Customizing WPML
WPML lets you customize how it behaves end-to-end: which languages your site uses, how URLs work, which content WPML translates, how translations happen. Every option lives at WPML > Settings. This section maps which page covers what.
One Settings Page for Everything
WPML > Settings is the single place for every customization across every WPML component: core, WCML, all the add-ons. You don’t have to remember where a feature “hid” its settings; they’re all here.
Finding a Specific Setting
The Settings page has a search box at the top. Type what you’re looking for – “hreflang”, “translate custom fields”, “per-language flag”, “redirect” – and Settings jumps straight to the section that controls it. You don’t need to know which sub-page the setting lives under or which plugin added it.
The list below shows you the layout; the search box finds any specific control by name.
Eight Customization Areas
Each section below maps to a focused page on a specific kind of customization.
Languages on your site – add or remove languages, change the default, define custom languages, hide languages while you finish translating them.
Language switcher – what the switcher looks like, where it appears, how it behaves for visitors.
URLs, slugs, SEO – how translated URLs are built, slug strategy, hreflang, and how WPML helps search engines understand your multilingual site.
What gets translated – and what doesn’t – per-post-type, per-taxonomy, per-custom-field, per-media translation preferences.
Translation editor – the Advanced Translation Editor (WPML’s recommended way to translate), how to write completely different content per language using the WordPress editor, and the Classic Translation Editor for rare Support-directed cases.
Settings for WPML’s AI translation – teach PTC about your site so translations sound right, decide when and how auto-translation happens, control who can trigger it, and configure PTC’s edit-learning loop.
Translator workflows – adding translators and Translation Managers, notifications, and the niche CAT-tool / external-service paths.
Compatibility with themes and plugins – WPML works out of the box with all major and popular themes and plugins; this page covers the compatibility toggles and custom wpml-config.xml for closing gaps with the rest.
Related Sections
If you’re setting up WPML for the first time, the Getting Started Guide walks you through the install-and-configure path before you start tuning settings.
If you’re looking for how to translate your content (not how to customize WPML’s behavior), see Translating content.
For the AI engine itself (quality, language coverage, pricing), see PTC – WPML’s AI translation.