Block Editor Last updated May 2026 The Block Editor offers a variety of blocks that can be used to create media-rich Pages and Posts. You can use different blocks to create content and layouts with paragraphs, images, headings, lists, videos, galleries, and more. For standard simple content the Classic block is available. On this page: Getting Started Types of Blocks Text Blocks Table Classic Media Blocks Images Audio and Video Design Blocks Accordion Columns Widget Blocks Learn More Getting Started The editor interface has three main sections: the top toolbar containing administration links the sidebar with the post/page settings and the block settings the content area or workspace Top Toolbar The top toolbar contains administration links for the page/post. You can hover over each element for a tooltip description. On the left-hand side – View Pages/Posts takes you to the dashboard list of all your Pages or Posts. If there are unsaved changes, it will prompt you to save the changes or leave the post or page. Block Inserter toggles a list of all available blocks, patterns and media. Undo and Redo lets you undo or redo your last action. Document Overview includes a list view of all the blocks on the post/page and an outline view that shows details including the character and word count, estimated time to read, the number of paragraphs and blocks and the page/post headings. On the right-hand side – View Page/Post lets you view how your post/page looks on the live site. View displays what the page looks like on desktop, tablet or mobile. Genesis lets you edit page or post display settings for breadcrumbs, title, footer and layout. Settings toggles the page/post and block settings. Save – make sure you save your changes after you’re done. Options opens up more options like displaying the Top Toolbar, visual editor or code editor, managing patterns and a link to support documentation on the WordPress site. There are two different toolbar buttons that only display when you first create a page: Save Draft – after the page is published, you can change the status in the Page Settings panel. Publish – once you’re ready for your page to go live. Sidebar/Settings You can display this panel by clicking on the Options button in the top toolbar. Workspace To add a block, place your cursor where you’d like the content to appear and click the Add Block button in the workspace or the Block Inserter button from the top toolbar. (If you’re more familiar with the shortcuts, you can type the forward slash (/) and the shortcut for the block you want to insert). This will bring up a list of all available blocks. The blocks are organized by type, and you can hover over each one for a description. Just drag the block to the workspace and start typing. There’s a lot of options, but we’ll discuss the blocks you will use the most. Recommended Block Types Text Blocks Blocks like Heading, Paragraph and List are self-explanatory. There are also blocks that are formatted for quotes and verses. Each block has a toolbar to manage style and alignment. Word Processor Editor Experience The Classic block provides and editing experience that has a rich text editor toolbar and works similarly to a word processor with buttons that allow you to format text, change alignment, inert lists, links and images, and more. Tables One of two ways to insert tabular data on your site. Instructions for this block can be found on our Tabular Data page. Media Blocks Remember best practices for website accessibility and optimization when using media. Image and Gallery A singular image can be inserted into a page as an inline image in a Paragraph block or a standalone image using an Image block. For multiple images, you can insert a Gallery block. Learn more about inserting images and galleries. Audio and Video For audio and video, you can either upload your media to the media library or stream content from an external service. Learn more about inserting video and audio and adding media from external sites. Media & Text Allows you to place an image or video side-by-side with text. You can also make the image a link. Files Currently, the only file type you’re able to attach in WordPress is .pdf (Portable Document Format; Adobe Acrobat). If you need to use another file type, you can always upload it to Box and link to the file or contact us for more options. Learn more about documents and attachments and creating accessible PDF files. Cover Lets you add a background color, image or video with a text overlay. It’s a great way to add headers, banner-style displays, call-to-actions, and more. If using a background color or image, you need to make sure the color contrast passes accessibility requirements. Design Blocks for Layout You can add design elements like buttons, horizontal rules, and arrange blocks in various configurations. Accordions / Hide-Reveal Creates a hide-reveal accordion with content that allows visitors to click on a trigger to reveal or disclose additional content on the page. Columns Gives content builders the ability to add up to a six column layout. Instructions for this block can be found on our Column Layouts page. Buttons You can customize the text, link, and style of the button. You can change the text and button colors in the block settings panel. To add more buttons to the block, click the Add block button in the bottom right corner. Separator Inserts a horizontal line between two blocks of content to help create a separation between ideas or sections on your post or page. Spacer Adds white space between blocks. A vertical spacer adds space in a column and a horizontal spacer adds space in a row. Widget Blocks Add widgets to your page or post like social media icons, custom HTML code or a list of your post categories or latest posts. Learn More More detailed information about the Block Editor can be found on the WordPress documentation site.
