Do you want to learn how to use the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg)?
When WordPress 5.0 was released in 2019, it replaced the old classic editor with a brand new block editor nicknamed “Gutenberg”. The block editor introduced a different way of creating content in WordPress.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the WordPress block editor and master it to create visually stunning blog posts and pages.
What’s The Difference Between Block Editor (Gutenberg) and Classic Editor?
Before we dive into the block editor, let’s first compare and understand the differences between Gutenberg Block Editor and the Older Classic Editor.
Here is what the classic editor in WordPress looked like:
And this is how the modern WordPress block editor looks like:
As you can see, they are two completely different editors for creating content in WordPress.
The old classic editor was a text editor with formatting buttons very similar to Microsoft Word.
The new editor uses a totally different approach, called ‘Blocks’ (hence, the name Block Editor).
Blocks are content elements that you add to the edit screen to create content layouts. Each item you add to your post or page is a block.
You can add blocks for each paragraph, images, videos, galleries, audio, lists, and more. There are blocks for all common content elements, and more can be added by WordPress plugins.
How is the WordPress block editor better than the classic editor?
The WordPress block editor offers a simple way to add different types of content to your posts and pages.
For example, previously if you wanted to add a table in your content, then you needed a separate table plugin.
With the block editor, you can simply add a table block, select your columns and rows, and start adding content.
You can move content elements up and down, edit them as individual blocks, and easily create media-rich content.
Most importantly, the WordPress block editor is easy to use and learn.
This gives an immense advantage to all WordPress beginners who are just starting their first blog or building a DIY business website.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to use the WordPress block editor like a pro to create great content.
Here is what we will cover in this Gutenberg tutorial:
- Using Gutenberg – The WordPress block editor
- Creating a new blog post or page
- How to add a block in Gutenberg
- Working with blocks in the new editor
- Saving and reusing blocks in Gutenberg
- Publishing and post settings in Gutenberg
- Plugin settings in new editor
- Adding some common blocks in Gutenberg
- Exploring some new content blocks in Gutenberg
- Bonus tips on using Gutenberg like a pro
- Adding more blocks to Gutenberg Block Editor
- FAQs about Gutenberg
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Video Tutorial
If you’d prefer written instructions, then just keep reading.
Using Gutenberg – The WordPress Block Editor
The block editor is designed to be intuitive and flexible. While it looks different than the old WordPress editor, it still does all the things that you were able to do in the classic editor.
Let’s start with covering the basic things that you did in the classic editor, and how they are done in the block editor.
Creating a New Blog Post or Page Using The Block Editor
You will start creating a new blog post or page like you normally would. Simply click on the Posts » Add New menu in your WordPress admin. If you are creating a page, then go to Pages » Add New menu.
This will launch the block editor.
How to Add a Block in Gutenberg
The first block of every post or page is the title.
You can use the mouse to move below the title or press the tab key on your keyboard to move the cursor down and start writing.
By default, the next block is a paragraph block. This allows users to start writing right away.
However, if you want to add something different, then you can click on the add new block button (+) on the top left corner of the editor, below an existing block, or on the right side of a block.
Clicking on the button will show the add block menu with a search bar on top and commonly used blocks below.
You can click on tabs to browse block categories or type in a keyword to quickly search for a block.
If you don’t want to use a mouse to click on the button, then you can use a keyboard shortcut by typing / to search and add a block.
Working with Blocks in The New Editor
Each block comes with its own toolbar which appears on top of the block. The buttons in the toolbar would change depending on the block you are editing.
For example, in this screenshot, we are working in a paragraph block that shows basic formatting buttons like text alignment, bold, italic, insert link, and more.
Apart from the toolbar, each block can also have its own block settings which would appear in the right column of your edit screen.
You can move blocks up and down by simply dragging them or by clicking the up and down buttons next to each block.
Organizing Blocks in Groups and Columns
The block editor comes with handy tools to manage and organize your content layouts.
You can select multiple blocks by clicking on them while pressing the SHIFT key on your keyboard.
