{"id":38960,"date":"2021-10-05T05:40:38","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T10:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhmultisite.com\/blog\/?p=38960"},"modified":"2021-10-05T05:40:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T10:40:38","slug":"wordpress-extending-classic-editor-support-until-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluehost.com\/blog\/wordpress-extending-classic-editor-support-until-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress Extending Classic Editor Support Until 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WordPress<\/a> has decided to continue support<\/a> for its Classic Editor plugin into 2022. This extension means an additional year of official support for the plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many hoped for the news, there\u2019s still a push within WordPress<\/a> towards the block editor. With the Gutenberg Editor<\/a> on the market set to take the plugin\u2019s place, WordPress users are expected to make the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, millions of users continue to use the Classic Editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why is that the case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Classic Editor Support Explained<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Support for the WordPress Classic Editor Continues<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Classic Editor: Advantages and Disadvantages<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Future of the WordPress Classic Editor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts \u2014 WordPress Extends Classic Editor Support: Should You Try It?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Classic Editor Support Explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maintained through WordPress, the Classic Editor is the company’s official plugin. The add-on provided familiarity by restoring the older WordPress interface, and it was supposed to ease the transition to the block editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last major update for the plugin was back in 2018<\/a> with WordPress 5.0. It stated the plugin would be supported for three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support has generally consisted of maintenance fixes. WordPress core committer Jonathan Desrosiers<\/a> labels it as heading into its \u201csunset phase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress’s block editor \u2018Gutenberg\u2019 arrived<\/a> on December the 6th, 2018, to replace the Classic Editor. But even with the block editor positioned to take over, many still preferred the Classic Editor, with active installations remaining high for the plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Support for the WordPress Classic Editor Continues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Speculation surrounds why so many have stuck with the Classic Editor. Desrosiers says that based on the diffusion of innovation theory, he thinks the adoption of the block editor is at the stage where the late majority is now beginning to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theory aims to explain the rate at which new tech spreads. It splits tech adopters into groups based on how soon they’re willing to adopt new technology, with the late majority group sitting one spot before the last, the laggards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there might be more to it than that. There seem to be at least five million Classic Editor installations<\/a> active. We can’t tell whether it’s a matter of people getting used to the Classic Editor and becoming reluctant to transition or not knowing how to use Gutenberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the reasons behind the number of active installations, the five million active Classic Editor users are more than enough to justify prolonging support for the plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that note, Desrosiers pointed out that maintaining support for the plugin requires minimal effort. It has only needed minor adjustments from 2018 to 2021, with the bulk of them limited to “warnings and notices in debug logs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, with the promise that WordPress will support the Classic Editor for another year, should you go ahead and try it out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Classic Editor: Advantages and Disadvantages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For years, the Classic Editor has been deemed perfect by users wanting to avoid complex formatting and designs. And when you think about it, it makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all you want is a simple, quick way to arrange multimedia content, the straightforward text-based Classic Editor might be all you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, is that all there is to it? Let\u2019s look at the critical advantages and disadvantages of the Classic Editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advantages of the WordPress Classic Editor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n