Title: Multiple Category Selection Widget
Author: zackdesign
Published: <strong>Agustus 23, 2008</strong>
Last modified: Pébruari 23, 2026

---

Search plugins

![](https://s.w.org/plugins/geopattern-icon/multiple-category-selection-widget.svg)

# Multiple Category Selection Widget

 By [zackdesign](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zackdesign/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget.4.0.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget/#installation)
 * [Development](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/)

## Description

Turn your WordPress post categories into a search powerhouse! This plugin gives 
you a set of dropdown menus based on parent categories and their sub-categories.
Users select one sub-category per parent, and the plugin filters posts matching 
the selected combination.

**Available as:**

 * **Gutenberg Block** — “Multi-Category Filter” in the block inserter (new in v4)
 * **Classic Widget** — “Multi-Category Selection” in Appearance > Widgets
 * **Shortcode** — `[mcsw]` on any page or post

**Features:**

 * AND / OR category filtering — find posts matching ALL or ANY selected categories
 * AJAX chained drilldown — selecting a parent dynamically loads its children
 * Pretty permalink URLs (`/categories/3,5/search_type/and/order/title/`)
 * Ordering by title or default
 * Configurable blank search behavior
 * Exclude specific categories
 * Lightweight — no jQuery, no external dependencies
 * Pagination support
 * Display form above results on category pages (optional)

**Sample use case:**

Real estate — set up parent categories like “Bedrooms”, “Bathrooms”, “Price Range”
with sub-categories beneath them. Users filter listings by selecting from each dropdown.

**Upgrading from v3.x:**

 * PHP sessions have been removed entirely — the URL now carries all state, which
   means better compatibility with caching plugins, load balancers, and modern hosting
 * jQuery has been replaced with vanilla JavaScript
 * CSS classes have changed from `wpmcsw`/`wpmm` to BEM-style `mcsw-*` classes —
   update any custom CSS
 * The old `select-chain.js` in the plugin root has been replaced by `js/select-
   chain.js`

## Blocks

This plugin provides 1 block.

 *   Multi-Category Filter Filter posts by selecting multiple categories using dropdown
   menus.

## Installation

 1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`
 2. Activate through the Plugins menu
 3. Create parent categories with sub-categories beneath them
 4. Add posts and assign them to the sub-categories

**As a block:**
 In the block editor, search for “Multi-Category Filter” and add
it.

**As a widget:**
 Go to Appearance > Widgets and add “Multi-Category Selection” 
to a sidebar.

**As a shortcode:**
 Add `[mcsw]` to any page or post. Configure the shortcode form
settings under Settings > Multiple Category Selection.

**AJAX chaining example:**

Create a category hierarchy like:
 Country – Australia – State – Vic – NSW – New
Zealand – State – Auckland – Wellington

Enable “AJAX Chaining” in Settings > Multiple Category Selection. Selecting “Australia”
will dynamically show the Australian states.

## FAQ

### ANY vs ALL is not working?

Click the “Reset” button first to clear the current filter, then try again.

### The dropdowns aren’t appearing

Dropdowns only appear for parent categories that have sub-categories with published
posts. Make sure your categories have posts assigned.

### Can I style the dropdowns?

Yes. The form uses `.mcsw-form`, each dropdown is in `.mcsw-select-wrap`, and AJAX-
chained results use `.mcsw-chained`. See the plugin’s `css/style.css` for the full
class list.

## Reviews

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3cff0eddb2478c50d2d602ee6ab817485bb4af4da293e1b20981e724669aa270?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Bad, does not work](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/bad-does-not-work/)󠁿

 [montfrooij](https://profiles.wordpress.org/montfrooij/) Januari 4, 2017

Bad, does not work

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7fd85b9d4ec99c2650efa0a3663fb0e3408db9169c6a682038a00b06314cab8c?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[It's buggy for a reason!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/its-buggy-for-a-reason/)󠁿

 [cyberptyltd](https://profiles.wordpress.org/cyberptyltd/) Séptémber 3, 2016

It’s buggy, yes, and likely ment to be to prompt paid support requests. I.e. Asking
a simple question of the developer such as “Will this plugin do XYZ” generates an
email asking you to deposit $40USD for ‘support’ then he’ll answer a question – 
maybe, who knows! Great concept, hopefully one of the pro’s on here will pick up
on it.