After that, click on the block type button in the toolbar to transform the selected blocks into Groups or Columns.
You can then apply styles to the entire group block such as changing their alignment or spacing.
The block editor also allows you to add an empty Group or Columns block. After that, you can fill them with other blocks.
You can then fill in each column with any type of block to create beautiful layouts.
Saving and Reusing Blocks in Gutenberg
One of the best things about blocks is that they can be saved and reused. This is particularly helpful for website owners and bloggers who frequently need to add specific content snippets to their articles or pages.
Simply click on the menu button located at the right corner of each block’s toolbar. From the menu, select the ‘Add to reusable blocks’ option.
You’ll need to provide a name for your reusable block so that you can identify and reuse it later.
The block editor will now save the block as a reusable block.
Now that you have saved a block, let’s see how to add the reusable block into other WordPress posts and pages on your site.
Simply edit the post or page where you want to add the reusable block. From the post edit screen, click on the add block button.
You will find your saved block under the ‘Reusable’ tab. You can also find it by typing its name in the search bar.
You can take your mouse over it to see a quick preview of the block. Simply click on the block to insert it into your post or page.
All reusable blocks are stored in your WordPress database, and you can manage them by clicking on the ‘manage all reusable blocks’ link.
This will bring you to the block manager page. From here, you can edit or delete any of your reusable blocks. You can also export reusable blocks and use them on any other WordPress website.
Note: You can use entire groups and columns as reusable blocks too. This allows you to save entire sections and use them whenever needed.
Publishing and Managing Options in Gutenberg Block Editor
Each WordPress post contains a lot of metadata. This includes information like publish date, categories and tags, featured images, and more.
All these options are neatly placed in the right column on the editor screen.
Plugin Options in Gutenberg
WordPress plugins are able to take advantage of the block editor’s API to integrate their own settings within the edit screen.
Some popular plugins come with their own blocks. For example, WPForms, the best WordPress form builder plugin allows you to add forms into your content using a block.
Here is how All in One SEO for WordPress allows you to edit your SEO settings in the block editor:
WooCommerce also comes with blocks that you can easily add to any of your WordPress posts and pages.
Adding Some Common Blocks in New Editor
Basically, the block editor can do everything the classic editor did. However, you will be doing things more quickly and elegantly than before.
1. Adding an image in the WordPress block editor
There is a ready-to-use image block in the WordPress block editor. Simply add the block and then upload an image file or select from the media library.
You can also drag and drop images from your computer, and the editor will automatically create an image block for it.
Once you have added an image, you will be able to see the block settings where you can add metadata for the image like alt text, size, and add a link to the image.
2. Adding a link in the block editor
The block editor comes with several blocks where you can add text. The most commonly used one is the paragraph block which comes with an insert link button in the toolbar.
All other commonly used text blocks also include a link button in the toolbar.
You can also insert a link using the keyboard shortcut, which is Command + K for Mac and CTRL + K on Windows computers.
3. Adding an image gallery in Gutenberg
The gallery block works like the image block. You add it and then upload or select image files.
4. Adding shortcodes in WordPress posts using Gutenberg
All your shortcodes will work just like they did in the classic editor. You can simply add them to a paragraph block, or you can use the shortcode block.
Exploring Some New Content Blocks in Gutenberg
The Gutenberg editor promises to solve some long-standing usability issues in WordPress by introducing some new blocks.
Following are some of the favorites that we believe users will find immensely helpful.
1. Adding an image next to some text in WordPress
Using the old editor, many of our users were unable to place an image next to the text. You can do this now with the Media & Text block.
This simple block comes with two blocks placed side-by-side allowing you to easily add an image with some text next to it.
2. Adding a button in WordPress posts and pages
Adding a button to your blog posts or pages was another annoyance in the old editor. You either had to use a plugin that created a shortcode for the button, or you had to switch to HTML mode and write code.
Gutenberg comes with a button block that allows you to quickly add a button to any post or page.
You can add a link for your button, change colors, and more. For details, see our article on how to easily add buttons in WordPress.
