How to Disable Gutenberg and Get the Classic Editor Back in WordPress

When WordPress introduced the Block Editor (Gutenberg) in version 5.0, it changed the way everyone writes content. Some people love it. Others — particularly those who have been using WordPress for years — find it slower, more complex, and unnecessarily distracting for simple writing tasks.

If you want to disable Gutenberg and go back to the clean, familiar editor, here’s how.

Why Some Users Prefer the Classic Editor Over Gutenberg

Gutenberg is powerful for building complex layouts. But for writing blog posts, editing pages, or managing a simple business site, the classic TinyMCE editor is faster and more straightforward.

Common reasons to disable the Block Editor:

• You write primarily text content and don’t need block-based layouts.
• You use a page builder (Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder) that has its own editor.
• You manage a site for a client who finds Gutenberg confusing.
• You want faster page load times in the admin.

What Happens When You Disable Gutenberg

Three things change:

1. The Block Editor is removed — Posts and pages open with the traditional TinyMCE editor. No blocks, no sidebar panels, no “+” button.
2. Classic Widgets come back — WordPress also switched to block-based widgets. Disabling Gutenberg restores the old Widgets screen.
3. Block CSS is cleaned up — Gutenberg loads its own stylesheet on every page of your frontend, even if you don’t use a single block. Removing it shaves kilobytes off every page load.

How to Disable Gutenberg in WordPress

Option 1: The Official Classic Editor Plugin

WordPress maintains an official Classic Editor plugin. It works, but it’s a separate plugin to install, update, and maintain.

Option 2: Use Blaminhor Essentials (Recommended)

If you already use Blaminhor Essentials for other features — SMTP, backups, maintenance mode — the Classic Editor module is built in.

Go to Blaminhor Essentials → Dashboard and toggle Classic Editor on. That’s it. No settings to configure. The next time you edit a post, you’ll see the familiar TinyMCE editor.

The module handles all three aspects: disables Gutenberg, restores Classic Widgets, and removes block CSS from the frontend.

One Less Plugin to Manage

The advantage of using an all-in-one toolkit is obvious: one less plugin to install, one less update notification, and one less potential compatibility issue. If you’re already running Blaminhor Essentials, the Classic Editor module is just a toggle away.

Available for free in Blaminhor Essentials on the WordPress Plugin Repository.