The Complete List of BuddyPress Shortcodes You Can Use on Any Page (Updated 2026)

BuddyPress comes with a set of built-in shortcodes that let you drop community components onto any WordPress page, post, or widget area. No custom code required. You use the shortcode tag, add your parameters, and BuddyPress renders the component right there.

This reference covers every core BuddyPress shortcode, the parameters each one accepts, and a real example of the HTML output you can expect. We also cover shortcodes added by popular BuddyPress plugins and what the BuddyX theme unlocks on top of the defaults. If you are looking to understand the full BuddyPress plugin landscape beyond shortcodes, see the BuddyPress Plugins Hub ecosystem guide.

How BuddyPress Shortcodes Work

BuddyPress registers its shortcodes on init using WordPress’s add_shortcode(). When a page contains a shortcode tag, WordPress passes it to the BuddyPress handler, which runs the template stack and returns rendered HTML.

A few things to know before you start:

• BuddyPress must be active - the shortcodes only fire when BuddyPress is installed and the relevant component is enabled.
• Pages vs. posts - shortcodes work in both, but BuddyPress uses page templates for its default community pages. Putting a shortcode on a standard page gives you the same output without the dedicated BuddyPress page URL structure.
• Component dependency - [bp-member-list] needs the Members component active, [bp-group-list] needs the Groups component, and so on.
• Theme compatibility - shortcode output inherits your active theme’s styles. A theme built for BuddyPress (like BuddyX or Reign) gives you the best visual result with no extra CSS.

Core BuddyPress Shortcodes

Below is every shortcode that ships with BuddyPress core. Tested against BuddyPress 12.x and 14.x.

1. Activity Feed: [bp-activity]

Renders a live activity stream. This is the sitewide feed by default, showing all public activity from all users.

Parameter	Default	Description
type	activity_update	Activity type filter. Options: activity_update, new_member, joined_group, friendship_created, new_blog_post
action	empty	Filter by action string
user_id	empty	Show activity for a specific user only
group_id	empty	Show activity for a specific group only
object	empty	Filter by component: groups, blogs, friends
per_page	20	Items per page
max	empty	Maximum items total
display_comments	threaded	Show comments: threaded, stream, or false
include	empty	Comma-separated activity IDs to include
exclude	empty	Comma-separated activity IDs to exclude

Example usage:

[bp-activity per_page="10" display_comments="threaded"]

What it renders: A paginated list of activity items with avatars, timestamps, and a “Load More” button. Each item shows the user’s avatar, display name, the activity text, and a comment thread if display_comments is enabled.

<div id="buddypress">
  <div id="activity" class="activity">
    <ul id="activity-stream" class="activity-list item-list">
      <li class="activity-item">
        <div class="activity-avatar"><a href="/members/jane/"><img src="/avatars/jane-50.jpg" /></a></div>
        <div class="activity-content">
          <div class="activity-header"><p><a href="/members/jane/">Jane</a> posted an update</p></div>
          <div class="activity-inner"><p>Hello community!</p></div>
        </div>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</div>

2. Member List: [bp-member-list]

Outputs a browsable, filterable directory of all community members.

Parameter	Default	Description
type	active	Sort order: active, newest, alphabetical, random, popular, online
per_page	20	Members per page
max	empty	Cap total results
include	empty	Show only these user IDs (comma-separated)
exclude	empty	Hide these user IDs (comma-separated)
user_id	empty	Show friends of this user ID
group_id	empty	Show members of this group ID
search_terms	empty	Pre-filter by search term

Example usage:

[bp-member-list type="newest" per_page="12" max="24"]

What it renders: A grid or list of member cards (depending on the theme’s layout). Each card shows the avatar, display name, last active time, and a “View” profile button.

<div id="buddypress">
  <div id="members" class="members">
    <ul id="members-list" class="item-list">
      <li class="vcard">
        <div class="item-avatar"><a href="/members/john/"><img class="avatar" src="/avatars/john-50.jpg" /></a></div>
        <div class="item">
          <div class="item-title"><a href="/members/john/">John Smith</a></div>
          <div class="item-meta"><span class="activity">Active 2 hours ago</span></div>
        </div>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</div>

3. Group List: [bp-group-list]

Displays a browsable list of all public groups.

