Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode

Description

Since WordPress 5.4, the block editor opens in fullscreen mode: the admin menu disappears while you write, and getting back to the rest of the dashboard takes an extra click.

This plugin turns fullscreen mode off, so the block editor opens inside the normal WordPress admin, with the menu on the left, just like every other screen.

Features

  • Opens the block editor with the admin menu in view, every time.
  • Works for every user, and for posts, pages and any post type that uses the block editor.
  • No settings. Activate it and it works.
  • Tiny: one short script in the editor, and nothing at all on your site’s front end.
  • Tested with the latest version of WordPress.

How it works

When the block editor opens, the plugin checks the editor’s “Fullscreen mode” preference and switches it off. To use fullscreen mode again, deactivate the plugin.

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Screenshots

Installation

  1. In your admin, go to Plugins Add New Plugin and search for “Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode”.
  2. Click Install Now, then Activate.
  3. Open any post or page. The editor now shows the admin menu.

FAQ

Does it work on older versions of WordPress?

It needs WordPress 5.4 or later, the version that made fullscreen the default.

Can people still use fullscreen mode?

While the plugin is active, the editor turns fullscreen mode off each time it opens. Deactivate the plugin to use fullscreen mode again.

Does it change anything on my site?

No. It only runs in the block editor, in your admin.

Is there a settings page?

No. There is nothing to set up.

Reviews

mei 23, 2024 1 reply
First off, the plugin technically works and up to recently I had no issues with it. However, it recently started displaying a giant ad for another of it's plugins on all of my site dashboards when I logged in. The problem is the ad doesn't even let you know that it's associated with this plugin. I had to do a bunch of Googling to figure it out. I thought my sites had been hacked. There is a "Never Show This Again" link in the ad. This was supposed to be a simple plugin. Essentially it was 4 lines of code to disable the fullscreen editor (83 if you count all the boilerplate WordPress plugin registration and comments). Now it's bloated up to 280 lines with all the WP UltimaKit ad nonsense.
mei 23, 2024 1 reply
I and all my clients were lost with this new full editing experience. They didn't know, where to click to get back to the dashboard, thanks to this plugin, they can manage their website again in a logical way. Ciao! I edited this to 2 star rating (just works) because it now shows a big unnecessary sales notice on the whole WordPress Dashboard to upsell his other works. Just don't do this mate, don't… and the guidelines also say, don't do it… https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/detailed-plugin-guidelines/#11-plugins-should-not-hijack-the-admin-dashboard So a 2 star rating is generous.
november 20, 2020 2 replies
I installed the plugin, activated it and nothing happened. Still all in fullscreen mode. I guess it needs a fix. Edit: It works totally fine. Found some bugs + incompatibility issues with custom code – that´s why it conflicted before and didn´t work.
Read all 8 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

“Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode” has been translated into 4 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

4.3.2 – 25-09-2026

  • The editor script no longer needs jQuery, so it keeps working if WordPress stops loading jQuery Migrate.
  • Messages now use the plugin’s own text domain, so they can be translated.
  • New icon and banners, and a clearer description.

4.3.1 – 24-09-2026

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

4.3.0 – 07-07-2026

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

4.2.0 – 24-02-2026

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

4.1.1 – 31-01-2026

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

4.0.0 – 25-11-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

3.2.4 – 27-08-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version 6.8.

3.2.3 – 11-08-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version 6.8.

3.2.2 – 02-06-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version 6.8.

3.2.1 – 18-04-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version 6.8.

3.2.0 – 02-04-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

3.1.0 – 16-02-2025

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

3.0.0 – 28-12-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.9.2 – 09-11-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.9.1 – 30-10-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.9.0 – 25-09-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.8.3 – 13-08-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.8.2 – 02-07-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.8.1 – 24-05-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.8.0 – 13-05-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version & UltimaKit For WP support added.

2.7.2 – 03-04-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.7.1 – 06-02-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.7.0 – 01-01-2024

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.6.2 – 09-11-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.6.1 – 01-10-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.6.0 – 01-10-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.5.0 – 30-06-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.4.4 – 29-05-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.4.3 – 29-04-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.4.2 – 23-03-2023

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.4.1

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.4.0

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.3.1

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.3.0

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.2.0

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.1.0

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.0.2

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.0.1

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

2.0.0

  • Compatibility tested & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

1.9.0

  • Improvements & Tested with the latest WordPress version.

1.8.0

  • Improvements

1.7.0

  • Improvements

1.6.0

  • Improvements

1.5.0

  • Improvements

1.4.0

  • Improvements

1.3.0

  • Improvements

1.2.0

  • Improvements

1.1.0

  • Improvements

1.0.0

  • First Release