How to Disable Gutenberg Editor in WordPress Easily

Ever thought about turning off the Gutenberg editor in WordPress? You might prefer working with the Classic editor, but you’re forced to use the block editor due to the latest WordPress update. 

As a consequence, you wonder how to disable Gutenberg editor in WordPress. However, the problem arises when you don’t find any effective solutions. 

If this scenario describes your situation and you need an easy solution to resolve this issue, we encourage you to keep reading this article. When you finish reading it, turning on and off the block editor in WordPress will be a breeze!

Why Disable the Gutenberg Editor in WordPress?

This editor was introduced in WordPress 5.0 to revolutionize content creation. This editor excels in building dynamic layouts. That’s why many WordPress users love this editor.  

Despite its powerful features, some users still want to use the Classic editor and look for ways to disable the block editor. This is one of the reasons, and here are a few more:

Compatibility Issues: Some plugins and themes don’t work with the block editor (Gutenberg). Therefore, users need to turn it off. 

User Preference: Some WordPress users are more comfortable with the Classic Editor’s simple, TinyMCE-based interface. They think Gutenberg’s block system can overwhelm them, and thus, they disable this editor. 

Performance Concerns: The block editor loads CSS and Javascript on the front end, increasing page load times. Thus, users prefer disabling this editor to improve the site’s speed. 

Page Builder Conflicts: Popular page builders like Elementor, Divi, or WPBakery often work more seamlessly with the Classic Editor. This is another reason motivating users to disable the block editor. 

These are the common reasons outlining why many WordPress users prefer disabling the Gutenberg (block) editor. 

How to Disable Block Editor in WordPress Without Plugin

This method is perfect for you if you’re seeking an answer to the question “How to disable Gutenberg editor WordPress programmatically” and don’t want to use any plugin to turn off the Gutenberg editor. However, you need to be a techie to follow this technique. 

Additionally, you must understand how to back up your website completely and use or create a child theme. This is because we’ll add a code snippet directly to the child theme’s “functions.php” file.

If anything goes wrong and the code snippet breaks our website, we can still restore our site through the backup. In contrast, if the code snippet successfully works, no theme or

WordPress updates can modify the changes in our child theme. So, we don’t have to include this code every time our theme or WordPress version gets updated.

This is why we should take a full backup of our website and insert the code snippet to disable the Gutenberg editor into the child theme’s function file. Now, follow the steps below to accomplish this job.

1. Visit the WordPress Admin Dashboard > Tools > Theme File Editor. Note that you’ll see “Theme File Editor” under ‘Appearance’ menu if you have a classic theme activated.

2. Choose “functions.php” file on the top right side.

3. Copy the code snippet below and paste it into the theme file editor. Ensure to include it at the end of other code snippets. Once you add the code snippet to the theme file editor, scroll down and click “Update File” button.

Here’s the code snippet to copy and paste to disable the block editor – 

/**
* Disable Gutenberg (Block) editor in WordPress by RadiusTheme
*/

// Disable Block (Gutenberg) on the back end.
add_filter( 'use_block_editor_for_post', '__return_false' );

// Turn off  Block (Gutenberg) for widgets.
add_filter( 'use_widgets_block_editor', '__return_false' );

add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function() {
    // Remove CSS on the front end.
    wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library' );

    // Remove Block (Gutenberg) theme.
    wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library-theme' );

    // Remove inline global CSS on the front end.
    wp_dequeue_style( 'global-styles' );

    // Remove classic-themes CSS for backwards compatibility for button blocks.
    wp_dequeue_style( 'classic-theme-styles' );
}, 20 );

Explanation About the Snippet: This code snippet turns off block editor for posts. It disables the block editor for widgets as well. 

The snippet eliminates the block editor’s CSS file and inline styles to improve your WordPress site speed. So, use this snippet to disable the Gutenberg editor in your WordPress website. 

How to Disable Gutenberg Editor in WordPress with Plugin

We’ll use the “Classic Editor” plugin to turn off the block editor in this method. For your information, WordPress’s core contributors developed and maintained this plugin. Hence, it’s trustworthy to use. Let’s install and activate it.

First, head to WordPress Admin Dashboard > Plugins > Add Plugin.

Search for the “Classic Editor” in the “Search Plugins” field and press ‘Install’ button of the marked plugin in the screenshot below.

After a while, click ‘Activate’ button of that plugin when this button appears.

So, you’ve just installed and activated the Classic Editor plugin. From now on, you can use the classic editor instead of the Gutenberg editor to write posts and edit pages on your WordPress website.

Note that if you can’t use the classic editor, go to WordPress Admin Panel > Settings > Writing, navigate to “Default editor for all users” area, and ensure the “Classic editor” radio button is selected.

That’s how you disable the Gutenberg editor in WordPress with a plugin.

👉 Good Read: How to Disable Comments in WordPress

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Do I Disable the Classic Editor in WordPress?

If you use the code snippet we shared in this article to disable the block editor, you need to remove it from your theme’s function file to turn off the classic editor. On the contrary, deactivate the “Classic Editor” plugin if you installed and activated it. 

How Do I Change from Block Editor to Classic Editor in WordPress?

If you use the “Classic Editor” plugin, go to Settings > Writing from your admin panel and select “Block editor” radio button as “Default editor for all users.”  Doing so will let you change from a block editor to a classic editor in WordPress.

Can You Use Gutenberg and Elementor Together?

Indeed, you can use Gutenberg and Elementor on the same WordPress site. Elementor offers “Elementor Blocks for Gutenberg” that lets you include Elementor templates as Gutenberg blocks and smoothly create sections of web pages. 

Rounding Up

As you can see, we’ve shared two effective methods to help you turn off the Gutenberg editor. We believe you won’t think about the question regarding how to disable Gutenberg editor in WordPress anymore.

Instead, refer others to this article or directly give them a solution when someone asks how to disable block editor in WordPress. You may appreciate our effort by sharing this content with your friends or family who need it the most.