WordPress Post: Transfer From Classic Editor to Gutenberg

by · Published · Updated

In the WordPress world, It is the age of Gutenberg Editor or Block Editor to create and edit post. So, all WordPress users should try to get accustomed to Block Editor for a progressive WordPress posting experience.

Here are our Block Editor’s guidelines that must ensure your utmost assistance to master this posting method.

However, the traditional and old Classic Editor is still being used by much more users than number of Gutenberg users. Many are stick to Classic while many others are on their way to start Gutenberg journey and others are trying to ensure a good friendship with Block Editor.

In this context, this small tutorial is for those users who are at the initial stage of using Block editor but are endangered with their old Classic editor’s posts.

With their Classic Editor’s posts, they can do one of the followings-

  • Install Classic Editor plugin and start editing with Classic or use both the Editors.
  • Continue editing Classic Editor’s posts in the Classic block of the Block Editors. Noted, when you open Classic Editor’s post in Block editor, the system opens it in Classic block.
  • Convert the Classic Editors posts into different Gutenberg blocks and start using only the Block Editor without hesitation.

Unquestionably, we recommend the last options for our readers. This means it is wise to convert all Classic Editor’s posts to Block and use only the Block Editors. It is very easy. And this is what we’re going to represent in this tutorial.

But if you aren’t confident enough to go on with Block Editors, continue with Classic editors before you complete practicing our Block Guidelines. This is the way how you can switch back to Classic Editor.

Classic to Block

The method is straightforward. In Classic Editor’s posts, All the HTML elements and any structures like Paragraph, Image, Heading, List, Link etc. are positioned together one after another. Their sequence is the similar both in Visual Mode and HTML mode.

So, if you convert such a Classic post in Blocks Editors’, they will turn into separate blocks like Paragraph block, Heading block, Image block etc.

In the Conversion process, do the followings-

  • Open the Classic editor post or part of content in Block editor. The post or content part will open in the Classic block of Block editor.
  • From the Classic block toolbar, click Three-dot menu and select ‘Edit Visually’ to open it in Visual mode if it is not already in visual state.
  • From the Visual toolbar of Classic block, click ‘Convert to Block’. And you see all of the content is separated by logical Gutenberg Blocks.

Now check-out from top to bottom whether all the post is turned to different blocks or not.

If yours is a long post, it might so happen that some elements are cluttered in a Custom HTML block without taking part in Block separation process. In this case, do the followings-

  • Copy all the codes from the Custom HTML block.
  • Insert a Classic block before or after the HTML block.
  • Paste the copied codes on the Classic block in HTML mode.
  • Now repeat the previous process of converting Classic post to Blocks.
  • If the process is successful, remove the HTML block where you copied the codes from.

Hope this repeated process will enable you to convert a Classic editor post completely to Block editor’s blocks.

If you tried this Classic-to-block conversion process, please let me know about your success and failure and the challenges you faced during expedition.