What is the name of the LearnDash custom post type?

Working with a WordPress-based learning platform, one of the main challenges creators and developers face is customizing course content the way they want.

You might try to tweak how your courses look, add custom filters, or connect a plugin, but nothing seems to work.

The real problem? You don’t know the exact post types your LMS uses for courses, lessons, and quizzes. Without that information, it’s tough to make changes that work.

The solution is that everything becomes easier once you know the custom post type names. You can organize your content better, apply the right settings, and make your LMS site work exactly how you need it to.

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What Are Custom Post Types in WordPress?

WordPress is built to handle different types of content through something called “post types.” Besides standard ones like “Posts” and “Pages,” many plugins, including LMS plugins, create custom post types to manage specialized content such as courses, lessons, quizzes, and more.

These post types act like containers that hold your course data and are key to customizing or integrating your LMS with themes, page builders, or plugins.

LearnDash Custom Post Types (Real Names You Can Use)

LearnDash uses custom post types to structure course content. Knowing these names allows developers and site owners to apply code, styling, or functionality to the right place.

Here are the official custom post type names used by LearnDash:

sfwd-courses – This is the custom post type used for courses.
sfwd-lessons – This is used for individual lessons within each course.
sfwd-topic – This is the post type for topics, which are sub-units of lessons.
sfwd-quiz – This handles quizzes attached to lessons or topics.
sfwd-assignment – For user-submitted assignments within a course.
sfwd-essays – Used when learners submit essay-type quiz answers.

These post types are registered when you install and activate the LearnDash plugin, and they’re what WordPress uses behind the scenes to store and display your course materials.

Read this: Are There Known Plugin and Theme Conflicts in LearnDash?

Why Knowing These Post Types Matters

If you’re a site owner, developer, or designer working with LearnDash, knowing these custom post types helps you:

Create custom templates using page builders like Elementor or Gutenberg.
Apply custom CSS or JS to specific course elements without affecting other parts of the site.
Integrate third-party plugins more effectively by pointing them to the correct content.
Improve SEO and performance by refining how course data is displayed and indexed.

For example, if you wanted to hide featured images only on courses, you could target. post-type-sfwd-courses in your CSS or PHP file. It gives you control without affecting pages, blog posts, or other content types.

Read this: What Is the Pro Panel in LearnDash?

How to View or Use These Post Types

To view or use these post types on your site:

You can install a plugin like “Show Post Types” or “Custom Post Type UI” to view all registered post types in your admin panel.
Developers can use functions like get_post_type() inside their templates or custom plugins to work with specific post types.
Theme developers can also create custom single templates, like single-sfwd-courses.php, to style courses differently from other content.

Ready to customize your LearnDash site like a pro?Join us today and get a 75% discount on the original license, plus expert help to get your course looking and performing at its best.