Removal of Classic Editor function

[secret santa]

On one of my websites, all of which I manage using the Classic Editor function, 2 of my pages have lost the ability to update through Classic Editor. When I hover the cursor over the other pages, the Classic Editor option is available, but for these 2 pages it is no longer there. How can I restore the function to these 2 pages ?

 

[Community]

Do you have a screenshot of what you are seeing ? Quite hard to diagonose just by the description

 

[secret santa]

I have taken screenshots of page which ahs classic editor and page which doesn't.

 

[Community]

Its still not really clear from those screenshots as to what the problem is or could be. Have you looked at your classic editer settings under the "writing" section of the main settings.

 

[secret santa]

Yes but switching this back or forth brings no change.
If you look at my screenshots, you can see that Classic Editor is available for one page but not the other. Previously it was available for all pages but not now.

 

[Community]

When you click on those pages to edit them , what do you see ? The screenshots you've provided just show the link isnt available, but if you've got another editor overriding that page ( like Elementor for example ) the classic editor link may not show because of that.

At the moment we are purely speculating as there isnt enough info to make an informed observation.

 

[secret santa]

I get a virtually empty screen that I cannot add to.

 

[Community]

Ok so that page is clealy using the blockeditor, here are some possible reasons:

1. Block Editor (Gutenberg) Enabled for Certain Pages​

• Even if you have the Classic Editor plugin installed, some settings allow the Block Editor (Gutenberg) to be used selectively.
• Check your Classic Editor settings:
  • Go to Settings > Writing in your WordPress dashboard.
  • Look for the option "Allow users to switch editors" – if enabled, some pages might be using the Block Editor.
  • Change the default editor back to Classic Editor for all pages.

2. Page-Specific Editor Change​

• If an editor manually opened those pages in Block Editor at some point, WordPress might have saved the editor preference for those pages.
• Try editing the page and clicking "Switch to Classic Editor" (if available).

3. Theme or Plugin Conflict​

• Some themes or plugins force the use of Gutenberg for certain pages (e.g., Elementor, WPBakery).
• Try disabling plugins one by one to see if any are causing the issue..

4. WordPress Updates or Settings Reset​

• A WordPress update might have overridden some settings.
• Try reactivating the Classic Editor plugin.

As an outside bet, I think on the settings page that i posted a few posts ago, if you sticked the option to "allow users to switch editors", enable it. Then go back to your pages list, when hovering over the page in question you should then see a link to "switch to classic editor" .

If it then works, go back to those settings and disable that function to prevent accidently switching editors again

 

[secret santa]

I don't have this option available
"Allow users to switch editors"

 

[Community]

What classic editor plugin are you using ? And are you set as administrator in the admin panel ?

 

[secret santa]

what is a plugin ?
where is the admin panel ?

When I create a new page for my websites, that new page has the Classic Editor function so my basic question is "how did 2 pages lose that function ?" and "how do I restore it ?".

 

[Community]

That "basic question" doesnt have a basic answer in diagnosing the problem.

There is a plugins menu in the admin panel, the admin panel is what you've been using to get to those "pages" to edit them .

If you click on the "plugins" menu, then take a screenshot so we can see whats in there.

I suspect, you are not using a self hosted wordpress install, and you are using a limited/restricted version on wordpress.com , if that is the case you'd need to contact their support.

 

[secret santa]

I have no plugins because I don't have a business plan (it says)

 

[Community]

Ah ok, in that case you'll need to ask for support at wordpress.com, as its different to a self hosted wordpress platform ( wordpress.org ) which we mainly help with.

 

[secret santa]

OK thanks anyway