Gutenberg Block Editor

What the Gutenberg Block Editor Does

The Gutenberg block editor is the default content editor in WordPress. Each part of a post or page is a separate block, such as a heading, a paragraph, an image, a list or a button. Gutenberg was the project name during development, and the name stayed as a common label for the editor.

Blocks can be moved, duplicated, styled and rearranged independently. A single post can combine a text block, a gallery block and a button block, and each keeps its own settings. Content is saved as standard HTML with block comments, which describe each block's type and settings. Block themes use the same blocks to build layouts, as explained in block theme vs classic theme.

Why WordPress Moved Away From the Classic Editor

Before the block editor, WordPress used a single text area with a formatting toolbar, usually called the classic editor. Content was mostly one stream of text. Richer layouts depended on shortcodes, custom HTML or theme code, which made them hard for non-developers to change.

The block editor was introduced in 2018 to allow layouts without code, to give media and embeds a consistent treatment, and to prepare WordPress for a more visual approach to whole-site design. The shortcode approach it partly replaced is explained separately. The classic editor remains available as a plugin for sites that need more time to adapt.

Patterns and Reusable Blocks in Everyday Use

Beyond single blocks, the editor supports patterns, which are groups of blocks arranged as a layout and inserted in one step. A pattern might contain a heading, a short paragraph and a call-to-action button, arranged the same way across several pages.

• Synced patterns, previously called reusable blocks, are saved once and placed in several places. Editing the original updates every copy.
• Plugins can add new blocks, such as a price table or a map, to the block inserter. Page builders take a different route to visual layouts, covered in page builders explained.