The Field Forge settings page contains a small number of global options that control how the plugin behaves across your entire site. The defaults work well for most sites, so you do not need to change settings during initial setup. This section explains every available setting so you know what each one does and when you might want to adjust it.
Accessing Settings
- Go to Field Forge > Settings in the WordPress admin sidebar
- The settings page opens with all options visible on a single screen
- Make any changes you need
- Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page
Complete Settings Reference
| Setting | What It Does | Default | When to Change It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide ACF Admin Menu | Hides the ACF menu item from the WordPress sidebar, so editors do not see two similar plugins | Off | Turn on after migrating from ACF, if ACF is still installed as a deactivated fallback and you want a clean admin menu |
| Local JSON Sync | Saves field group definitions as JSON files inside your theme folder for version control workflows | Off | Turn on only if your developer uses Git or another version control system and asks for this feature |
| JSON Save Path (filter-only, no UI control) | The folder where JSON files are saved when Local JSON Sync is enabled. Filter fieldforge/local_json/save_path lets developers override the default. | fieldforge-json/ in the active theme | Override only if your developer uses a custom folder structure |
| Sync to PostMeta | Writes field values to both Field Forge’s custom tables AND the standard WordPress wp_postmeta table | Off | Turn on if other plugins (SEO plugins, page builders, data export tools) need to read your custom field data from wp_postmeta |
Understanding “Sync to PostMeta” in Detail
This is the setting most likely to need attention, so here is a deeper explanation.
By default, Field Forge stores all field data in its own optimized database tables. This is faster than the standard WordPress approach (which dumps everything into the wp_postmeta table), but it means third-party plugins that expect data in wp_postmeta cannot find it.
- An SEO plugin (like Yoast or Rank Math) cannot read your custom fields for meta tag generation
- A page builder (like Elementor) shows empty values when you try to use dynamic field data
- A data export plugin cannot find your Field Forge data
- A REST API consumer expects standard WordPress meta and gets empty results
- A reporting or analytics plugin that reads custom fields shows no data
- Go to Field Forge > Settings
- Toggle Sync to PostMeta to On
- Save Settings
- From this point forward, every time a post is saved, field values are written to both Field Forge’s custom tables (for speed) and
wp_postmeta(for compatibility)
wp_postmeta. To sync existing data, re-save the affected posts (or ask your developer to run a bulk sync).
PRO-Only Settings
PRO users see additional settings:
| Setting | What It Does |
|---|---|
| License Key | Enter, view, or deactivate your PRO license. Shows plan tier, site count, and expiration date. |
| AI Credits | Displays remaining AI generation credits and a usage history. Plans do not include a recurring credit allowance; credits come from the one-time welcome pack and any pay-as-you-go packs you buy. |
Settings That Do Not Exist (and Why)
You might expect to find certain settings that do not exist in Field Forge. Here is why:
| Expected Setting | Why It Does Not Exist |
|---|---|
| “Field group limit” | This is determined by your plan (3 on Free, unlimited on PRO), not a manual setting |
| “Default field type” | Field types are chosen per-field, not globally |
| “Disable revisions” | Revisions have negligible performance impact and are always enabled for safety |
| “Change data storage location” | Field Forge’s custom tables are core to its performance advantage — this is not configurable |
> Tip: If you are unsure about a setting, leave it at the default. The defaults are chosen to work well for the majority of sites without any intervention. You can always change settings later without affecting your existing field groups or data.
> Good to know: Changing settings does not delete, modify, or rearrange any of your existing field groups or data. Settings control plugin behavior going forward. They are safe to experiment with — if you enable something and it causes issues, disable it and everything returns to normal.
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