3. Adding beautiful cover images in blog posts and landing pages
Another cool feature that you may want to try is the ‘Cover’ block, which allows you to add cover images or color background cover to your posts and pages.
A cover image is a wider image often used as a cover for a new section in a page or the beginning of a story. They look beautiful and allow you to create engaging content layouts.
Simply add a cover block and then upload the image you want to use. You can choose an overlay color for the cover or make it a fixed background image to create parallax effect when users scroll down the page.
For more details, see our article on the difference between cover images and features image in WordPress.
4. Creating tables inside articles
The classic editor didn’t have a button to add tables into your WordPress posts. You had to use a plugin or create a table writing custom CSS and HTML.
The Gutenberg editor comes with a default Table block, which makes it super easy to add tables into your posts and pages. Simply add the block and then select the number of columns and rows you want to insert.
You can now go ahead and start adding data to table rows. You can always add more rows and columns if needed. There are also two basic style options available.
5. Creating multi-column content
Creating multi-column content was another issue that the classic editor didn’t handle at all. The block editor allows you to add a Columns block, which basically adds two columns of paragraph blocks.
This columns block is quite flexible. You can add up to 6 columns in a row and even use other blocks inside each column.
Bonus Tips to Use Gutenberg like a Pro
Looking at the block editor, you may be wondering whether you will be spending more time adding and adjusting blocks than creating actual content?
Well, the block editor is incredibly fast and even very basic usage for a few minutes will allow you to instantly add blocks without even thinking.
Pretty soon you will realize how much faster your workflow will become with this approach.
For power users, here are some bonus tips to help you work even faster with the WordPress block editor.
1. Move the block toolbar to the top.
You may have noticed in the screenshots above that there is a toolbar that appears on top of every block. You can move this toolbar to the top of the editor.
Simply click on the three-dot button at the top right corner of the screen and then select the Top Toolbar option.
2. Use keyboard shortcuts
Gutenberg comes with several handy shortcuts that will make your workflow even better. The first one you should start using right away is the /.
Simply enter / and then start typing, and it will show you matching blocks that you can instantly add.
For more shortcuts, click on the three-dot menu on the top-right corner of your screen and then select ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’.
This will bring up a popup with the list of all the keyboard shortcuts that you can use. The list will have different shortcuts for Windows and Mac users.
3. Drag and drop media to automatically create media blocks
Gutenberg allows you to just drag and drop files anywhere on the screen and it will automatically create a block for you.
You can drop a single image or video file, and it will create the block for you. You can also drop multiple image files to create a gallery block.
4. Adding YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, and other embeds
The block editor makes it easier to embed third-party content into your WordPress content. There are blocks for all popular third-party services.
However, you can just copy and paste the embed URL at any point, and it will automatically create a block for you.
For example, if you added a YouTube video URL, then it will automatically create a YouTube embed block and display the video.
For Facebook and Instagram embeds, see our article on how to embed Facebook and Instagram posts in WordPress.
Adding More Blocks to Gutenberg Block Editor in WordPress
The block editor in WordPress allows developers to create their own blocks. There are some awesome WordPress plugins offering block bundles for the new editor.
Here are a few of them:
1. Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg
Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg is a block library that comes with many advanced blocks that help you add more design elements to your content.
Created by the folks behind the popular Astra WordPress theme, Ultimate Addons help you create beautiful designs without writing any code.
PublishPress Blocks is another powerful block library that comes with additional blocks to extend Gutenberg block editor.
It includes beautiful layout options, sliders, buttons, icons, image galleries, maps, tabs, testimonials, accordions, and more.
3. Stackable – Gutenberg Blocks
Stackable – Gutenberg Blocks is a collection of beautifully designed Gutenberg blocks that you can use on your website. It includes blocks for the container, posts, feature grid, accordion, image box, icon list, call to action, and more.
FAQs about Gutenberg – The Block Editor in WordPress
Since Gutenberg became the default WordPress editor, we have been getting a lot of questions. Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Gutenberg.
