Common Questions about the New WordPress Block Editor, Gutenberg

Towards the end of 2018, WordPress 5.0 was released with the Gutenberg editor. This is a new block editor that is fast, modern, intuitive and enables you to create better content for your blog. Although it is an improved editor, there are so many questions surrounding it. Here are answers to frequently asked questions.

Why was Gutenberg introduced?
The classic WordPress editor is a simple text window with just a couple of basic formatting options. While it was great, users had to learn different ways of adding images, creating galleries, adding tables, embedding videos and other elements. The learning curve made WordPress harder to use. The new block editor introduces a modern streamlined writing experience with every element wrapped in a block. It is easy to move the blocks around the editor, change the settings and also create engaging content layouts without having to write any code. This is what makes Gutenberg a powerful framework for plugin and theme developers to create powerful solutions.

Is Gutenberg compatible with my theme and plugins?
The easiest way to check compatibility is to check if the theme and plugins you have support WordPress 5.0 and above. Gutenberg is the default Editor for WordPress 5.0 so the themes and plugins that are compatible with WordPress 5.0 are also compatible with this new editor. You can also check your plugins at WordPress.org plugins directory to see if they are compatible with WordPress 5.0.

How do you manage old posts in Gutenberg?
After updating to WordPress 5.0, the old posts will be wrapped in the Classic block in Gutenberg editor. You will be able to edit everything inside the blocks. It is also easy to convert the old posts to Gutenberg blocks. You just click on the ‘Convert to Blocks’ from the Classic block’s dropdown menu.

Can I bring back the Classic editor?
If you are not ready to use Gutenberg, you can disable it and revert to the classic editor. To do this you need to install and activate Classic Editor Plugin. With the plugin you will be able to disable the Gutenberg editor and continue with the Classic editor. It is good to note that the Classic Editor plugin will only be available until 2022.

Having been introduced just over a month ago, the Gutenberg is still new. There is a lot to learn about it. The good news is that there are so many resources available to help you learn more about Gutenberg. Hope the above questions and answers have helped you learn a little more about the new editor.

Gutenberg editor