Use the Write editor

The Write editor is a focused writing experience for creating and editing posts on WordPress.com. It includes common writing tools like headings, lists, quotes, images, videos, categories, tags, drafts, previews, and publishing, while keeping advanced layout controls out of the way.

The Write editor is separate from Write mode in the WordPress editor. To use the full set of block, layout, and post settings, open the post in the WordPress editor.

Important: On the Posts page, clicking the post title or Edit opens the WordPress editor, also known as the block editor. To open a post in the Write editor, use the Open post option inside the Write editor.

Open the Write editor by visiting wordpress.com/write-editor and selecting one of your sites from the site selector:

The Write editor is for posts. To edit pages, templates, menus, site styles, or advanced layouts, use the WordPress editor.

To create a post in the Write editor:

1. Open the Write editor.
2. Add a title in the Title field.
3. Start typing in the writing area.
4. Use Save draft, Preview, or Publish when you’re ready.

Use the formatting toolbar to style your post text. The toolbar includes options for:

• Text style: Normal, Heading 2, and Heading 3.
• Bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough.
• Text color.
• Text alignment.
• Bulleted and numbered lists.
• Links.
• Quotes (including an optional citation field).
• Images.

To add a link, select text and click the link button in the toolbar or press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac). Paste or type a URL and click Apply. You can also paste a URL over selected text to create a link automatically.

Use the undo and redo buttons in the toolbar to step through your changes.

You can also type `/` on a new line to quickly insert common content, including a heading, image, video, list, quote, or divider.

To add an image:

1. Click the Image option in the toolbar or type `/image` on a new line.
2. Upload an image file, drag and drop an image, or paste an image URL.
3. Add alt text to describe the image.
4. Optional: Select Set as featured image.
5. Click Insert image.

After inserting an image, hover over it to access additional options. You can edit the alt text, add or edit a caption, change the display size (Thumbnail, Medium, Large, or Full), or delete the image.

To add a video:

1. Type `/video` on a new line.
2. Paste a YouTube or Vimeo URL.
3. Click Embed video.

On sites with multiple used categories, the Write editor shows a category selector near the top of the writing area. Select the categories you want to assign to the post.

To add tags, type them on their own line, such as:

#travel #photography

When you save or publish, those tags are assigned to the post.

Use the buttons in the top bar to save or publish your post:

• Save draft keeps the post unpublished.
• Publish publishes a new post.
• Update saves changes to a post that is already published.

The More options menu (three dots) in the top bar also includes Preview, Open in block editor, and Open post. Open in block editor opens the post in the WordPress editor.

The Write editor autosaves your draft periodically. If you return to the Write editor and there is an autosaved draft to resume, a banner will appear with the option to continue editing or dismiss it.

If you have unsaved changes and try to leave the page, you will see a confirmation asking whether to save your changes, discard them, or cancel.

You can open an existing post from inside the Write editor. To open a post in the Write editor:

1. Open the Write editor.
2. Click the More options menu.
3. Select Open post.
4. Choose from your recent drafts, paste any post URL, or enter any post ID.
5. Click Go.

You can only open posts you have permission to edit. If the post contains formatting that the Write editor does not support, you will see a warning. See Unsupported formatting.

To open the current post in the WordPress editor instead:

1. Click the More options menu (three dots) in the top bar.
2. Select Open in block editor.

On the Posts page, clicking a post title or Edit also opens the post in the WordPress editor.

Some posts use formatting that the Write editor cannot preserve. If that happens, you will see a message before editing. Depending on the post, you can choose:

• Go back.
• Open in the WordPress editor
• Open in the Classic Editor.

For advanced blocks, layout blocks, custom block settings, or formatting not supported in Write, use the WordPress editor.

Click the tips button (i) in the top bar for a quick reference of common shortcuts.

• WordPress editor
• Classic editor guide