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9317558fe84c5c7dd946d6fc55c9a5e4190e23e7088b7b3d0f654c5a387f902a?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Problems after searching](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/problems-after-searching/)󠁿

 [LukeHale](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lukehale/) Pébruari 7, 2017

This seems to now not work after updating to the latest version. Menu and page appears
all funy after searching. Does anyone know how to fix this or even suggest another
multiple search widget. www.islreal.com regards Luke

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/55062511e6d45f7438c8f5a84e7ecc32a7c342ffcd2c3f3b3be9b19b8e9522eb?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Bad support](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/bad-support-33/)󠁿

 [word_press.org](https://profiles.wordpress.org/word_pressorg/) Pébruari 7, 2017

Poor quality

 [ Read all 15 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/)

## Contributors & Developers

“Multiple Category Selection Widget” is open source software. The following people
have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ zackdesign ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zackdesign/)

[Translate “Multiple Category Selection Widget” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/multiple-category-selection-widget/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/multiple-category-selection-widget/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/multiple-category-selection-widget/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/multiple-category-selection-widget/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 4.0.0

 * New: Gutenberg block — “Multi-Category Filter” available in the block editor
 * New: Lightweight CSS file with clean BEM-style classes
 * Removed: PHP sessions — all search state now carried in URL query parameters
 * Removed: jQuery dependency — AJAX chaining rewritten in vanilla JavaScript
 * Fixed: AJAX chaining now sends the nonce (was broken since v3.2.0)
 * Fixed: Shortcode now returns output instead of echoing (proper shortcode behavior)
 * Fixed: Rewrite rules no longer flushed on every page load (only on activation)
 * Fixed: AJAX handler uses wp_send_json_success() instead of print/die
 * Changed: Admin settings page uses dedicated slug instead of **FILE**
 * Changed: All redirect calls use wp_safe_redirect()
 * Changed: Requires WordPress 6.0+
 * Security: Tightened input validation with sanitize_key(), absint(), whitelist
   checks

#### 3.2.0

 * PHP 8.x compatibility: replaced create_function() with anonymous function
 * Security: ABSPATH guards, nonce verification, input sanitization, output escaping
 * Replaced get_bloginfo(‘url’) with home_url()

#### 3.1.6

 * Tested in WP 4.3.1
 * Updated widget implementation to PHP 5 methodology

#### 3.1.5

 * Tested in WP 3.8
 * Fixed overriding the navigation menu WP script

#### 3.1.4

 * Tested in WP 3.7
 * Fixed media library files missing after plugin search

#### 3.1.3

 * Tested in WP 3.5.2
 * Fixed AND/IN rewrite rules

#### 3.1.1

 * Extensive testing on any/all search
 * Reverted select box layout

#### 3.1

 * Created admin settings page
 * Added shortcode [mcsw]
 * AJAX on/off toggle
 * Form display above results toggle

#### 3.0

 * Support for multiple forms on a page
 * Shortcode support
 * Rewrite rule fixes

#### 2.4

 * Rewrite rules only flush on activation

#### 2.3

 * Fixed variable checking
 * Added title ordering

#### 2.2

 * AJAX chained select boxes

#### 2.1

 * WordPress 2.8+ widget class with multiple instances

#### 2.0

 * Fixed permalink issues
 * All-in-one-SEO and WP Smart Sort compatibility

#### 1.0

 * First release

## Meta

 *  Version **4.0.0**
 *  Last updated **2 months ago**
 *  Active installations **100+**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **6.9.4**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget/)
 * Tags
 * [category](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/category/)[filter](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/filter/)
   [post](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/post/)[subcategory](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/subcategory/)
   [widget](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/widget/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://su.wordpress.org/plugins/multiple-category-selection-widget/advanced/)

## Ratings

 2.9 out of 5 stars.

 *  [  5 5-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/?filter=5)
 *  [  1 4-star review     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/?filter=4)
 *  [  1 3-star review     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/?filter=3)
 *  [  1 2-star review     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/?filter=2)
 *  [  6 1-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/?filter=1)

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ zackdesign ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zackdesign/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget/)

## Donate

Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?

 [ Donate to this plugin ](https://zackdesign.biz)