Full site editing is the new direction that WordPress is heading in, to provide a better editing and design experience for site owners.
To get familiar with the new terminology that comes along with Full Site Editing, please read the glossary.
You have likely already used the block editor, formerly known as Gutenberg. It’s been the default editor since WordPress 5.0.
The block editor looks like this:
The previous editing experience, now known as “classic editor” looked like this:
With Full Site Editing, this block concept and interface is expanded beyond the page and post editor, to all parts of your site. This will allow site owners to more easily design and edit their site, using core WordPress features.
The Site Editor extends the block concept to other areas of your site:
- header
- footer
- navigation
- template files
For example, this is how you can now edit your navigation menu:
Why is full site editing a good thing for WordPress site owners?
Previously, site owners were very dependent on the controls provided by the theme they selected.
For example, if you wanted to edit and customize the header section of your site, your theme had to provide options for that, otherwise you would need to get into the code.
One issue with this is that, not only were you dependent on your theme, but the experience of editing would also vary based on your theme. Some themes utilized the customizer, but some still had their own proprietary options panel.
With the Full Site Editing concept, the role of themes will be different, and editing your site will be a much more consistent experience no mater which theme you use.
What’s the difference between full site editing and the block editor or Gutenberg?
The block editor was the first dip of the toe into this concept. But it’s just a replacement for the editing experience of an individual post or page. Full site editing is an expansion of the block editing experience.
How do I start using full site editing?
To make use of full site editing, you must use what’s called a block theme which enables these controls.
A few examples of free block themes are:
How do I know if my site has full site editing?
Look for these indications:
- In the Appearance menu, you will have the option Editor
- When viewing your site, while logged in, you will have the Edit site option
Can I enable full site editing on a regular theme?
Sort of, but to a limited extent.
If you are a developer you can technically add many components of FSE to a classic theme. But not all components will be available, so what you would end up with would be hybrid between a classic and an FSE, or block, theme.
But this is a highly technical process and may or may not be worth the effort.
Read more about that process at the excellent FullSiteEditing.com
If you are not a developer, it would be better to either keep using your current theme, or switch to a different, already FSE-enabled theme.
There is no requirement to do this, however. Your theme will keep working, so there’s no specific need to start using FSE on your current site.
Keep reading: What’s the difference between a full site editing theme and a classic theme?