Use the Write editor

The Write editor is a distraction-free tool for creating and editing posts on WordPress.com. It includes everyday writing tools—headings, lists, quotes, images, videos, categories, and tags—and keeps advanced layout controls out of the way.

In this video, you’ll learn about the experimental Write editor on WordPress.com. It explains how the editor creates a more focused writing experience. You’ll also see how to write and format a post, add links and images, set categories and tags, publish your post, and open an existing post for editing.

To access the Write editor:

1. Go to wordpress.com/write-editor.
2. Select 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.

The Write editor is separate from Write mode in the WordPress editor. On the Posts page, clicking a post title or Edit opens the WordPress editor; to open a post in the Write editor, use the “Open post” option inside the Write 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. When you’re ready, click “Save draft”, Preview, or Publish.

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 and alignment.
• Bulleted and numbered lists.
• Links.
• Quotes (including an optional citation field).
• Images.

To add a link:

1. Select the text you want to link.
2. Click the Link button in the toolbar, or press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac).
3. 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 insert 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 (three dots) in the top bar.
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 (i) tips button in the top bar for a quick reference of common shortcuts.

• WordPress editor
• Classic editor guide