1. What happens to my older posts and pages? Can I still edit them?
Your old posts and pages are completely safe and unaffected by the block editor. You can still edit them, and the editor will automatically open them in a block containing the classic editor.
You can edit them inside the old editor, or you can convert older articles into blocks and use the block editor.
2. Can I still keep using the old editor?
Yes, you can still keep using the old editor. Simply install and activate the Classic Editor plugin.
Upon activation, it will disable the block editor, and you will be able to continue using the classic editor.
Please note that the Classic Editor will be supported until 2022. It would be better to start using the block editor so that you get familiar with it.
3. What to do if the block editor doesn’t work with a plugin or theme I am using?
Project Gutenberg was under development for a long time. This gave plugin and theme authors plenty of time to test their code for compatibility.
However, there is still a chance that some plugins and themes may not work well with the block editor. In that case, you can install the classic editor plugin, request the developer to add Gutenberg support, or simply find an alternative plugin or theme.
4. How to learn more Gutenberg tips and tricks?
WPBeginner is the best place to learn about the block editor in WordPress. We are the largest WordPress resource site on the internet.
We will be publishing new articles and updating our old resources to help you master the block editor.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions, then feel free to reach out to us by leaving a comment or by using the contact form on our website.
We hope this Gutenberg tutorial helped you learn how to use the WordPress block editor. You may also want to see our complete WordPress performance guide for improving your website speed, or check out our comparison of the best email marketing services for small business.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Michael says
This tutorial has really helped me understand what I can do using Glutenberg. Thanks
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you found our guide helpful
Admin
Arnold says
Hi there,
When I use the classic editor, the toolbar has a setting to choose a font-type from a drop down menu.
How do you change the font-type when using the block editor?
Arnold
WPBeginner Support says
It sounds like you mean the Advanced Editor Tools (TinyMCE Advanced) you can add some of those tools back but for changing the font for your site’s visitors you would want to take a look at the recommendations from our article below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-themes/how-to-add-custom-fonts-in-wordpress/
Admin
Lio says
For some mysterious reason the block settings show up below the page (like YoastSEO settings etc.) instead of on the right side of it. What could be the problem?
WPBeginner Support says
More than likely your browser is too narrow, if you expand your browser window it should appear on the side again.
Admin
Jay says
I am finding the block editor to be quite frustrating right now. This is because I was hoping to begin blog entries with a quote, poem, or song lyric. As I’m typing and hit enter to go to a different line in the poem, I get a new block. How can I do multiple lines without getting a new block for each line whenever I hit enter?
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to use shift enter instead of only enter to stay within the same block.
Admin
Lisa Richardson says
Finally decided to learn the block editor. Wow! Why did I wait so long? I read this article, then started a new draft page using block editor. So easy. Once I get used to it and learn more writing new pages and post will be so easy and fun! To those still using classic editor, you really need to start learning and using block editor.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you’re liking the block editor and we hope our guide can make the transition a little easier
Admin
Carla says
I was wondering if there is a way to edit a block that has been used in multiple posts so that the changes would appear simultaneously?
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to use a reusable block for what you’re wanting to do. You can see our guide on it below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-create-a-reusable-block-in-wordpress/
Admin
Marcel says
why Gutenberg appears in the list of modules so that it can be installed if when you install WordPress the block editor is the default?
WPBeginner Support says
There was a Gutenberg plugin for the block editor from before it was the default editor. You do not need to install the Gutenberg plugin to use the block editor anymore.
Admin
Naureen Amjad says
Hi,
Thanks for the detailed article.
Some time ago, I deleted the block editor. How do I re-install it? there are so many Gutenberg plugins, can’t figure out which one is the default editor.
Thanks for your help.
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to disable the Classic editor plugin to use the Block editor on your site normally unless you are using a different plugin.
Admin
Dana says
Thank you! This was the answer I was looking for LOL. Couldn’t figure out why the block editor wasn’t showing. You all are the best.
Muhmmad Humayoon says
Sir, I have to format my text spacing like margin and padding. Which block I should Use?
