, 2026 (2 months ago).
Who makes Shortcodes in Sidebar?
Shortcodes in Sidebar is developed and maintained by Pankaj Anupam.
What are the best alternatives to Shortcodes in Sidebar?
The most popular alternatives to Shortcodes in Sidebar are Advance Custom HTML (10K+ installs), Jamie's Visual HTML Editor (70+ installs) and Kayzart (10+ installs).
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