WordPress block editor

The WordPress block editor also called the block editor, WordPress editor or Gutenberg editor is the new way of publishing content in WordPress.

Following the launch of WordPress 5.0 in December 2018, the WordPress block editor was set as the default editor and replaced the classic editor. To use the classic editor, you will need to install the classic editor plugin.

The WordPress block editor offers an array of blocks that can be used to create media-rich pages and posts.

Blocks are the content elements that you add to create content layouts. You can add blocks for paragraphs, images, headings, lists, videos, galleries, and more. You can control the layout of the blocks with ease, to build visually appealing web pages.

WordPress has blocks for all common content elements, and more can be added through WordPress plugins.

The block editor’s workspace

To launch the WordPress block editor, click on Posts > Add New or Pages > Add New.

The block editor opens by default in fullscreen mode.

The WordPress block editor workspace has three main sections:

• the top toolbar
• the sidebar with the post/page settings and the block settings
• the content area.

The top toolbar

At the top left of the block editor workspace, you will see the following options:

Before you publish your post or page, you will see the following options in the top right corner of the block editor’s workspace.

Save draft: Save a draft of your post or page without publishing it.
Preview: View how your post/page looks on your site by using the device icon next to save draft link.

Publish: Make your post/page available publicly.

After you publish your post or page, you will see the following options in the top right corner of the block editor’s workspace.

1. Preview: View how your post/page looks on different devices, including desktop, tablet and mobile.
2. View Post: Opens a new tab where you can see how your post/page looks on the frontend.
3. Update: Save the changes to your post/page. The “save draft” button is hidden once the post is published.
4. Settings: Show or hide the post/page sidebar settings and the block settings.
5. Options: Open up more options.

Switch to draft: In the right sidebar, there is a button named “switch to draft” that allows you to switch the post to draft mode. The button shows busy status.

Details on how to use the view feature.

More options

To access more options, click the three dots to the right of the Settings ‘cog’ icon in the upper right corner. Here, you can customize your editing experience using various options.

View

Top toolbar: Display or hide the top toolbar in the editor. When you enable this option, block toolbars are pinned to the top of the WordPress block editor (right under the top toolbar) instead of appearing directly above the block.

Spotlight mode: With spotlight mode, all blocks are greyed out except for the one you’re working on so that you can focus on a single block at a time.

Distraction free mode: When enabled, this mode allows you to focus just on your words by adjusting various pieces of the interface, including closing any open sidebars, removing various block inserter options, and the block toolbar. Read more here.

Editor

By default, you will be in the Visual editor. Switch to the Code editor to view the entire post or page in the HTML code editor.

Tools

Here, you can manage patterns, learn keyboard shortcuts, visit the WordPress block editor welcome guide, copy all content on the post/page, or view additional support articles.

Preferences

Use the Preferences menu to:

• Customize the editing experience.
• Change how you interact with blocks and which blocks appear when searching for a block.
• Show or hide individual panels from the post/page settings.
  

How to switch-off fullscreen mode?

To switch-off fullscreen mode, use the three-dot menu on the top right and un-check the fullscreen mode.

Your choice will be stored in your browser’s local storage. If you switch browsers, the choice for the view will not be remembered and you have to set your preference again. This will be the case when you switch computers too.

Safari browser users will experience a reset of default settings once in a while as it is programmed to delete local storage entries every now and then.

Until the core team find the best solution, you can use the Persistent block editor settings plugin. This plugin stores the fullscreen mode preference in the database. Hence your fullscreen mode choice stays consistent across browsers and devices.

How to work in the WordPress block editor

You can easily select multiple blocks by doing a partial multi selection of blocks as shown in the video below:

You can select multiple blocks by holding shift+click as show in the video below:

You can select all blocks by pressing Cmd+A or Control+A as shown in the video below

When you select some text and press the back tick (`), it will turn the selected text inline code as show in the video below:

Uploading media from openverse category also uploads the item in media library.