WPBeginner Support says
That would be CSS rather than a specific block, for a starting point you would want to take a look at our guide on inspect element below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/basics-of-inspect-element-with-your-wordpress-site/
Admin
James says
Awesome. Very detailed and helpful.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Steve says
What is the best way to copy content from MS Word into the Block Editor?
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to take a look at our article covering this below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-import-docx-documents-in-wordpress/
Admin
Ayoola Efunkoya says
Nice and helpful post. However, I am seriously looking for resources on how to use the new editor with screen readers. Please can you help?
WPBeginner Support says
We do not have a recommendation at the moment but we will keep a look out.
Admin
Russ says
When I open my page and go to edit it, it ALWAYS first has the block editor tutorial pop up. How do I make this annoying pop up go away permanently so I can just get to my editing?
WPBeginner Support says
You may want to ensure that your browser is not preventing cookies from being set when you close that popup for one common reason.
Admin
Sameo says
From using this block editor, I realised that there is no way to send global font colour and size for the entire blog. It is super time consuming to change each individual blog.
Is there a way around this ?
WPBeginner Support says
For that, you would need to use CSS. We cover CSS in our glossary page below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/glossary/css/
Admin
Joshua says
How do I reduce the visible post by putting ‘read more’ where I want to keep hidden?
WPBeginner Support says
For that, you would use the More block
Admin
Colin Burch says
Is there a way to index a block? Reduce its width?
WPBeginner Support says
It would depend on the specifics you are looking for when you say index. For the width, you can use CSS or columns as the most common methods for what you’re wanting to do.
Admin
Colin says
I did not see something I have used often. Example is I have paragraph block where I describe a scripture reference. Then I make another paragraph block to contain the scripture. I would like to indent the scripture block. How would I do that?
WPBeginner Support says
For the moment you should be able to use a classic block to add that indent
Admin
Colin says
Thanks for reply. Actually, decided to use the ‘quote’ block, though the ‘verse’ block would also work. Both give a little indent. The ‘quote’ puts a vertical bar also.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you found a solution that works for you
Nancy says
I’m just starting out on Word Press. Maybe this was the “right” time because I haven’t used the older version or gotten used to it. I’ll start right up w/ the new block editor. This guide was helpful. Thanks.
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide could be helpful
Admin
Ted Owen says
Thannks for such a wonderful article. And thanks for your patience. I tried Gutenberg for a brief period, but had difficulty with one important issue: images surrounded by text were right up against each other, no space at all. Tried to find a way to add padding, but couldn’t find it. So went back to Classic.
But now your article shows how much more there is good about Gutenberg, that I’ll just ask you–how do you add padding (space) between an image and abutting text? If there is a current resolution, will return to Gutenberg in a short minute!
Best, Ted
WPBeginner Support says
You could use the media and text block for one method, you may also want to check with your theme’s support to ensure your theme’s styling isn’t part of the reason for this issue.
Admin
Ted Owen says
Thank you. Will try it out next post.
Vatsalya Agnihotri says
Sir your blog is amazing, I want to ask that if I want to mark my post as featured post in the block editor then how can I do that plz sir tell me
WPBeginner Support says
There should be a checkbox in the post’s settings for sticking the post to the top of the blog for what it sounds like you want
Admin
macide says
Hi,,Thank you veyr much for your article.
I was prejudiced against the new block editor at first but I am pleasantly surprised that it gives you many more option to transform your pages.
My only problem is that the block editors shows all titles in uppercase at the front end, though the titles on published posts look as they should. Is there any way to fix this so I can see what I’m doing on the editor ?
Thank you in advace.
WPBeginner Support says
We do not have a recommendation at this time but as the block editor improves it should start to look more like the front end of your site.
Admin
Kathleen says
I have WordPress dot com. I’m trying to use the block editor, but I can’t find where to enter tags and categories. It seems to have disappeared. Any tips? Thanks.
WPBeginner Support says
That would be in the document settings, or you could check under the three verticle dots in the top right under options. Our tutorials are for self hosted installations so should the option not be available you would want to reach out to their support.
