Have you tried the new WordPress Gutenberg editor yet? Do you love it or hate it?
(In case that makes no sense to you, the new Gutenberg block editor was introduced in WordPress 5. It replaces the Classic editor with a new editing screen and functionality. Content is split into blocks, so you have a block of text – what you and I would normally call a paragraph! – or a block with an image in it, or an embedded video, or some HTML… You get the idea: each type of content has a block for you to put it in to arrange it on the page. You can move blocks around and apply styles to them to create your page layout.)
I’ve been playing around with it and I think it’s quite nifty. Things like adding columns, images and embeds were super easy, so if all you want to do is create a simple page layout, then it could really speed things up for you, with less time spent trying to get that image to align properly.
But, I must admit, when the screen changed over to the new editor I was apprehensive. It looks really different. Things that I usually do quickly, because I’m on autopilot, gave me pause. I was clicking around quite randomly like, ‘where do I…? what does this do…?’ and so on.
That only lasted a couple of minutes though. Everything is pretty well labelled. And because I’m the kind of person who isn’t afraid of breaking a website by clicking a button, after a few experimental clicks I was all set. I’ll quite happily use the new Gutenberg editor and to help you get used to it I’ll be working on some tutorials too. Stay tuned for that.
But what if you’re completely bamboozled by the change? Or just plain hate the new editor? Not everyone has the time to learn Gutenberg (or the inclination!), so is there are way to change back to the Classic editor?
Oh yes!
It’s actually ridiculously easy to change back, and today I’ll show you how:
How to avoid the WordPress Gutenberg block editor
The first thing you need to do is install the Classic Editor plugin. Go to Plugins > Add New. Classic Editor will probably be showing in the list of popular plugins, but if not just search for it and install it.
Need a little help installing plugins? No problem, I’ve got a free step-by-step guide to take you through it:
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That’s actually it. All you really need to do is install and activate the plugin.
But…
There’s a second step that I’d recommend too.
By default, the Classic Editor plugin just completely disables the new Gutenberg block editor. But what if you want the option to try Gutenberg? Or someone else working on your site wants to give it a go?
The Classic Editor plugin will be fully supported and maintained until at least 2022, but ultimately you’ll probably need to switch to the Gutenberg editor. 2022 is some time away though so you have plenty of time to get to grips with it!
So the next and final step of this process is to head to Settings > Writing. There will be two new options on that screen, added by the Classic Editor plugin.
The first is ‘Default editor for all users’, which you can leave as ‘Classic Editor’.
But for the second option, ‘Allow users to switch editors’, change that to ‘Yes’, then click the Save Changes button.
That means that you can decide which style of editor to use. On the editing screen for each page and post you’ll see a new option to let you choose which editor to use on that page or post.
So you can set up a draft page on your site to test out the new editor when you have time. You never know, once you’ve played around with it for a while, you might actually prefer it!
[Tweet “Bamboozled by the new #WordPress #Gutenberg Block Editor? There’s an easy way to get the familiar Classic Editor back”]
Over to you
Have you tried Gutenberg yet? I’d love to know what you think of it, so why not leave a comment and share your loves, hates, or any tips or issues you have with it.
And if you need help getting your website updated to WordPress 5, get in touch. I can test the upgrade to find out if your site is ready for the new editor.
Want to know how to install a plugin?
Installing WordPress plugins is really quick and simple - but really scary if you're not sure what you're doing. Don't worry. Download this free guide and I'll walk you through installing your first plugin.
You'll also get regular branding and WordPress tips straight to your inbox.