If you added content to your website before it was upgraded to WordPress 5.0, you now have the opportunity to edit your pages using the block editor! This is great news if you were frustrated by the use of shortcodes, which have also been removed, for things like buttons, columns and icons. The block editor provides a much more visual and drag-and-drop experience with a ton of flexibility.

When your site was upgraded, the administrative side of your site moved all of your page content into a single section called a Classic block. This helped ensure that everything continued to display normally for visitors to your site on the front end.

To get all of the benefits of using blocks, you’ll now need to convert the single Classic block into multiple blocks for each type of content on your page. For example, text should be in a Paragraph block, photos will be in an Image block, and so on.

Helpful Terminology

  • Shortcodes were small snippets of code that helped add objects or design features (like columns) to a page. Formatting is now done with blocks instead.
  • You can add content like text and photos to your page using blocks. As the name implies, blocks stack on top of each other to build a page. Blocks can also be used to format text, add columns, create a button, embed a video, and more!
  • The Classic block is like a mini version of the original WordPress editor. All of the settings appear at the top of the block, and you can edit content much like you would have in the past in a more manual way, including using HTML.
A screenshot of the Classic block displaying the settings at the top of the block

Switch Content to Blocks

WordPress has made it pretty easy to convert content that’s in a Classic block. This process generally works seamlessly for pages that are primarily text-based, but it will also convert other content like images and video embeds.

  • Click the top of the Classic block to see your settings.
  • Click on “Convert to Blocks”.
A screenshot of the Classic block highlighting the three-dot icon and the Convert to Blocks option

You should now see that your content has been divided up into multiple blocks depending on the type of content. Even individual paragraphs will be in their own blocks.

TIP: If you ever convert a page to blocks and want to immediately undo it, simply use the Undo option at the top left of your page. Your content will be put back into the Classic block.

A screenshot of a text block with an arrow pointing at the Undo icon

Types of Blocks to Use

Moving away from the Classic block gives you a lot more options for adding and formatting web page content. Consider using these different types of blocks to use as you build your pages:

Still Have Questions?

The quickest way to get support is to reach out to us within your website’s admin dashboard. Log into your website and then fill out the Request Help form. You’ll hear back from us within one business day.