How to Disable Block Widgets in WordPress- Using Plugins and Code

How to Disable Block Widgets in WordPress – Using Plugins and Code

Do you want to disable block widgets in WordPress?

If yes then in this article we have shared a few ways using which you will be able to do this easily.

The block editor was introduced in WordPress 5.0 and its functionality was extended to widget areas on your site in WordPress 5.8.

In this update, the classic widgets were replaced by the block editor and this means now if you want to add any element to the widget areas of you site then you will have to use blocks.

This change is my opinion was a major one and like every time some users liked it while others were more comfortable in using the classic widgets.

If you are someone who is more comfortable in using the Classic widget system rather than the new block based one then let me tell you WordPress allows you to easily disable block widgets.

And in this tutorial we will be discussing a few ways using which you can do this.

How to disable widget block editor in WordPress easily

You can disable block based widgets in WordPress in 3 ways. Below we have listed all the methods

  • Using Classic Widgets plugin
  • Using WP Restore and Classic Widgets plugin
  • Using Disable Gutenberg plugin
  • Adding a code snippet

Before we dive into the tutorial, it is important to know, if you are not comfortable in adding code snippet to your site then I will recommend using Classic Widgets plugin for this.

It is a free plugin and it automatically disables block widgets in WordPress on activation.

Keeping this in mind, below we have listed all the topics covered and you navigate by clicking on the links

How to disable block widgets using Classic Widgets plugin

As discussed above, Classic widgets is a free plugin and to disable block widgets on your WordPress site using it all you have to do is install it.

It is this simple and it will automatically convert block widgets to classic.

Keeping this in mind, to install Classic widgets plugin, the first step is to login to your WordPress dashboard and then navigate to Plugins >> Add New

Add new WordPress plugin
Add new WordPress plugin

Doing this will show you all the free plugins that you can install on your site and here you will have to search for Classic Widgets

Search for Classic Widgets plugin to disable block widgets
Search for Classic Widgets plugin to disable block widgets

This search will show you multiple plugins that will allow you to disable block editor in widgets and here you will have to look for Classic Widgets plugin by WP Contributors.

Once you have found the plugin, next step is to install and activate it.

Install and Activate Classic Widgets plugin to disable block widgets in WordPress
Install and Activate Classic Widgets plugin to disable block widgets in WordPress

On activating Classic Widgets plugin, it will instantly disable block widgets in WordPress. Below is a screenshot for reference

Classic Widgets in WordPress
Classic Widgets in WordPress

And that’s it you have successfully disabled block widgets in WordPress using Classic Widgets plugin.

How to disable block editor in widgets using WP Restore and Enable Classic Widgets plugin

The next plugin using which you can disable block widgets in WordPress is WP Restore and Enable Classic Widgets plugin.

To install this plugin you need to head over to Plugins in your WordPress admin and then search for Classic Widgets

WP Restore and Classic Widgets plugin in WordPress
WP Restore and Classic Widgets plugin in WordPress

This plugin is by Bill Minozi and once found you need to install and activate it.

Install and Activate WP Restore and Classic Widgets plugin to disable block widgets
Install and Activate WP Restore and Classic Widgets plugin to disable block widgets

On activation, it will automatically disable block based widgets on your WordPress site.

How to disable block widgets in WordPress using Disable Gutenberg plugin

The last and final plugin that you can use to disable block widgets in WordPress is Disable Gutenberg.

To install this plugin, you need to go to Plugins in your WordPress dashboard and then search for Disable Gutenberg.

Disable Gutenberg plugin by Jeff Starr
Disable Gutenberg plugin by Jeff Starr

This plugin is by Jeff Star and once found you need to install and activate it.

Install and activate Disable Gutenberg plugin
Install and activate Disable Gutenberg plugin

Once you have successfully installed this plugin, you will have to navigate to Settings in your WordPress dashboard and then click Disable Gutenberg.

Disable Gutenberg plugin settings
Disable Gutenberg plugin settings

On clicking Disable Gutenberg, it will take you to its settings where you will have to select ” Disable block widgets and enable classic widgets” and then click Save Changes.

Disable Block widgets option in Disable Gutenberg plugin
Disable Block widgets option in Disable Gutenberg plugin

Doing this will disable block widgets in WordPress.

How to disable block widgets in WordPress using Code

In case you are not willing to use a plugin for disabling block widgets in WordPress then you can do it manually or in other words add a code snippet.

Before we move forward, it is important to know, in this tutorial we have shared 2 code snippets and you can use either one of them by adding to functions.php file of your site.

It is considered a good practice to take a backup of your site and make any such changes to the child theme and not the parent theme.

The reason behind this is simple, backups are for your own safety for in case anything goes wrong and in case you are looking for a backup plugin then we recommend using UpdraftPlus.

As far as using a child theme is concerned, WordPress themes receive updates on a regular basis and on updating, all the such changes from a Parent theme are completely removed.

However, if you are using a Child theme then everything will remain the same.

Keeping this in mind, to disable block widgets using code you will have to navigate to Appearance in your WordPress dashboard and then click Theme File Editor

Theme file editor option in WordPress
Theme file editor option in WordPress

Doing this will show you all the theme files and here you will have to search for functions.php.

Once found, you need to click it to open and scroll down to the very end and paste any of the code snippets mentioned below.

  • Filter to disable block widgets in WordPress
add_filter( 'use_widgets_block_editor', '__return_false' );
  • Remove theme support for block widgets
function example_theme_support() {
    remove_theme_support( 'widgets-block-editor' );
}
add_action( 'after_setup_theme', 'example_theme_support' );

Keep in mind you need to use any one of the above mentioned code snippets and add it to functions.php file.

After you are done adding the code snippet, you need to click Update File and clear cache.

Disable block widgets in WordPress using code
Disable block widgets in WordPress using code

And that’s it you have successfully disabled block widgets in WordPress using code.

Kindly note- I have tested these code snippets on default WordPress themes (TwentyTwenty-One and TwentyTwenty) and some popular themes like Kadence and Astra.

This concludes everything you need to know about disabling block widgets in WordPress using both plugins and code.

Read Next- How to disable language switcher on WordPress login

Having said that,

I hope you will find this article helpful and are able to easily disable block widgets in WordPress.

In case you have any queries feel free to reach out we will be happy to help.

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