After updating to WordPress 5.8, the classic widget editor has been disabled in favor of using the Gutenberg block editor. However, some users find the new editor cumbersome and slow to load. To restore classic widgets, you can use the Classic Widgets Plugin developed by WordPress or add code snippets to your theme’s functions.php file. The plugin maintains support until at least 2022, making it a reliable option. Restoring classic widgets can improve usability and reduce page load time for those who prefer the older widget management system. Consider these options to quickly switch back to the classic interface.
After updating to WordPress 5.8, you may have noticed that WordPress has brought a big change in widget management. Now you can add widgets using the Gutenberg block editor, and the classic widget editor has been disabled. So in this article, I will guide you on how to restore classic widgets in WordPress.
Why do you need to restore classic widgets in WordPress?
hocwordpress can give two main reasons as follows:
- The new block-based editor is quite cumbersome and sometimes difficult to use for some users.
- Block widgets will make your admin interface load longer. Because block widgets will send more additional requests, thus increasing the page load time. For example, on my website, there will be 234 requests for block widgets and 123 requests for classic widgets. For block widgets, the load time is up to 2.3s while classic widgets only take 1.1s.
If you find yourself in either of these situations, here are two quick and easy ways to get back to your previous widget.
How to restore classic widget?
Using Classic Widgets plugin
Classic Widgets Plugin developed by the WordPress team that restores the previous widget settings screen. The plugin description page says that the plugin will be maintained and supported until at least 2022.
You don’t need to do anything else after installing this plugin. Just activate it, and your widgets will be restored to the classic way.
Restore classic widget with the help of Code Snippet
If you don’t want to use a plugin for such a simple task, you can do it yourself. Just take the code below and add it to your theme’s functions.php file.
// Disables the block editor from managing widgets in the Gutenberg plugin.
add_filter( 'gutenberg_use_widgets_block_editor', '__return_false' );
// Disables the block editor from managing widgets.
add_filter( 'use_widgets_block_editor', '__return_false' );Or you can use Code Snippet to add all the code snippets. This way, you can be sure that if you switch themes in the future, all the code will still be in the right place and work properly.
Epilogue
hocwordpress hopes that with these 2 methods, it can help you restore classic widget quickly.
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