Parameter	Default	Description
type	active	Sort order: active, newest, alphabetical, random, popular
per_page	20	Groups per page
max	empty	Cap total results
include	empty	Show only these group IDs (comma-separated)
exclude	empty	Hide these group IDs (comma-separated)
user_id	empty	Show groups this user belongs to
search_terms	empty	Pre-filter by search term
show_hidden	false	Include hidden groups (requires mod/admin)
parent_id	empty	Show sub-groups of this parent group ID

Example usage:

[bp-group-list type="newest" per_page="8"]

What it renders: A list of group cards with the group cover image, name, member count, and a Join button for non-members.

<div id="buddypress">
  <div id="groups" class="groups">
    <ul id="groups-list" class="item-list">
      <li>
        <div class="item-avatar"><a href="/groups/photography/"><img class="avatar" src="/group-avatars/photography-50.jpg" /></a></div>
        <div class="item">
          <div class="item-title"><a href="/groups/photography/">Photography Lovers</a></div>
          <div class="item-meta"><span class="count">42 members</span></div>
        </div>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</div>

4. Login Form: [bp-login-widget]

Renders a login form for logged-out users, or a short account summary for logged-in users.

Parameter	Default	Description
none	n/a	This shortcode takes no parameters. Output adapts based on login state.

Example usage:

[bp-login-widget]

What it renders (logged out):

<div class="widget_bp_core_login_widget">
  <form method="post" action="/wp-login.php" class="standard-form">
    <label for="user_login">Username</label>
    <input type="text" name="log" id="user_login" />
    <label for="user_pass">Password</label>
    <input type="password" name="pwd" id="user_pass" />
    <input type="submit" value="Log In" />
  </form>
</div>

5. User Profile: [bp-member-profile]

Renders a user’s xProfile fields on any page. Useful when you want to embed profile data outside the standard /members/ URL structure.

Parameter	Default	Description
user_id	current user	User ID whose profile to display
profile_group_id	all groups	Show only this xProfile field group ID
hide_empty_fields	true	Skip fields the user has not filled in

Example usage:

[bp-member-profile user_id="42" hide_empty_fields="false"]

6. Profile Field: [field name="..."] (xProfile Data)

BuddyPress registers a dynamic shortcode for each xProfile field. The shortcode tag is the field’s internal name, wrapped in square brackets. You can use these to pull a single field value for the current user or a specific user.

Example: If you have an xProfile field called “Job Title”, its shortcode is:

[field name="Job Title" user_id="42"]

Parameter	Default	Description
name	required	The exact name of the xProfile field
user_id	current user	User ID to pull the field value from
before	empty	HTML to output before the field value
after	empty	HTML to output after the field value
before_tag	div	Wrapper HTML tag
after_tag	div	Closing wrapper tag

7. Registration Form: [bp-register]

Renders the BuddyPress registration form. Includes account fields, profile fields, and avatar upload if enabled in settings.

Parameter	Default	Description
none	n/a	No parameters. Output is controlled by BuddyPress registration settings.

Example usage:

[bp-register]

What it renders: The full registration form including account details (username, email, password) plus any xProfile fields marked as required during registration.

<div id="buddypress">
  <div id="template-notices" role="alert" aria-atomic="true"></div>
  <div class="page">
    <form action="" name="signup_form" id="signup_form" class="standard-form" method="post">
      <div id="account-details-section" class="register-section">
        <h2>Account Details</h2>
        <label for="field_1">Name <span class="required">(required)</span></label>
        <input type="text" name="field_1" id="field_1" />
      </div>
    </form>
  </div>
</div>

8. Activation Form: [bp-activate]

Renders the account activation form. Used on custom activation pages when you are not using BuddyPress’s default activate page.

Parameter	Default	Description
none	n/a	No parameters. Activation key comes from the URL query string.

