How to Restore Classic Widgets in WordPress

If you’ve recently updated your WordPress site and noticed that the Widgets area looks completely different, you’re not imagining things. WordPress has introduced a new block-based widget editor designed to align with the Gutenberg experience. While it offers new possibilities, not everyone finds it intuitive or user-friendly.

If you’re someone who prefers the simplicity and speed of the classic widget interface, you’re not alone. The good news? You can easily bring back the classic widgets, either using a plugin or a simple code snippet—no advanced skills required.

This guide walks you through both options step by step, including best practices for theme developers and recommendations if you’re looking to learn more about WordPress, theme development, or backend coding.

Why Revert to Classic Widgets?

While the block editor opens up new design capabilities, many site owners, developers, and bloggers find it unnecessarily complex for simple widget tasks. If you’re just looking to add a recent posts list, a custom HTML box, or a footer menu, the block system can slow you down.

The classic widgets screen is:

• Easier to use
• Faster to load
• More familiar for long-time WordPress users
• Easier to manage across multiple sites or clients

Now, let’s explore how to get it back.

Option 1: Revert Using the “Classic Widgets” Plugin (Beginner-Friendly)

This method is perfect for beginners who prefer point-and-click solutions. The plugin is officially developed by WordPress contributors and remains 100% safe and up-to-date.

🔧 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Log Into Your WordPress Admin Dashboard

Visit yourwebsite.com/wp-admin and enter your username and password to access your WordPress backend.

Step 2: Go to Plugins > Add New

On the left sidebar, hover over Plugins and click on Add New.

Step 3: Search for “Classic Widgets”

In the top-right search bar, type Classic Widgets. Look for the official plugin by WordPress Contributors.

Step 4: Install the Plugin

Click Install Now next to the correct plugin result.

Step 5: Activate the Plugin

Once installed, the button will change to Activate. Click it.

Step 6: Visit Appearance > Widgets

Go to the Widgets screen. You’ll now see the classic drag-and-drop interface—no blocks, no visual clutter.

That’s it! You’ve successfully restored the traditional widget experience.

💡 Tip: This method is completely reversible—just deactivate the plugin if you want to try the block editor again.

Option 2: Revert Using Code (For Theme Developers)

If you’re a developer or prefer not using plugins, WordPress allows you to disable the block-based widget editor with just one line of code. This is useful for:

• Custom theme development
• Performance-conscious builds
• Plugin-free environments

However, if you’re editing your theme’s files, there’s an important precaution:

⚠️ Always use a child theme to prevent your changes from being lost during theme updates.

If you’re new to child themes or want to build one from scratch, our WordPress Theme Development Course covers it all step by step.

How to Revert Using Code

Step 1: Access Your Theme Files

Use one of the following methods:

• Appearance > Theme File Editor (not recommended unless you know what you’re doing)
• FTP / SFTP (via FileZilla, Cyberduck)
• Hosting File Manager (e.g., cPanel or DirectAdmin)

Step 2: Navigate to functions.php

Open the folder for your child theme, and locate the file named functions.php.

Step 3: Add This Code at the End of the File

add_filter( 'use_widgets_block_editor', '__return_false' );Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Step 4: Save the File and Refresh WordPress

Go back to your admin panel and check Appearance > Widgets. The block editor should be disabled, and the classic widget interface will be restored.

Which Method Should You Use?

User Type	Recommended Method
Beginners	Plugin Method (Easy, no coding)
WordPress Professionals	Code Method with Child Theme
Theme Developers	Code Method with performance tweaks
Maintenance of client sites	Plugin method for portability and speed

If you’re planning to dive deeper into WordPress development, plugin building, or theme customization, it’s worth learning the technical side. You’ll find our beginner-friendly WordPress Course and our hands-on PHP & MySQL Course incredibly helpful in getting started with coding custom solutions safely.

How to Switch Back to Block Widgets (If You Change Your Mind)

Both methods are easily reversible:

• Plugin method:
  Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find Classic Widgets, and click Deactivate.
• Code method:
  Go to your functions.php file and remove the line you added earlier.

WordPress will automatically switch back to the default block-based widget editor without any further changes.

Maya Recommends — Level Up Your WordPress Skills

Want to go beyond quick tweaks and actually understand how WordPress works under the hood? These courses are tailor-made for learners like you:

• WordPress for Beginners
  Learn to create a blog or website from scratch—no prior experience required.
• WordPress Theme Development Course
  Understand themes, hooks, templates, and how to safely work with functions.php, style.css, and more.
• PHP & MySQL Fundamentals
  Learn how WordPress connects with databases, how plugins work, and how to write secure, clean code.

Final Thoughts

WordPress is built on flexibility, and it’s great to see that even when major updates change how things work, users still have the freedom to choose what works best for them.

Whether you’re a blogger who misses the classic UI or a developer building high-performance themes, reverting to the old widget screen is easy, fast, and reliable.

No matter which method you choose, the goal remains the same: making your WordPress workflow smoother.

If you found this guide helpful, feel free to share it—and if you want more tutorials like this, subscribe or check out our WordPress Learning Hub!