WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Tutorials» How to Disable Fullscreen Editor in WordPress

How to Disable Fullscreen Editor in WordPress

Last updated on April 1st, 2020 by Editorial Staff
82 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Disable Fullscreen Editor in WordPress

Do you want to disable the fullscreen editor in WordPress?

After the update, WordPress 5.4 now opens the post and page editor in fullscreen mode by default. While this distraction-free mode offers a clean and easy to use experience, some users may want to go back to the regular compact view.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily disable the fullscreen editor in WordPress.

Turning off the fullscreen mode in WordPress post editor

Why WordPress Switched to Fullscreen Mode for The Editor?

WordPress introduced a new editor called The Block Editor (aka Gutenberg) in WordPress 5.0. This new editor allow users to use blocks for common elements and create beautiful content layouts.

It also mimics how your article or pages will look by using the same fonts and colors as your WordPress theme.

However, an admin menu on the left and one on top made it look a bit cluttered. There were just too many options on the screen, which you don’t need if you are focusing on writing content.

WordPress editor without fullscreen mode

To deal with this, the WordPress core team decided to make the editor fullscreen by default, so users can have a distraction-free writing experience.

Fullscreen editor in WordPress

Now, it’s important to note that this fullscreen mode is nothing new. It was already there, and users were able to turn it on / off.

What’s changed now is that the fullscreen mode will now be the default view when writing posts in WordPress.

How to Disable The Fullscreen Mode for WordPress Editor (Easy Way)

It is super easy to turn off the fullscreen mode for block editor in WordPress.

Simply edit a post or page and click on the three-dot menu on the top-right corner of the screen. This will display the settings menu for the post editor.

From here, you simply need to click on the ‘Fullscreen Mode’ to turn it off.

Turn off fullscreen mode in WordPress

Post editor will instantly exit the fullscreen mode, and it will start showing the admin sidebar and the top toolbar.

Exiting fullscreen mode

WordPress will store your fullscreen mode preference in your browser’s temporary storage.

However if you switched to a different browser, used incognito mode, or accessed the admin area from a different device, then you’ll again see the fullscreen editor.

If you use multiple devices, user accounts, or browsers to access your WordPress admin area, then this may be a little annoying to switch it back every time.

This next method helps you fix that, permanently.

Permanently Disable Fullscreen Mode in WordPress (Snippet)

This method requires you to manually add code to your WordPress site. If you have not done this before, then see our guide on how to easily add code snippets in WordPress.

You’ll need to simply enter the following code in your WordPress theme’s functions.php file, or in a site-specific plugin. You can also use the custom code snippets plugin to add this code to your site without conflicts.

if (is_admin()) { 
	function jba_disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default() {
	$script = "jQuery( window ).load(function() { const isFullscreenMode = wp.data.select( 'core/edit-post' ).isFeatureActive( 'fullscreenMode' ); if ( isFullscreenMode ) { wp.data.dispatch( 'core/edit-post' ).toggleFeature( 'fullscreenMode' ); } });";
	wp_add_inline_script( 'wp-blocks', $script );
}
add_action( 'enqueue_block_editor_assets', 'jba_disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default' );
}

This code first checks if a user is viewing an admin area page. If they are, then it checks the status of the fullscreen editor.

If the fullscreen editor is enabled, then it simply turns it off.

You can still manually turn-on the fullscreen mode from the post edit screen, and your post editor would work just fine.

However, if you return back, then it will automatically turn it off. This behavior applies to all users who can access the post editor on your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to disable the fullscreen mode in WordPress post editor. For more productivity tips, see our tips for mastering the WordPress content editor.

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.

Code credit: Jean-Baptiste Audras

82 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

  • Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

    Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

  • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

4 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Kurt says:
    Sep 16, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    I finally got around to reading this tip via an email update from you back in April. The permanent solution works beautifully.

    Thank you for this wonderful tip.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 17, 2020 at 10:54 am

      Glad our content and newsletter were helpful :)

      Reply
  2. Timothée Moulin says:
    Apr 30, 2020 at 5:30 am

    Hey, thanks for the tip. I dont’ think you should worry about checking if you are in the admin as enqueue_block_editor_assets is only called when you are in the admin AND that you are on the Gutenberg editor which makes it truely specific.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Apr 30, 2020 at 10:31 am

      Checking if the user is an admin is a safety measure should something about the function change in the future :)

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
TrustPulse
TrustPulse
Instantly get 15% more conversions with social proof. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
LiveChat logo
LiveChat Inc Coupon
Get a 30 day free trial and 30% OFF LiveChat, one of the best live chat service providers for WordPress users.
ConvertKit Coupon Code
ConvertKit Coupon
Get a 14-day no risk FREE trial with this powerful email marketing software.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.