Example usage:

[bp-activate]

Shortcode Quick Reference Table

Here is every core BuddyPress shortcode in one table for easy scanning:

Shortcode	Component Required	What It Renders	Key Parameters
[bp-activity]	Activity	Sitewide or filtered activity stream	type, per_page, user_id, group_id, display_comments
[bp-member-list]	Members	Browsable member directory	type, per_page, include, exclude, user_id
[bp-group-list]	Groups	Browsable group directory	type, per_page, include, exclude, parent_id
[bp-login-widget]	Core	Login form or logged-in user summary	None
[bp-member-profile]	xProfile	User’s profile fields	user_id, profile_group_id, hide_empty_fields
[field name="..."]	xProfile	Single xProfile field value	name, user_id, before, after
[bp-register]	Core	Full registration form	None
[bp-activate]	Core	Account activation form	None

BuddyPress Shortcodes Added by Popular Plugins

BuddyPress’s core set is intentionally lean. Most shortcode power comes from plugins. Here are the ones used most often in production BuddyPress sites.

BuddyPress Shortcodes Plugin (by Wbcom Designs)

The BuddyPress Shortcodes plugin extends the core set with over 20 additional tags, covering components core does not touch. It also includes Elementor widget support, so you can embed any BuddyPress component in a drag-and-drop page builder layout.

Shortcode	What It Renders	Key Parameters
[bp_recent_activity]	Recent activity stream, styled widget format	count, user_id
[bp_member_count]	Total registered member count as plain text or inside a wrapper	before, after
[bp_group_count]	Total group count	before, after
[bp_friends_list]	Friend list for a specific user	user_id, per_page
[bp_group_members]	Member list scoped to one group	group_id, per_page
[bp_recent_members]	Newest registered members	count, avatar_size
[bp_online_members]	Members currently online (last 15 min)	count, avatar_size
[bp_loggedin_user_profile]	Profile of the currently logged-in user	profile_group_id
[bp_profile_completion]	Profile completion progress bar	user_id, show_percent
[bp_activity_post_form]	Activity post form for logged-in users	placeholder
[bp_group_activity]	Activity stream scoped to one group	group_id, per_page
[bp_member_messages]	Private message thread list for logged-in user	per_page
[bp_notifications]	Notification list for logged-in user	per_page, max
[bp_user_avatar]	Single user avatar image	user_id, size, type
[bp_cover_photo]	User’s cover photo as a full-width banner	user_id, height
[bp_group_avatar]	Group avatar image	group_id, size

BuddyPress Messages Shortcode

When the Messages component is active, BuddyPress does not expose a standalone shortcode for the inbox. The [bp_member_messages] tag from the BuddyPress Shortcodes plugin fills this gap.

[bp_member_messages per_page="10"]

What it renders: The logged-in user’s message thread list with sender avatars, subject lines, and timestamps. The user must be logged in or the output is empty.

BuddyPress Activity Plus

BuddyPress Activity Plus adds rich media attachments to the activity feed. It does not add new shortcodes, but it does change the HTML output of [bp-activity] to include image/video attachment markup inside each activity item.

BuddyPress Polls

The BuddyPress Polls plugin adds one shortcode for embedding a specific poll on any page:

[bp_polls id="42"]

Parameter	Default	Description
id	required	The poll post ID
show_results	false	Show results immediately without requiring a vote

BuddyPress Member Blog

The BuddyPress Member Blog plugin adds shortcodes to embed per-user blog post feeds:

Shortcode	What It Renders	Key Parameters
[bp_member_blog_posts]	Blog posts by a specific member	user_id, count, show_excerpt
[bp_member_blog_grid]	Member blog posts in a grid layout	user_id, count, columns

Using BuddyPress Shortcodes with Elementor and Divi

Page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder all support shortcodes through a dedicated shortcode element. This is the standard way to embed BuddyPress components in drag-and-drop layouts.

Elementor

In Elementor, drag a Shortcode widget onto the canvas. Paste the shortcode tag into the field. Elementor executes it when the page renders.

