With the newly released WordPress 5.0, which includes the new block-based Gutenberg editing experience, many people are installing the Classic Editor plugin to retain the previous behavior.
The Classic Editor plugin is the official solution being prescribed for these situations.
No problem, install the Classic Editor plugin and 5.0 will be indistinguishable from 4.9.8 for your posting and editing experience
Based on everything I’ve heard, my understanding was that this plugin will suspend the new editor on a site, however this is not entirely true.
Default Behavior
The default behavior is not to simply revert to the classic editor instead you are given the choice between the Block Editor and Classic Editor. Additionally, when you are editing a post with the Classic Editor you are presented with a link to Switch to Block Editor
.
These are not bad defaults for some use cases but they are different from how the Classic Editor has been pitched to members of the community.
Block / Classic Editor Links
When viewing your list of posts, the type of editor used (Classic or Block) is displayed and in the list of actions you can perform on the post you are presented with Block Editor
and Classic Editor
.
Switch to Block Editor Link
When editing a post with the Classic Editor, a Switch to Block Editor
link is included.
Classic Editor Settings
Once installed the Classic Editor plugin adds two settings to Settings > Writing.
Default editor for all users
Allow users to switch editors
Classic Editor Default Values
As you can see in this screen shot, the default values are:
Classic Editor
for the default editorYes
for allowing users to switch editors
What the Defaults Should Have Been
The Allow users to switch editors
default value should have been No
. When this change is made, I get the behavior I was promised.
The site uses the Classic Editor the same way it did in WordPress 4.9.8 and no prompts to use the new block based editor are present.
How to Fix It
In the WP Admin, go to Settings > Writing.
Change the Allow users to switch editors
setting to No
.
Updating the value with WP CLI
You can update this setting with WP CLI, rather than manually logging into a site to update the option.
$ wp option update classic-editor-allow-users disallow
Alternative Plugin to Disable Gutenberg
Though the Classic Editor plugin is the one mentioned most often, the Disable Gutenberg plugin does what the name says, making it a better choice for temporarily delaying the new WordPress Gutenberg editing experience.
Photo Credit
By Zyance [CC BY-SA 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons
This article is gonna save me from having to do a *ton* of troubleshooting for a ton of users.
I have Classic Editor installed on a few client sites, but do not have the options in Settings > Writing.
Hi Richard,
I would double-check:
5.0.3
as I write this)1.3
as I write this)/wp-admin/options-writing.php