Training
Short lessons for starting, editing, and sharing your website.
Where to find help
The six places NHD lists for guides, videos, the FAQ, and extra resources.
help
faq
guide
playlist
resources
padlet
2026-2027 user guide (full PDF)
The complete August 2026 NHDWebCentral user guide, from registration through the 2026-2027 changes.
guide
pdf
2026-2027
instructions
full
Register an individual website
Create an account, sign in, and start a website when you are working alone.
register
individual
account
username
birthdate
site key
start now
Video: Registering as an individual website
The full companion video for creating an account and starting a website on your own. About 5 minutes.
video
register
individual
account
Watch: birthdate and parent permission
The opening of the individual registration video: birthdate, and permission when you are under 13.
video
clip
birthdate
under 13
parent
permission
register
Watch: username, sign in, and Start Now
The rest of the individual registration video: a unique username, signing in, and Start Now.
video
clip
username
sign in
start now
site key
Your website landing page
What the six controls do: Edit Site, View Site, Allow Link, the site key, the size bar, and Remove Site.
landing page
edit site
view site
allow link
site key
size limit
remove site
Register a group website
Student One creates the site and Allow Link. The other students join with the site key within 24 hours.
register
group
student one
allow link
site key
link to existing
Video: Registering as a group website
The full companion video for Student One creating a site and the rest of the group joining. About 8 minutes.
video
group
register
allow link
Watch: Student One creates the group site
The first part of the group video: one student registers, starts the site, and turns on Allow Link.
video
clip
group
student one
allow link
site key
Watch: the rest of the group joins
The second part of the group video: students 2 through 5 register and enter the site key.
video
clip
group
link
site key
remove site
Use an account from a previous year
Sign in to an account you already have and start this season's website, or recover the password.
sign in
existing account
forgot password
previous year
season
Video: Start a website from an existing account
The full short video for signing in to an account you already have and starting this year's website. About 1 and a half minutes.
video
existing account
sign in
password
Instructional video playlist
All 11 National History Day videos for NHDWebCentral, in the same order as the user guide.
playlist
video
youtube
list
Video: full website walkthrough
The long build-a-site video from the resources sheet. About 28 minutes, from a blank page through a basic website.
video
walkthrough
full
build
Watch: colors and a second page
In the full walkthrough, the early section sets body and background colors, then adds another page.
video
clip
walkthrough
background
color
page
thesis
Watch: navigation, sound, and video
In the full walkthrough, a later section adds a navigation bar plus video and audio side by side.
video
clip
walkthrough
navigation
mp3
mp4
audio
The three parts of the builder
Edit Site opens a toolbar, a toolbox of blocks, and the page canvas. Judges see the desktop view.
builder
toolbar
toolbox
canvas
edit site
save
desktop
Video: Navigating the website builder
The full tour of the toolbar, the file library, pages, and the blocks panel. About 11 minutes.
video
builder
toolbar
navigate
Watch: toolbar, pages, and files
The first part of the builder tour: desktop, tablet, and phone views, Manage Pages, and the file library.
video
clip
toolbar
pages
file library
desktop
mobile
Watch: blocks, Auto-Nav, and page buttons
The later part of the builder tour: dragging a block, Auto-Nav, and a button that links to another page.
video
clip
blocks
auto-nav
navigation button
Toolbar buttons
What each builder button does, including save, undo, preview, clear page, and the two buttons you can ignore.
toolbar
save
undo
preview
clear page
file library
help
palette
Text, titles, and quotes
Title, subtitle, header, section, text, and the primary and secondary source quote blocks.
blocks
title
text
quote
primary source
secondary source
font
Video: Using building blocks
The full video for dragging blocks onto the page. About 9 and a half minutes.
video
blocks
drag
build
Watch: drag the first blocks
The building-blocks video starts by opening Blocks and placing text pieces on the page.
video
clip
blocks
title
text
drag
Images, sound, video, and buttons
Image with source credit, MP3, MP4, PDF, process paper, navigation buttons, links, and custom code.
image
source credit
mp3
mp4
pdf
process paper
bibliography
button
link
Columns, space, and the image carousel
Two to four columns, flexbox, a divider, a spacer, and a carousel of several pictures.
columns
layout
flexbox
spacer
carousel
image slider
Change a block after it is on the page
Select a block to open its style editor, then move, duplicate, delete, or link it.
edit
style
duplicate
delete
move
link
font
decorations
Add and name a page
Create, rename, copy, or delete a page. Keep the page name short and without spaces.
pages
manage pages
page name
title
duplicate
template
Build the Auto-Nav menu
Drag Auto-Nav onto the page, set the order once, and reuse it. Hide a page or make a subpage.
auto-nav
menu
subpage
hide page
pages
link
Previous, Next, and Enter Site buttons
A navigation button with a clear label, linked to one page with the chain icon.
navigation button
next
previous
enter site
link
chain
Video: Advanced features overview
The playlist video that follows the building-blocks lesson. About 15 minutes. Use it with the page, menu, and theme lessons.
video
advanced
pages
theme
menu
Create your own color theme
The palette icon sets font, background, container, and menu for the whole website. Save when you finish.
theme
palette
font
background
menu
color
Use a preset theme
Pick a ready-made theme in the Site Theme Manager, then save. You can still restyle one page.
preset
theme
palette
one page
background
Video: one page different from the theme
Set a theme for the whole site, then give one page its own background. About 6 minutes.
video
theme
preset
one page
background
Watch: set a theme for every page
The first part of the one-different-page video: palette, font, background, and menu, then save.
video
clip
theme
palette
preset
Watch: a picture background on one page
The second part of that video: select the page body and set a background image without changing the other pages.
video
clip
background image
one page
decorations
Put text over an image
Select the text box. Font changes the words. Decorations changes the box behind them.
text over image
font
decorations
title
shadow
Video: text over an image
The full short video for placing words on top of a picture. About 3 and a half minutes.
video
text over image
title
font
Video: start building the home page
A 15 minute walkthrough of a first page: text, images, audio, video, PDF, background, and theme.
video
homepage
walkthrough
blocks
theme
Watch: the first blocks on a blank page
The start of the home-page walkthrough: blocks for a title, text, quotes, and images, plus space between them.
video
clip
homepage
title
blocks
auto-nav
Watch: files and the required home page pieces
A later part of the home-page walkthrough: image credit, audio, the thesis, and saving before preview.
video
clip
homepage
thesis
image
mp3
source credit
save
What changed for 2025-2026
Blocks were grouped, the image carousel replaced the slider, and link and file blocks open a helper.
2025-2026
carousel
blocks
templates
link button
new
Video: new features for 2025-2026
Reordered blocks, the image carousel, and the helper that opens when you add a file or a link. About 6 minutes.
video
2025-2026
carousel
new features
Watch: block groups and the carousel
The first part of the 2025-2026 video: text blocks together, then the image carousel.
video
clip
2025-2026
carousel
blocks
Watch: the helper on a new link or file
The later part of the 2025-2026 video: a menu opens when you drop an image, media file, or navigation button.
video
clip
link
navigation button
upload
helper
What changed for 2026-2027
You can see who saved, only one person can save a page at a time, and page notes stay with the group.
2026-2027
save
group
page notes
easy layout
Share the website address
Give someone the address under the site key. Allow Link is for a person who needs their own account on the site.
share
url
site key
allow link
view
The size bar and Remove Site
The green bar is remaining room for files. Remove Site deletes the website and cannot be undone.
size limit
storage
remove site
delete
clear page