Disable Gutenberg Block Editor

Disable Gutenberg Block Editor

This snippet provides different methods to disable the Gutenberg block editor in WordPress and revert to the Classic Editor.

// Method 1: Disable Gutenberg completely
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post', '__return_false', 10);

// Method 2: Disable for specific post types only
function disable_gutenberg_for_post_types($can_edit, $post_type) {
    $disabled_post_types = array('page', 'custom_post_type');

    if (in_array($post_type, $disabled_post_types)) {
        return false;
    }

    return $can_edit;
}
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post_type', 'disable_gutenberg_for_post_types', 10, 2);

// Method 3: Disable for users with specific roles
function disable_gutenberg_for_roles($can_edit, $post) {
    $current_user = wp_get_current_user();
    $disabled_roles = array('contributor', 'author');

    if (array_intersect($disabled_roles, $current_user->roles)) {
        return false;
    }

    return $can_edit;
}
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post', 'disable_gutenberg_for_roles', 10, 2);

// Bonus: Remove Gutenberg CSS from frontend
function remove_gutenberg_css() {
    wp_dequeue_style('wp-block-library');
    wp_dequeue_style('wp-block-library-theme');
    wp_dequeue_style('wc-block-style'); // WooCommerce blocks
    wp_dequeue_style('global-styles'); // Theme.json
}
add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'remove_gutenberg_css', 100);

When to Use This

• Legacy Sites: Sites that were built with Classic Editor and don't need block editor features
• Client Preference: Some clients prefer the simpler Classic Editor interface
• Custom Meta Boxes: When using extensive custom meta boxes that don't work well with Gutenberg
• Performance: Removing unused Gutenberg CSS can slightly improve page load times

Alternative

Instead of using code, you can install the official Classic Editor plugin which is maintained by WordPress core team.