Back to Support Create content Introduction to the WordPress editor

Introduction to the WordPress editor

If you’re new to editing in WordPress, this guide will help you get familiar with the editor options and settings in the editor interface.

In this guide

  1. Learn the interface
  2. Top menu
  3. Content area
  4. Sidebar settings
    1. Page and post settings
    2. Block settings
    3. Jetpack
    4. More options
  5. Personalize the editor

Learn the interface

To access the WordPress editor, visit your site’s dashboard and navigate to Appearance → Editor (available on supported themes). Alternatively, navigate to Pages or Posts and click on the title of any page or post to open the editor.

The editor is made up of three main areas:

  1. The top menu
  2. The sidebar settings
  3. The content area
  • WordPress Editor – Top Menu
  • WordPress Editor – Sidebar Menu
  • WordPress Editor – Content Area

Top menu

The top menu of the WordPress Editor with several icons for different editor features.

At the top of your screen, you will find the following options:

A section of the top toolbar with the exit icon highlighted.

Exit the Editor: Shows the W icon by default, or your Site Icon if you have uploaded this icon. Click to exit the editor.

A section of the top toolbar with the Block Inserter icon highlighted.

+ Block Inserter: Add blocks of content to your page, like text, images, and much more.

A section of the top toolbar with the Tools icon highlighted.

Tools: Choose between Write mode (hide the layout options from the sidebar to focus solely on writing) and Design mode (adjust colors, sizes, create columns, and more).

A section of the top toolbar with the Undo and Redo icons highlighted.

Undo and Redo: Undo an action, or redo an undone action.

A section of the top toolbar with the List View icon highlighted.

List View: View a list of all of the blocks that are on the page. Useful for navigating to different blocks.

The List View icon also opens up a second section named Outline, which shows the title, headings, number of characters, and word count on the page.

A section of the top toolbar with the Command Center highlighted.

Command Center: Shows the title of the page or template you’re editing. Click this area to type a command or search for other pages and templates on your site.

A section of the top toolbar with the zoom out icon highlighted.

Zoom Out to edit and create at the pattern level, instead of granular block editing.

A section of the top toolbar with the view icon highlighted.

Change the viewport to view your content on desktop, tablet, or mobile screens. Click “Preview in a new tab” or “View site” to see the result of your changes.

A section of the top toolbar with the Help icon highlighted.

Help Center: Search for helpful support guides. Contact us on eligible plans.

A section of the top toolbar with the Styles icon highlighted.

Styles: Edit the font, colors, background, and other site-wide style elements. Appears only in the Site Editor view.

A section of the top toolbar with the Jetpack icon highlighted.

Jetpack: Access extra features powered by our Jetpack plugin. Appears only in the page/post editing view.

A section of the top toolbar with the settings icon highlighted.

Settings: Display or hide the sidebar settings.

A section of the top toolbar with the save button highlighted.

Save the changes you’ve made. Click once to view the pages and templates affected. Click the “Save” button again to confirm the changes.

A section of the top toolbar with the Options icon highlighted.

Options: Opens additional options.

Content area

The content area is the largest part of the editor. This is where you add blocks of content to your page, posts, and templates.