A practical layout for a community hub page in Elementor:

• Section with 3 columns: [bp_member_count], [bp_group_count], [bp_online_members count="5"]
• Section with 2 columns: [bp-member-list type="newest" per_page="6"] left, [bp-activity per_page="5"] right
• Full-width section: [bp-group-list type="popular" per_page="4"]

One issue to watch: Elementor builds the page outside BuddyPress’s normal page context. BuddyPress uses is_buddypress() internally to decide whether to enqueue its scripts. On an Elementor page, this returns false, which breaks AJAX-powered features like activity feed pagination and the “Load More” button.

Fix it by adding this to your child theme’s functions.php or a site plugin:

add_filter( 'bp_is_current_page', function( $is_page ) {
    // Replace 'community-hub' with your page slug
    return is_page( 'community-hub' ) ? true : $is_page;
} );

Divi

Divi uses a Code module for shortcodes. Add a Code module to any row or column, paste the shortcode, and save. The same bp_is_current_page filter applies when using AJAX-powered shortcodes on Divi pages.

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder has an HTML module that processes shortcodes. Paste the shortcode tag in and it renders on page load. Beaver Builder’s handling of enqueued scripts is slightly different from Elementor, so you may not need the filter fix in all cases. Test with your specific setup.

How to Use Shortcodes with BuddyX Theme

BuddyX is designed to work with BuddyPress out of the box. When you use BuddyPress shortcodes on pages that run the BuddyX template, a few things improve automatically. You can read the full setup process in the BuddyX Theme getting started guide for BuddyPress communities.

• Wider content area - BuddyX uses a full-width layout for BuddyPress pages. Shortcode output inherits this wider container, so member grids and activity feeds have more horizontal room.
• Card-based member and group lists - the default BuddyPress member and group list templates render as basic list items. BuddyX overrides these with card-style layouts that include hover effects and better avatar sizing.
• Dark mode compatibility - every BuddyPress shortcode output is themed using BuddyX’s dark class system, so dark mode works without any extra CSS.
• Mobile-first grid - BuddyX applies a responsive grid to [bp-member-list] and [bp-group-list] output automatically. On mobile (under 640px), the grid collapses to a single column.

If you are running a BuddyPress site and want the best shortcode rendering without writing custom CSS, BuddyX is the fastest path to a polished result. The theme is built specifically for BuddyPress communities and handles the layout heavy lifting for you.

Advanced: Building Custom Shortcodes on Top of BuddyPress

If the built-in shortcodes do not cover your use case, you can register a custom shortcode that wraps BuddyPress template functions. Here is a minimal example that outputs the current member’s display name:

add_shortcode( 'bp_current_member_name', function() {
    if ( ! is_user_logged_in() ) {
        return '';
    }
    return esc_html( bp_get_loggedin_user_fullname() );
} );

// Usage:
// [bp_current_member_name]

A more useful pattern is wrapping a BuddyPress template loop inside a shortcode. This lets you embed filtered data anywhere without touching page templates:

add_shortcode( 'bp_featured_groups', function( $atts ) {
    $atts = shortcode_atts( [
        'count' => 3,
        'type'  => 'popular',
    ], $atts );

    ob_start();

    if ( bp_has_groups( [
        'type'     => sanitize_key( $atts['type'] ),
        'per_page' => absint( $atts['count'] ),
        'max'      => absint( $atts['count'] ),
    ] ) ) {
        echo '<ul class="featured-groups">';
        while ( bp_groups() ) {
            bp_the_group();
            printf(
                '<li><a href="%s">%s</a></li>',
                esc_url( bp_get_group_permalink() ),
                esc_html( bp_get_group_name() )
            );
        }
        echo '</ul>';
    }

    return ob_get_clean();
} );

// Usage:
// [bp_featured_groups count="5" type="newest"]

Keep custom shortcodes in a site-specific plugin or your theme’s functions.php. Avoid putting them in BuddyPress core files - updates will overwrite them.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Shortcode Outputs Raw Text Instead of HTML

This means the component the shortcode depends on is not active. Go to Settings > BuddyPress, click the Components tab, and enable the relevant component. Then save.

