I want the Classic Editor, not this block garbage.

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WordPress really doesn’t care about the people who use it. Gutenberg has been forced on us, and I hate it. I don’t think in blocks. I don’t think most writers do. I know numerous bloggers have complained about this forced change, but all we get from the WP staff is some passive aggressive comment about “being unwilling to learn something new” and a condescending attitude. They don’t care about writers anymore. As soon as Gutenberg becomes the only choice in 2022, I’m gone. Probably to Medium, which seems to be a better platform for people who want to write.

In the meantime though, if I want to write, supposedly there is a way to access the Classic Editor, but I have no idea how. I looked it up in the forums and all I saw was that it can be accessed from the Admin page. That’s it. Well, I did that, and looked everywhere on the Admin page, and see absolutely NOTHING giving me the option to switch back to Classic. I even went to the Edit page (as if writing a new post) and clicked on the three small dots at the top (because that has worked in the past), and there is no option for Classic.

I really HATE this new editor and WordPress is going to lose my business (I paid for this domain and also for an upgrade) if they don’t start being more accomodating.

Here’s a good rant written by someone as irked by WP’s need to “fix something that doesn’t need fixing” as I am.

Changing things that already work

30 thoughts on “I want the Classic Editor, not this block garbage.”

  2. On the self-hosted side, I’ve been happy with ClassicPress, though some of the plugin authors aren’t supporting it. (Every RankMath update seems to break it, but the ClassicPress fork of it isn’t live yet. 😦 Elementor no longer works. I had to disable Jetpack updates, so I’m stuck on an increasingly old version.)

    I hope that ClassicPress will work long-term because it’s not just the editor–It’s the attitude of the people at WordPress. Like, for example, people want to be able to change the color of a word or phrase. My site has lots of colored words. But one of the WordPress mods said they won’t allow that in Gutenberg because it’s a “bad practice.” Who are they to tell me what to do on my blog? There are good reasons to color words now and then!

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I really don’t get it… I got switched to the evil block editor yesterday morning, and I am anything but happy with it. I’ve been complaining for a while, encouraging other bloggers to express their thoughts if they didn’t like the new editor… Because I believed that if enough of us complained, someone would eventually listen to us. (I am a bit naive, I know)

    I can’t understand WP’s strategy to force this ”fancy” editor on us, while making people pay the big price if they want to keep the ”cheap” editor widget…

    Anyway… I am always glad to see other bloggers speaking up. It might not change things in the long run, but at least it proves that we don’t follow WP’s forced blogging ”improvements” like sheep.

    Here’s a letter I wrote to WP yesterday, after getting my notice that my beloved classic editor was now history…

    Dear WordPress…

    Liked by 5 people

  6. I hate this new block editor. I’m a lot less productive on it. I did get the classic back for a short time inadvertently in the process of editing but I don’t know how I did it so I can’t repeat it. I guess I’ll have to master this monster or my time on WordPress will be short lived.

    Liked by 2 people

    • You can go in through WP Admin (once you’re on that page, click on “Posts” and then “Add New,” which the WP staff doesn’t tell you) but you have to do it for every post.
      You can’t set it as the default, apparently.

      Like

  7. It’s weird that you don’t have the option to select classic from the ‘three-dot’ button when writing a post. It’s right at the bottom of the menu and switches me to Classic as the default. Anyway, I feel your pain, but my workaround is just writing somewhere else (somewhere better like Pages) and just copy-pasting it into WP once I’m done. Wishing you all the best with your transition!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I finally accessed it through WP Admin, but with actual directions for what to do once you’re on the Admin page. The WP staff doesn’t give us that.

      Like

  8. I hate block editor. I always said my blogging days would stop here the minute block editor is forced.
    Classic option is only temporary and I reckon they will get rid in the end.
    I have plenty of posts scheduled on my WP blog, until end of December. Then done. All scheduled in the event it would happen.
    I will only be back at WP to comment on other blogs from now on and mine while posts are open, but my new blog is already running elsewhere.
    WP have done a wrong thing with this. I am like another commenter here has already said, I just want a simple dashboard to write. Block editor is not that.

    Liked by 1 person

      • I think WordPress will find themselves affected, with a lot leaving through this drastic change they made. I can’t see how they won’t.

        Liked by 1 person

        • They seem to be pivoting from a platform that caters to writers to a more business oriented model or one that caters more to people with “tablets” and not laptops. Pisses me off.

          Liked by 2 people

            • A lot of people–users and developers–tried to warn them not to force this on everybody. But they refused to listen. I followed the controversy online before they first introduced Gutenberg, and saw how anyone who complained got ridiculed. They were told that users would LOVE it and only developers were complaining. Then they said that bloggers would LOVE it because it would be easier for them to use. Otto, especially, can be mean to people, both developers and people complaining in the support forums. If you say you can’t get Gutenberg to work, Otto ridicules you like you’re just old and don’t like change.

              If you go to the WPTavern blog, you can see how they constantly praise Gutenberg and say that, a year+ after they introduced it, it’s working much better and people LOVE it. Of course, people do still complain in the comment section from time to time, though they’re heavily moderated there.

              This is why ClassicPress was developed for the .org version. A lot of people felt the same way, not just about the changes but about the authoritarian moderation in the support forums and WPTavern. Of course, to go with CP you have to have your own website, and that costs $$. I don’t know if CP will ever do a .com version, but from what I understand, it’s not their day job.

              Liked by 1 person

  11. I found out last night I got hit by the block editor now. So, I patiently tried to look up the classic. It’s not as helpful as the previous classic, but when you have the blank page with the plus sign for add block, you can type in classic and use it that way. That’s what I’ve been doing, though I notice if i put a picture in I can’t caption it anymore (italics right underneath have to suffice, I guess). But that’s the best way I can go with it. I was too tired to look for more and fight it last night.

    Doesn’t make sense that they’d make folks who’d been here a long time to pay out the nose for basic services. Wait a minute, let those companies pay more for all these added bells and whistles that you think they need all of a sudden! I just don’t get the thinking.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. The new editor for me seems a nightmare on top of Google her systems of Google Sites and Blogger changing as well. Luckily after many complaints, Blogger has found some solution in between. Big old Google Sites were not able to convert nor to bring them over to other forms, so I manually had and have to split them down and place manually all the articles (this time in different) websites (each language in its own website this time).

    For WordPress I am still searching for a good solution, though I am already pleased I found one way to edit in the Classic editor without having to pay to get the Plugin Classic (which you should be able to get in your subscription.)
    You may find a solution at: https://marcusampe.wordpress.com/2020/10/05/wordpress-appears-to-have-fallen-off-its-best-horse/

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Pingback: A Classic Editor versus Block Editor | Marcus Ampe's Space

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