Disable Gutenberg

What is Disable Gutenberg?

Disable Gutenberg is a targeted WordPress plugin that removes the Block Editor and restores the Classic Editor (TinyMCE) across your site. It has been maintained by veteran developer Jeff Starr for 8 years. The plugin currently holds over 500,000 active installs and a perfect 5.0/5 rating from 732 reviews. 99% of those ratings are five-star, reflecting consistent user satisfaction. version 3.3.1, its latest release, was updated on April 17, 2026.

The plugin does not just turn off Gutenberg. It hides every trace of the Block Editor, including admin notices, menu items, and frontend stylesheets. It restores the original “Edit Post” screen with custom fields, meta boxes, and Quicktags intact. For users who need granular control, Disable Gutenberg offers options that the official Classic Editor plugin cannot match.

Key Features of Disable Gutenberg

• Complete Gutenberg removal: Disables the Block Editor for all post types, user roles, and theme templates with a single activation.
• Selective disabling: Disable Gutenberg for specific post IDs, slugs, or page titles while keeping it active elsewhere.
• Classic Widgets restoration: Replaces the Block Widgets screen with the original Classic Widgets interface.
• Role-based control: Restrict the Classic Editor to certain user roles, such as Editors or Authors, while allowing Administrators to use Gutenberg.
• Custom Fields Meta Box for ACF: Enables the Advanced Custom Fields meta box directly on the Classic Editor screen.
• Admin interface cleanup: Hides the Gutenberg “nag” notice, removes the plugin’s own menu item, and hides the Gutenberg settings link.
• Per-post editor switching: Adds a “Classic Editor” link to each post on the Posts screen and a “Add New (Classic)” item to the sidebar menu.
• Frontend stylesheet control: Option to enable or disable Gutenberg’s frontend CSS, preventing block-specific styling from loading.

Who Should Use Disable Gutenberg?

This plugin is ideal for site owners who rely on classic meta boxes, custom fields, or older themes. It suits beginners who want a one-click solution to restore the familiar editor. With 500,000+ active installs and a 5.0 rating, it is trusted by both small blogs and agencies managing client sites.

Advanced users benefit from the selective controls. For example, you can disable Gutenberg only for a specific post type like “Events” while keeping it active for standard posts. Jeff Starr designed the plugin to work with Google AMP and the WordPress AMP plugin, making it safe for performance-focused sites. The plugin requires WordPress 4.9+ and PHP 5.6.20+, which covers virtually all modern installations.

Installation & Setup

Upload the plugin to your blog, activate it, and the Classic Editor is restored immediately. Default settings disable Gutenberg completely, so no configuration is needed for basic use. For advanced users, the settings screen offers one-click restore of defaults and toggles for every feature listed in the options menu.

Support & Community

Over the last 2 months, the plugin’s support forum shows 0 open threads and 0 resolved threads, resulting in a 0% resolution rate. This data suggests that users either find the plugin stable enough to require no support, or that unresolved threads are not being tracked. The 99% five-star rating from 732 reviews indicates that the overwhelming majority of users experience no issues. The single 1% of one-star ratings likely stem from specific edge cases or conflicts, though no pattern is visible in the public data.