How to Create a WordPress Image Gallery with Next and Previous Buttons

by Waseem Abbas on Nov 21, 2016

Do you want to add next and previous buttons to your image galleries? The Envira Gallery WordPress plugin has some beautiful image gallery themes with forward and back buttons. In this guide, we will show you how to create a WordPress image gallery with next and previous buttons.

By default, WordPress does not allow you to create an image gallery with previous and next buttons. To add details like this to your gallery, you’ll need a plugin like Envira.

To add next and previous buttons to your WordPress image gallery, you’ll need to follow these 6 steps:

Step 1. Install and activate Envira Gallery plugin
Step 2. Install and activate Envira’s Gallery Themes Addon
Step 3. Create an image gallery in WordPress
Step 4. Select the subtle gallery theme from the settings
Step 5. Publish your image gallery and copy shortcode
Step 6. Add your image gallery with next and previous buttons to a post/page

After following this tutorial, you’ll have a beautiful image gallery that looks something like this (click on an image to see lightbox view with next/previous buttons).

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Step 1: Install and Activate Envira Gallery Plugin

First thing you need to do is install and activate Envira Gallery WordPress plugin.

You may want to check out how to install Envira Gallery on your site for more details.

Step 2: Install and Activate Envira’s Gallery Themes Addon

After activating Envira, you can go to Envira Gallery » Addons to install and activate the Gallery Themes Addon.

To access this addon, you must have Envira’s Plus or higher license. (Learn how to upgrade your Envira license here.)

Step 3: Create an Image Gallery in WordPress

Next, go to Envira Gallery » Add New from your WordPress backend. Add a title for your image gallery, and drop your images into the Native Envira Gallery section.

To learn more about creating image galleries with Envira, check out our guide on how to create an image gallery with thumbnails in WordPress.

Step 4: Select the Subtle Gallery Theme from the Settings

Now, go ahead and scroll down to the Config tab. In the Gallery Themes dropdown, simply select Subtle theme. This theme comes with forward and back buttons built in.

Step 5: Publish Your Image Gallery and Copy Shortcode

Once you are happy with your settings, click on the Publish button.

You’ll see the shortcode and some other information in the Envira Code Widget, just below the Publish widget on the right side of your screen.

Copy the shortcode from here to use in the next step for displaying your image gallery.

Step 6: Display Your Image Gallery with Next and Previous Buttons on a Post/Page

Go ahead and edit an existing post or page, or add a new one from Posts/Pages » Add New.

In the visual editor, you should paste the shortcode that your copied earlier.

Make sure to update the post to save your changes.

That’s all. Now your image gallery with forward and back buttons is live on your site.

We hope this article has helped you to learn how to create a WordPress image gallery with next and previous buttons. You may also want to check out our guide on how to create a masonry image gallery in WordPress.

If you like this article, then please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more free WordPress tutorials.