Member List Shows Only Admins or No Members

Check your exclude parameter. If you have accidentally excluded all non-admin user IDs, the list will be empty. Also confirm that the users you expect to see have a last_activity value in the database. New accounts without any activity sometimes do not appear in the active sort order.

Registration Form Redirects Back to Home

BuddyPress checks for its dedicated registration page before processing [bp-register]. Go to Settings > BuddyPress > Pages and make sure a page is assigned for Registration. If you placed the shortcode on a different page, BuddyPress may still redirect to the one set in settings. Use the filter bp_signup_redirect to override this.

Activity Feed Is Empty on a Custom Page

BuddyPress uses is_buddypress() to decide whether to load its scripts and styles. On a custom page with a shortcode, this check may return false, causing AJAX pagination to break. Add this to a site plugin:

add_filter( 'bp_is_current_page', '__return_true' );

Or target specific pages:

add_filter( 'bp_is_current_page', function( $is_page ) {
    return is_page( 'my-custom-page' ) ? true : $is_page;
} );

Shortcode Works in Classic Editor but Not Block Editor

The block editor does not process shortcodes in a preview pane the same way the classic editor does. Your shortcode will still render on the published page, but the editor preview may show the raw tag. Use the Shortcode block in the block editor rather than pasting the tag inside a paragraph block. This tells the editor to handle it as executable code rather than text content.

Avatar Images Not Loading in Shortcode Output

BuddyPress serves avatars from the buddypress/avatars/ folder inside your uploads directory. If avatars are missing, check that the uploads directory is writable and that the BuddyPress avatar directory exists. You can also check your WordPress privacy settings: if the site is set to discourage search engines, some server configurations block direct image requests from non-whitelisted referers.

Shortcodes vs. BuddyPress Blocks

BuddyPress 9.0 introduced Gutenberg blocks for core components. Blocks are the forward direction for WordPress, and BuddyPress is aligned with that. But shortcodes are still relevant in 2026 for a few reasons:

• Widget areas - blocks do not work in classic widget areas. If your theme still uses a sidebar or footer with text widgets, shortcodes are the only way to embed BuddyPress content there.
• Page builders - Elementor, Bricks, Divi, and Beaver Builder all have a shortcode element that renders any shortcode. Blocks do not always translate into page builder contexts.
• Custom post type templates - if you are displaying BuddyPress content inside a WooCommerce, LearnDash, or custom post type template file using do_shortcode(), shortcodes are easier to wire up than blocks.
• Email templates - some email plugins parse shortcodes in email content. Blocks are not processed in that context.

If you are building new pages in the block editor and your theme supports Gutenberg fully, prefer BuddyPress blocks. For everything else, shortcodes remain a solid tool.

Setting Up BuddyPress for the First Time

If you have not set up BuddyPress yet, the shortcodes in this guide will not fire until the plugin is configured. The setup process takes about 10 minutes and covers installing BuddyPress, enabling the components you need, and assigning the required pages. Wbcom Designs has a full BuddyPress component and plugin directory at the BuddyPress Plugins Hub ecosystem guide to help you pick the right add-ons.

If you want to go deeper after setup, the guide to adding paid memberships to your BuddyPress community shows how shortcodes fit into a monetized community structure.

Once BuddyPress is running, the shortcodes in this reference are ready to use on any page, post, or widget area in your site.

Final Notes

BuddyPress ships eight core shortcodes that cover the main community components. Plugins like BuddyPress Shortcodes extend this to 20+ tags for messages, notifications, member counts, activity forms, and more. The BuddyX theme gives every shortcode a polished, responsive layout without extra CSS work.

Bookmark this page. As BuddyPress releases new versions and more plugins add shortcode support, this reference will be updated. The next major shortcode additions to watch are from the BuddyPress Groups Extras and BuddyPress Hashtags plugins, both of which are adding shortcode support in their 2026 roadmaps.