You add WP Author Box to show author bio. Bio appears twice on same post. Top and bottom. That is frustrating because design looks messy.
A common issue is that both plugin and theme display author box. Plugin adds one. Theme adds another. The plugin is not broken. You need to disable theme’s author box.
Why WP Author Box Shows Duplicate Bios
WP Author Box adds author bio to posts automatically. Many themes also have built-in author box. When both active, two boxes appear. Plugin does not know theme has its own box. Theme does not know plugin exists.
This is not WP Author Box being bad. Two systems adding same feature.
The Most Common Duplicate Bio Causes
- Theme has built-in author box (Astra, GeneratePress, Kadence)
- Another plugin adds author box (Simple Author Box)
- Manual code in theme’s single.php
- Page builder author widget active
- Shortcode used twice on same page
Identify all sources.
How to Fix Duplicate Author Bios
- Check if theme has author box (Appearance → Customize → Blog → Author Box)
- Disable theme’s author box
- If theme has no setting, remove from template files
- Keep only WP Author Box
- Or disable WP Author Box, keep theme’s
Choose one, not both.
How to Disable Theme Author Box in Code
Add to functions.php:
remove_action('wp_head', 'theme_author_box');
remove_filter('the_content', 'theme_author_box_filter');
Check theme documentation for exact hooks.
Alternative: Use CSS to Hide One Box
If cannot disable theme box, hide with CSS:
.theme-author-box { display: none; }
This hides theme box, keeps plugin box.
People Also Ask About Author Box Duplicates
Why does my post show two author boxes?
Plugin and theme both adding boxes. Disable one.
Should I stop using WP Author Box?
Keep plugin, disable theme box. Or keep theme box, disable plugin.
Is WP Author Box worse than Simple Author Box?
Both can duplicate with themes. Choose one source only.
Final Thoughts
If WP Author Box shows duplicate bios, disable theme’s author box. Use only one source. Author bio will appear once per post.