Admin
Shannon says
is there a document that tells me what all these blocks do?
WPBeginner Support says
Not at the moment.
Admin
Sarah says
I NEED IT OFF AND I NEED IT OFF NOW. I don’t have plugins, I don’t understand. There is no option for classic / a normal editor. How do you go back on the free version? Any time I try to use any plugin even free ones it says I need to upgrade to a paid version of wordpress to use any, even the free plugins, bizarre.
WPBeginner Support says
That would be due to your site being on WordPress.com, you are limited to their options for the classic editor as there are differences in WordPress.com and WordPress.org:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/self-hosted-wordpress-org-vs-free-wordpress-com-infograph/
Admin
Dave Tolbert says
Thanks for this article, it’s terrific. So far I like the block editor. But when I want to insert an image in a numbered list it seems that there is no control over where the image appears in the list. Is there a way to control where an image appears in a list block?
WPBeginner Support says
If you’re having this issue with multiple blocks then you may want to try using a classic block for creating your list.
Admin
Neal Umphred says
Thanks for this easy-to-follow tutorial on Gutenberg.
I just got to “Saving and Reusing Blocks in Gutenberg” and followed all the steps. I reached the page where I can manage my reusable blocks.
Now, how do I get back to my editor?
WPBeginner Support says
You would need to manually go back to the page through the posts/page admin area and edit the post again
Admin
Neal Umphred says
Thanks—that is what I did!
Keep up the good work: This tutorial has helped me immensely in overcoming my fear of change from the Classic editor to the Gutenberg editor (a much more interesting and classy name that “block editor”).
PS: If you have an in with the Gutenbergers, you might suggest they add a return-to-editor option on that reusable page.
WPBeginner Support says
GLad our article could help with your confidence in swapping to the new editor
Senchibald says
Dear,
I have a problem with GUTENBERG block on wordpress. The block has suddenly become narrow, it is not all over the page and I do not have enough space. How to fix this problem?
WPBeginner Support says
To start, if it is not a block added by a plugin, you would want to reach out to your theme’s support to ensure this isn’t a styling error in the theme.
Admin
Lily Girma says
My blocks are all jumbled up when I try to create a new post and I can’t even write. Please help? I have everything updated so am not sure why it’s doing this. I am in Chrome.
WPBeginner Support says
There are a few possible reasons, to start with you could try a different browser to see if an addon or similar is causing a problem. If that doesn’t fix the block location you could check for a theme or plugin conflict using our guide here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/beginners-guide-to-troubleshooting-wordpress-errors-step-by-step/
Admin
Steve Smith says
This new block system is awful.
I can’t do the basic of having a thumbnail image to the left and a h2 heading text centred inline at the top next to it with a h4 heading below.
This was the most basic of things to do with the old, superior system.
I have the illusion of more control but the reality is I have more options that achieve less.
I hope I can go back to classic style because this means i can’t add to my site anymore.
Just appalling.
WPBeginner Support says
It is a learning process for the new editor, for what you’re wanting you may want to try the column block to create that.
Admin
Karen Fontaine says
After reading the tutorial, and want to uninstall the plugin for classic editor. However, I have a post that was written in both classic and block–the fonts are different and it looks weird. When I switch to block view one of the blocks says “contains unexpected or invalid content”. And then asks to switch to HTML.
If I uninstall the plugin will I have to recreate this content?
WPBeginner Support says
You will likely need to set up the content that was modified to HTML to get your styling back but for the most part, the content should still be there.
Admin
jill says
is there a comprehensive list of the block symbols and what each one does?
WPBeginner Support says
Not at the moment, as plugins add blocks there will also be more blocks in your list but the blocks should state their name below their symbol to give you an idea on what they’re used for
Admin
Annette Abrahamsen says
This is a great intoduction! I’ve learned a lot..
However I can’t seem to find a guide on how to make a link block.
I need to link from my site to another site just using a block with a link.
The only option I get is to edit my permalink
Any ideas, you guys??
