In the screenshots below I colored the header section green so you could see more clearly what the templates look like.
Cover

The cover template, this is ideal for the homepage
If you use a cover template on a blog post, the excerpt will display beneath the post title. Pages do not have excerpts.
Full Width

The Full Width page template
The Full Width page template looks like the default template. But the content area of the page is wider than a normal page or post. The full width page template is ideal for use with a page builder such as Beaver Builder or Elementor.
Default with featured image
The default template with a featured image
Post excerpt & featured image
The default template with a featured image AND post excerpt
The excerpt displays below the post title. Pages do not have excerpts, but blog posts and Jetpack portfolio posts do.
What effect do the templates have on your web pages?
The default template and cover template affect the header section of your post or page. The full width page template makes the content area of your post or page wider.
The full width template can be used with page builders such as Beaver Builder or Elementor.
How do you select a page template?
As you write a page or post…
- select the document tab
- scroll down to the page or post attributes section
- if necessary, click the down arrow to reveal the settings
- select a page template from the drop down list
