The Which items section decides what a display shows. Blank boxes are ignored, so an untouched display shows your latest posts. Several values in one box match any of them; different boxes must all match.

Which items section
SettingWhat it does
Content typesPosts, Pages, or both. With Pro, other content types you switch on under Settings appear here too.
Categories, Tags and other taxonomiesType names, separated by commas. Suggestions appear as you type. A parent category includes its children.
Custom fieldsOne box per filterable field. Text matches anywhere in the value; numbers and dates match exactly or by range, e.g. 10..20 or 2024-01-01..2024-12-31.
Search textOnly items whose title, content, custom text fields or category/tag names contain these words.
Published within the lastAny time, 7 days, 30 days, 3 months or 12 months — good for “this week” lists.
Sticky postsTreat like any other, show first, only sticky posts, or leave them out.
Order by / DirectionDate published, date updated, title, page order, comment count, random, the order you picked items in, or any sortable custom field.
How manyThe number of items to show. 0 shows all of them. With pagination on, Per page is used instead.
Skip the firstLeave out the first N matches — for example a grid that starts after the three posts already in your slider above it.
Only these itemsSearch titles and pick specific posts or pages. Choose Order by: The order picked below to show them in your order.
Never these itemsPick posts or pages to always leave out.
Child pages ofShown when Pages is ticked: only the child pages of the page you choose. Pair with Order by: Page order for a services or team page.
Leave out the post or page this display is shown onOn by default, so a “more posts” display at the bottom of an article never lists that article itself.

Good to know: Displays only ever show published items to visitors. Drafts, private and scheduled posts never appear.

Next: Layout styles