How to Disable the Fullscreen Editor in WordPress

Let me tell you this fullscreen editor thing in WordPress 5.4 threw me for a loop at first.

It’s great for focusing on your writing but sometimes you just need that familiar toolbar and menu.

I’m all about efficiency so I was determined to find a way to work around it.

Turns out you can disable it both temporarily and permanently and I’m here to walk you through it all.

Temporary Disabling: A Quick Fix

The easiest way to get rid of the fullscreen editor is with a quick click.

It’s not a permanent solution but it’ll last for your current browsing session.

Just remember this setting goes away if you switch browsers devices or even open an incognito window.

So how do you do it? Let’s say you’re editing a page. Head over to Pages > All Pages in your WordPress admin. If you’re working on a post go to Posts > All Posts. Now you can either create a new page or post or open an existing one to edit.

As soon as the editor pops up look for a three-dot icon in the upper right corner. This is your gateway to disabling the fullscreen editor. Simply click it and you’ll see the option to deselect Fullscreen Mode.

Bam! That’s it.

The editor will switch back to the compact view and you’ll have your familiar menu and toolbar back.

WordPress will remember this setting for the rest of your browsing session.

Permanent Disabling: A Deeper Dive

If you’re tired of constantly disabling the fullscreen editor there’s a way to make it a permanent thing.

But hold your horses! This involves tweaking your website’s code so it’s essential to create a full WordPress backup before you start.

You never know when you might need to revert to a previous version.

Alright let’s get to it. Navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor in your WordPress admin. This will take you to a text editor where you can modify your theme’s files.

Find the functions.php file on the right side of the screen and click it. This is where we’re going to paste some code. Add the following code to the bottom of the functions.php file:

if (is_admin()) {
    function jba_disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default() {
        $script = "jQuery( window ).load(function() { const isFullscreenMode = wp.data.select( 'core/edit-post' ).isFeatureActive( 'fullscreenMode' ); if ( isFullscreenMode ) { wp.data.dispatch( 'core/edit-post' ).toggleFeature( 'fullscreenMode' ); } });";
        wp_add_inline_script( 'wp-blocks' $script );
    }
    add_action( 'enqueue_block_editor_assets' 'jba_disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default' );
}

Now save your changes by clicking Update File.

If you get an error message like “Your PHP code changes were rolled back” double-check the line mentioned in the error message.

It’s often the culprit.

Once you’ve saved the changes go ahead and open any page or post for editing.

You’ll notice it opens in the compact view automatically.

Switching Back to Fullscreen Mode

Remember you can always temporarily switch back to fullscreen mode. Just click the three-dot icon in the upper right corner and select Fullscreen Mode.

However if you keep it enabled the next time you open a page or post WordPress will revert back to the compact view.

If you decide to permanently re-enable fullscreen mode you’ll need to remove the PHP code we added in the previous step.

Plugins to the Rescue

If you’re not comfortable editing your theme’s files directly don’t worry! There are plugins that can do the heavy lifting for you. One such plugin is Code Snippets. Once it’s activated go to Snippets > Add New and copy/paste the same PHP code from the previous step into the editor.

Another plugin specifically designed for this is Disable Block Editor FullScreen Mode. It’s a simple solution that does what it says on the tin. As soon as you activate it the fullscreen editor will be disabled without any additional configuration needed.

Finding Your Perfect Writing Environment

WordPress is all about customization and this extends to your writing environment.

Whether you prefer the distraction-free fullscreen mode or the feature-rich compact view there’s a way to make WordPress work for you.

And remember WP Engine offers a range of plans with the settings and features you need to showcase your business in the best possible light.

From unique themes and frameworks to expert WordPress support we’ve got you covered.

Join the 1.5 million websites that trust WP Engine as their WordPress host.