Milan Dinić

Change Core Slugs is a plugin that allows you to set custom permalink slugs instead of default ones that are provided with WordPress core. This functionality is already available in WordPress, however it can be used by manually setting new configuration in the code. What this plugin does is that it provides friendly user interface where all site admins can change default slugs.
You can change:
<ul>
<li><code>author</code> base in authors archives</li>
<li><code>search</code> base in searches archives</li>
<li><code>page</code> base in pagination pages of archives or in single posts</li>
<li><code>comments-page</code> base in pagination pages of single posts comments</li>
<li><code>comments</code> base in comments feeds</li>
<li><code>feed</code> base in feeds</li>
</ul>
When you change any slug, you will not get redirection from the pages that used old slug. Same goes if you again change any slug. If you want redirection, you must set it through server rules or with other plugins.
If you disable this plugin, old, default slugs will be restored and URLs with new slugs will stop working. The only way to keep new slugs is by manually setting them in the code.
NOTE: because of two bugs in WordPress core, in some cases setting custom slugs will not work properly. These cases are when <code>page</code> or <code>comments-page</code> include any non-ASCII character (ticket <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/41891" rel="nofollow ugc">#41891</a>), or when <code>feed</code> or <code>comments</code> bases are set (ticket <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/43274" rel="nofollow ugc">#43274</a>). Until these two bugs are fixed, you can use <a href="https://github.com/dimadin/redirect-canonical-fix" rel="nofollow ugc">temporary plugin</a> that includes fixes. You do not need that plugin if you do not use features that trigger bugs from above.
And it’s on <a href="https://github.com/dimadin/change-core-slugs" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub</a>.
<h3>Usage</h3>
Got to Settings > Change Core Slugs page.

Change Core Slugs

Set custom permalink slugs instead of default ones.

Milap

Did you know that every time you change a URL (slug), WordPress remembers the old one? It stores these in your database and automatically performs a 301 redirect to the new URL.
However, WordPress core has two major flaws: 
1. It provides no way to see this history in the admin dashboard. 
2. It often fails to record history for hierarchical Pages and certain Custom Post Types.
Slug Trace bridges this gap. It provides a simple, elegant interface to see every previous URL a post, page, or product has ever had. It also includes a “Universal Tracker” that forces WordPress to remember slug changes for Pages and Custom Post Types that are usually ignored by core.
<ul>
<li>Universal Support: Works with Posts, Pages, and any public Custom Post Type (CPT) like WooCommerce Products, Portfolio items, and more.</li>
<li>View Hidden Redirects: Instantly see which old URLs are still pointing to your current content.</li>
<li>The “Page Fix”: Adds a custom engine to ensure WordPress actually records slug history for hierarchical Pages—a feature missing from standard WordPress.</li>
<li>SEO Audit Tool: Perfect for checking if old backlinks are being redirected correctly after a site restructure.</li>
<li>Ultra-Lightweight: Written in clean, optimized PHP. No extra database tables and zero impact on site performance.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Recommended Plugins</h4>
The following plugins are recommended for users:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-power-cache/" rel="ugc">WP Power Cache</a> – A high-performance static page caching engine that generates HTML snapshots of your WordPress site for near-instant loading times.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-twitter-feeds/" rel="ugc">Ultimate Twitter Feeds</a> – A lightweight plugin to display Twitter feeds. Fetch profiles, lists, or single tweets with customizable size, language and theme.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/calculate-page-execution-time/" rel="ugc">Calculate Page Execution Time</a> – Track page execution time easily. Just activate and view page source to see the loading time at the bottom. No configuration needed for WordPress.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/facebook-pagelike-widget/" rel="ugc">Facebook Page Feeds Widget</a> – With Facebook Page Feeds Widget, you can display your Facebook Page feeds on your website quickly.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Dynamic Detection: Automatically detects all public post types on your site.</li>
<li>Automatic Recording: Starts tracking Page and CPT slug changes the moment you activate it.</li>
<li>Clean UI: No cluttered settings pages. It integrates natively into the Gutenberg (Block Editor) and Classic Editor sidebars.</li>
<li>Developer Friendly: Uses native <code>_wp_old_slug</code> meta keys for maximum compatibility.</li>
</ul>

Slug Trace

Expose the hidden "old slugs" WordPress stores and automatically redirects for your Posts, Pages, and all Public Custom Post Types.

Change Core Slugs vs Slug Trace