How To Use The Classic Editor After Upgrading To WordPress 5

As far as open source CMS platforms go, WordPress has been an industry leader for some time now and have personally used it for years I can honestly vouch for its viability as a CMS. WordPress updates, on the other hand, has often been like a box of chocolates, you never quite know what you're going to get, and it could have you running for the hills. If you're like me and you're a creature of habit, then the latest WordPress 5 update which you may have mistakenly updated to or been automatically updated to has left you frustrated.

The new Gutenberg editor has already become a bane of many WordPress users existence. While it looks modern, it is a ploy to attract the medium blogger types to WordPress. While the idea is admirable, it alienates the core user base. There has been plenty of chatter on forums with a lot of users are finding it hard to use and prefer to keep the classic editor.

Fun Fact: Did you know nichemarket used to be built on WordPress in its first 2 years of operation? 

If you're like me and prefer the classic editor, let me show you how to get it back and live that old school WordPress life, even if it's only for your personal preference while you leave the others to adapt. 

What is Gutenberg?

Gutenberg is the name of the latest WordPress page editor which came along with WordPress 5 and up. The goal for Gutenberg is to modernise the WordPress writing experience and make it seem like an in-page native editor, similar to what CMS's like Ghost and Squarespace offer or self-publishing sites like Medium.

Gutenberg borrows elements from some page builder plugins and allows you to drag and drop items into a post or page. The goal is to offer more flexibility and enable WordPress users to create unique layouts for their content with rich multimedia content without being too hung up on coding or learning HTML.

Why Disable the Gutenberg Editor in WordPress?

Even though WordPress has opted to make Gutenberg, it's native editing experience many users feel that Gutenberg in its current state is not ready for live sites. A sentiment which is evident by the 2.3 out of 5 rating average on the Gutenberg plugin. Despite the negative reviews, the WordPress core team is moving forward with making Gutenberg the default editor. The simplistic user interface of Gutenberg can quickly become annoying for those who were used to the classic editing style and who preferred code and limited in page styling options.

Ways to disable Gutenberg editor

If you're ready to get rid of Gutenburg all you need to do is install and activate the Classic Editor plugin.

• Download the file from the link provided above
• Head over to plugins in WordPress
• Click Add new
• Click upload plugin from file
• Install and activate

Once installed you will have immediate access to the old WordPress page editor, and you can go about your day as if the update never happened.

Customising the Classic Editor plugin

The classic editor plugin also offers users customisation options if some prefer Gutenberg while others want the traditional editor. 

• Admins can select the default editor for all users.
• Admins can allow users to change their default editor.
• When allowed, the users can choose which editor to use for each post.
• Each post opens in the last editor used regardless of who edited it last, which is essential for maintaining a consistent experience when writing content.

Also, the Classic Editor plugin includes several filters that let other plugins control the settings, and the editor choice per post and post type.

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• How to create a nichemarketer profile
• How to create a nichemarket business listing

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Tags: WordPress