WPBeginner Support says
When you edit text in a paragraph block by highlighting it, you should be able to use the small new toolbar to add a link.
Admin
DaveM says
First started using WP V2.6 way back in 2008, and converted my own developed php sites, to use WP as a CMS. It’s certainly come a long way since then. While Gutenberg certainly seems to provide far better work-flow UI, which is packet with goodies, where once you either had to code yourself, or adopt a plugin, I must admit, even as seasoned WP user, the new interface has me stumped more often than not. It’s just another learning curve. So thanks for introduction, tips and guidance. I’ll use this inform to get handle on it! Cheers.
WPBeginner Support says
Thanks for sharing how you feel about Gutenberg, as it improves hopefully it should get easier to use
Admin
Michael Lowing says
I was pleased to find I could insert a table using the block editor. I populated the cells with codes each of which I wanted to link to media content. However, I could not see any easy way to do this. I could have linked to the URL in each case but this is long-winded. Obviously it would be better to be able to add media content directly from the block editor – have I been stupid and missed something?
WPBeginner Support says
For the moment that is a limitation with the table block, the closest would be creating a column block to insert media blocks as another option.
Admin
Jonathan says
Since I updated WordPress,I was alerted that “Connection lost” I disabled classic editor plugin before it was resolved. Please is there any way I can use the classic editor and disable the Block editor. Since the block came, my WordPress app always notify me of Generic error when I publish. what is the problem of the app too?
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to reach out to the app’s support and let them know about that issue for them to take a look into what could be the issue.
Admin
Curt Byers says
This was an incredibly helpful tutorial.
But I don’t think I saw a solution to my inability to center title text. Which is ridiculous.
But the side bar format options you get with Headings, which have a CENTER option disappears with Title and the overhead format bar, which with Images has a CENTER option too. also disappears. This is the most important and visible feature on a page and WordPress has seemed to go out of its way to prevent a very common formatting choice. Any help? Thanks again for your service to the WordPress community.
WPBeginner Support says
If you do not see the option to center the text then you should be able to click the three dots in the top right to enable the top toolbar. With that enabled, you should have the option to center the text in the paragraph block while the block is selected.
Admin
stephen hart says
Is there an easy way to navigate between blocks on a page. For example if I am reading something in the first block on the page and next want to go to a block further down the page is there an easy way to jump to a different block or do you just have to scroll down the page?
WPBeginner Support says
For the moment you would want to scroll down the page
Admin
Jeffrey Christian says
I loathe the new formatting of WP, so much that I am changing my blog host. This is not more user friendly. I used to be able to post easily, then add a video from my library. Now, it defaults to the new block format, which is dreadful, and which I can’t change, and when I frustratingly finish the blog post, I can’t add my video media. WP is always updating to make blogging a more infuriating experience. What a shame.
WPBeginner Support says
If you would like to stay on WordPress there is the option to revert to the classic editor using the method in our article here:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-disable-gutenberg-and-keep-the-classic-editor-in-wordpress/
Admin
Nesdon says
Although this infuriating problem is universal to all software UIs. It often feels like as soon as you get up on to the flat part of the learning curve, they update the UI and throw another climb in your face.
I guess knowing how long to wait and how far to push design changes is the key to acceptance of progress among the user base. Indeed, Gutenberg is a tall step that some folks will not want to climb. But there were so many inscrutable legacy elements that they put off addressing for so long, it may have been unavoidable.
I’m struggling as well, especially dealing with older sites using lots of shortcodes, but hoping once I get over the hump, there will be a beautiful wide meadow on the other side.
Larry Dean says
I think it would be useful to have the ability to save a group of blocks as one and not just the individual blocks. That way, once you have your post page like you want it, it can be reused. This would be particularly useful for those of us who don’t really change the structure of each post and don’t really need that degree of flexibility.
WPBeginner Support says
That could certainly be something to look into for the future as Gutenberg improves
Admin
A O'Brien says
Hi! Is there a way to change the size of a cover block? I want it to be a half page width so I can have two next to each other but can’t find anything to support this.
