How to Disable Block Editor Features You Don’t Need

Customization

January 16, 2026

How to Disable Block Editor Features You Don’t Need

The WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg) is powerful, but it ships with many features that are unnecessary
—or even harmful—in professional, code-driven projects.
Unused block features increase UI complexity, confuse editors, and can introduce inconsistent markup.

This article explains how to selectively disable Block Editor features you don’t need,
using code-based, future-safe approaches.

Why You Should Disable Block Editor Features

Reduce editor UI clutter
Prevent accidental layout breakage
Enforce design consistency
Simplify editor onboarding
Lower long-term maintenance cost

The goal is not to “turn Gutenberg off”, but to curate it.

Understand the Control Layers

Block Editor features can be controlled at multiple levels:

Theme support flags (add_theme_support)
Block registration filters
Editor settings filters
Allowed block lists (per post type)

Choosing the right layer avoids fragile hacks.

Disable Global Block Styles (Very Common)

WordPress injects global styles and CSS variables via global-styles-inline-css.
If you manage styles entirely via your theme, this is often unnecessary.

<?php
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function () {
  wp_dequeue_style( 'global-styles' );
  wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library' );
}, 20 );

This removes frontend block CSS. Use only if your theme fully controls styling.

Disable Block Editor Color, Font, and Layout Controls

Many editor controls are enabled via theme support flags.
Disabling them reduces visual inconsistency.

<?php
add_action( 'after_setup_theme', function () {

  // Disable custom colors and gradients
  add_theme_support( 'disable-custom-colors' );
  add_theme_support( 'disable-custom-gradients' );

  // Disable custom font sizes
  add_theme_support( 'disable-custom-font-sizes' );

  // Disable line-height and spacing controls
  add_theme_support( 'custom-line-height', false );
  add_theme_support( 'custom-spacing', false );

  // Disable layout controls (wide/full)
  remove_theme_support( 'align-wide' );
} );

This is one of the safest and most future-proof ways to simplify the editor.

Disable Block Patterns

Block patterns can confuse editors in structured content workflows.

<?php
remove_theme_support( 'core-block-patterns' );

This removes default WordPress patterns from the inserter.

Disable Specific Core Blocks

If editors should not use certain blocks (e.g. Buttons, Columns, Cover),
explicitly disallow them.

Allow-List Approach (Recommended)

Instead of disabling blocks one by one, define exactly what is allowed.

<?php
add_filter( 'allowed_block_types_all', function ( $allowed_blocks, $editor_context ) {

  if ( empty( $editor_context->post ) ) {
    return $allowed_blocks;
  }

  if ( $editor_context->post->post_type !== 'post' ) {
    return $allowed_blocks;
  }

  return array(
    'core/paragraph',
    'core/heading',
    'core/list',
    'core/image',
    'core/quote',
  );
}, 10, 2 );

This guarantees markup consistency and avoids accidental layout blocks.

Disable Blocks Per Post Type

Different post types often need different block sets.

<?php
add_filter( 'allowed_block_types_all', function ( $allowed_blocks, $editor_context ) {

  if ( empty( $editor_context->post ) ) {
    return $allowed_blocks;
  }

  switch ( $editor_context->post->post_type ) {
    case 'page':
      return array(
        'core/paragraph',
        'core/heading',
        'core/image',
      );

    case 'post':
      return array(
        'core/paragraph',
        'core/heading',
        'core/list',
        'core/quote',
      );
  }

  return $allowed_blocks;
}, 10, 2 );

Disable the Block Directory (Remote Block Installer)

The block directory allows installing blocks from WordPress.org directly in the editor.
In managed environments, this is often undesirable.

<?php
add_filter( 'block_editor_settings_all', function ( $settings ) {
  $settings['enableBlockDirectory'] = false;
  return $settings;
} );

Disable Reusable Blocks (Optional)

Reusable blocks are powerful but can introduce hidden dependencies.
If you don’t want editors to use them:

<?php
add_filter( 'block_editor_settings_all', function ( $settings ) {
  $settings['enableReusableBlocks'] = false;
  return $settings;
} );

Hide Editor UI Panels (Last Resort)

Some panels can only be hidden via JavaScript or CSS.
Use this sparingly, as UI selectors can change.

<?php
add_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', function () {
  wp_add_inline_style(
    'wp-edit-blocks',
    '.edit-post-sidebar__panel-tabs { display: none; }'
  );
} );

Prefer theme support flags whenever possible.