How To Disable Gutenberg And Switch Back To Classic Editor In WordPress

The latest version of WordPress comes with Gutenberg editor. Ever since I switched to it, I am using it and have learned how to use it properly. But there are so many people who are still complaining and do not want to work on Gutenberg editor. If you are one of those who want to disable Gutenberg editor and keep the classic WordPress editor, you are at the right place.

Before I tell you the processor disabling Gutenberg editor, let me tell you a few things about Gutenberg.

Gutenberg is the latest post editor on WordPress that aims to give you a modern way of post editing. Basically, it works like a page builder and allows you to work on your post in a better way. Not just writing the post, you can even create unique layouts for the content. It is now the default WordPress editor starting WordPress 5.0.

Many users feel that Gutenberg is not easy to work with. The primary reason is that they do not like change. Gutenberg plugin also received so many negative reviews. But WordPress core team is still not convinced and they have not given any way to disable the Gutenberg and switch back to the classic editor.

Many users want to switch back because of incompatibility with themes or plugins. If this is your reason, you can switch back to the classic editor until you update your theme or plugin.

If you want to disable Gutenberg and use the classic WordPress editor, here are few ways for you.

How to Disable Gutenberg in WordPress

Method 1: Use Classic Editor Plugin

In this method, we will be using the Classic Editor Plugin that is developed and maintained by the core WordPress contributors. You need to install the Class Editor Plugin. As soon as you activate the plugin, it disables the Gutenberg editor. Go to Settings -> Writing. Here, you will see the option to switch back to Block editor (Gutenberg). But uninstalling plugin will be the better idea if you plan to use Gutenberg again.

Method 2: Use Disable Gutenberg Plugin

This method is for you if you want to disable Gutenberg for certain user roles and post types. Install the Disable Gutenberg plugin and you will see a new setting pages Settings » Disable Gutenberg to configure the plugin.

By default, the plugin disables Gutenberg for all users on all post types. But you can then select certain user roles and post types where you want to use the Gutenberg. If you want to disable Gutenberg just for specific users or post types, uncheck the “Disable Gutenberg everywhere” option and it will show you more options like select user role or post types for disabling the Gutenberg.

Now you know how to disable Gutenberg for specific post type or for specific users.

Disable Gutenberg via Code

If you know how to edit theme’s code files, you can also disable the Gutenberg by adding a single line in your theme’s functions.php give.

// disable for posts
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post', '__return_false', 10);

// disable for post types
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post_type', '__return_false', 10);

If you want to disable Gutenberg just for Custom Post Types

function digwp_disable_gutenberg($is_enabled, $post_type) {
	
	if ($post_type === 'book') return false; // change book to your post type
	
	return $is_enabled;
	
}
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post_type', 'digwp_disable_gutenberg', 10, 2);

Final Words

I have tested both plugins on my blogs. Both the plugins work fine. If you don’t like Gutenberg for any reason, you can use these two given methods for disabling the Gutenberg on your WordPress blogs. As I already said, Gutenberg is now the default editor of WordPress. You can not run away from it for long. So, learn it. If your themes or plugins are creating issues, update it to make it compatible. Sooner or later, you will have to use it.