Thank you!
WPBeginner Support says
You may want to use the column block for what it sounds like you’re wanting.
Admin
RK says
Is there an option to disable blocks and revert back to the old editor format?
Gutenberg Block sucks, and I don’t want to compromise the quality and speed of my work while they spend the next couple of years improving it.
WPBeginner Support says
You can revert to the classic editor using one of the plugins in our article here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-disable-gutenberg-and-keep-the-classic-editor-in-wordpress/
Admin
BOSS says
The block is actually still rubbish. how to change block height??????
WPBeginner Support says
The block editor is slowly trying to improve, your block should change its height based on the content added in the block
Admin
Danielle says
I’m a total newb to WP and I am currently using the 2019 theme. All I’m trying to do is add an excerpt so that the full posts don’t show up on the home page. For the life of me I can’t figure out how to do this. I tried using the “excerpt” text box found in the right nav of the document editor. Any help here would be great. Thanks!
WPBeginner Support says
The theme may not support excerpts, you could try adding the more block or the read more depending on if you’re using the classic or block editor to see if that solved the issue
Admin
David Brittan says
Danielle, maybe you want the “More” tool, listed under Layout Elements. It lets you add a “Continue reading” link after the first (or whichever) paragraph of a post.
nick says
Is there a way to reduce space between two blocks?
WPBeginner Support says
If you mean on the front end of your site, you would normally need to edit that using CSS
Admin
Lori | Choosing Wisdom says
When I look at my paragraph block I don’t see the same options as you’ve shown here. I can’t change the color of a font and there are preset colors in the color settings under custom styles for background colors. Is there something I need to turn on to access this option in the paragraph block?
WPBeginner Support says
You shouldn’t need to enable anything, you may want to ensure a plugin or your theme isn’t removing these options
Admin
jeff says
I inserted a hyperlink on a phrase and I want to change the font color for that phrase. how do I do that? please help
WPBeginner Support says
If only for that specific phrase, you would need to edit the text as HMTL to add styling to that phrase at the moment
Admin
Anne says
Hello!
I created a column block with 3 columns. Added content and everything was distributed across the page width equally. Then I added a 4th column and now the column block no longer distributes across the entire page width. It’s seems like it has “squooshed” (sorry, can’t think of a better word right now), all 4 columns and shrunk the info as well. I tried various alignments for each individual column and it still would not spread the entire block back out. Hope this makes sense and hope you can help. Thanks!!
WPBeginner Support says
It sounds like what you added to your largest column has a minimum width that is not allowing the content to adjust which would be the root of your problem.
Admin
Mark Watts says
I’m struggling with the Gutenberg block editor. Heres a couple of questions but there will surely be many more to come.
How do I add a pdf document so it opens when I click a link? Used to create and highlight the link text then select “add media” and all worked fine.
When I try to add a link from within the paragraph block I no longer see a list of possible pages and posts so that I can chose. How do I get this list.
WPBeginner Support says
You would manually need to take the link from the document in your media library unless you wanted to embed it. In the paragraph block, there is the link button which is third from the right, as you type into it the dropdown should appear
Admin
Tuan says
This upgrade so stupid. I spent more time to write. Haiz
WPBeginner Support says
Learning a new interface can certainly be troublesome but as the interface improves it should slowly become better to use
Admin
Jennifer says
I’ve searched and can’t find an applicable answer to my issue, so I’m hoping you can help me.
I upgraded to the new block system for our website this past week. I need to find and copy the url for one of our buttons (it’s a redirect to PayPal), but I can’t find the url anywhere.
There’s no “edit button” when I hover over the button in the block. I checked the html and couldn’t find it there, either – the only thing I could see were the image files for the button itself.
Clicking on the button live still redirects correctly, so I know the link is working – I just can’t find it.
Any advice?
Thanks!
Jennifer
WPBeginner Support says
When you select the block there should be the block settings on the right-hand side where you would find the link settings for where the button links to if it was transferred as an image. If it is a button block then there should be the url beneath the button where you can edit it.
Admin