By Andrew Armstrong 
If you’re still searching for “Gutenberg” tips, here’s the short version: Gutenberg was the codename for the project, not the final product. What you get in WordPress today is called the block editor (for posts and pages) and the site editor (for the whole theme, header to footer). Both have moved on a long way since the “should I switch?” debate of a few years ago.
This is where things actually stand as of WordPress 7.1, released 19 August 2026: what patterns and templates do now, what changed in the last few core releases, and whether a site still running a classic theme needs to move.
Quick Facts
- Gutenberg merged into WordPress core with version 5.0 back in December 2018. There’s nothing to “switch to” any more, it’s just the editor.
- The Gutenberg plugin still exists as a feature-testing ground ahead of core. It’s currently on version 23.9 (2 September 2026), running features earmarked for future releases.
- Full site editing needs a block theme (one with a
theme.jsonfile). Classic themes still work fine with the block editor for content, but won’t show a Site Editor menu. - Current WordPress core is 7.1 “Mary Lou” (19 August 2026). WordPress 7.0 “Armstrong” (4 June 2026) and 6.9 “Gene Harris” (2 December 2025) both shipped major site editor changes.
- The Classic Editor plugin is still maintained and still works, but WordPress.org has confirmed support runs to December 2026 at the earliest, reviewed each year.
What the site editor actually covers now
If you last looked at this when Gutenberg was new, the vocabulary has settled down. These are the terms you’ll actually see in the admin now:
| Term | What it is |
| Block editor | The editor for individual posts and pages. Works on any theme. |
| Site editor | Appearance > Editor. Edits the whole theme: header, footer, templates, colours, fonts. |
| Patterns | Reusable groups of blocks. Can be “synced” (edit once, updates everywhere) or unsynced (a one-off starting point). |
| Templates | Control the layout for a type of page, e.g. Single Post, Archive, 404. |
| Template parts | Reusable chunks of a template, typically header and footer. |
| Global styles | Site-wide colour, typography and spacing settings, stored in theme.json and editable visually via Styles. |
The Gutenberg plugin itself hasn’t gone away. It’s still where new block editor features get tested before they’re mature enough for core. If you install it on a production site, you’re opting into beta functionality, which is fine for testing, not something to leave active on a client site.
Working with patterns and templates
The bit that trips people up coming back to this after a few years is synced patterns. They behave differently from the reusable blocks they replaced.
Quick Steps
- To edit a template, go to Appearance > Editor > Templates, pick the one to change (e.g. Single Posts), and edit it like any page. Changes apply to every post using that template.
- To create a reusable block, select it in the editor, click the three-dot menu and choose “Create pattern”. Tick “Synced” if you want edits to propagate everywhere it’s used.
- To find existing patterns, use the inserter (the + icon) and switch to the Patterns tab, or manage them centrally under Appearance > Editor > Patterns.
- Since WordPress 6.9, the starter pattern picker (the “choose a layout” modal) is available for all post types, not just pages, so custom post types get the same quick-start options.
- Since WordPress 7.0, patterns edit as a single block by default: click in, and you get quick controls for swapping the text or image rather than drilling through nested blocks first.
What’s changed in the last three core releases
| Version | Released | Editor-relevant changes |
| 6.9 “Gene Harris” | 2 December 2025 | Accordion, Term Query, Time-to-Read and Math blocks. Starter pattern modal on all post types. Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+K) across wp-admin. Block-level Notes for editorial feedback. |
| 7.0 “Armstrong” | 4 June 2026 | Patterns edit as a single block. Responsive block visibility (show/hide per device). A dedicated editing canvas for navigation/mobile menu overlays. Visual revision markers. |
| 7.1 “Mary Lou” | 19 August 2026 | Tabs, Tab List, Tab Panel and Playlist blocks. New Breadcrumbs styling. Tooltip component and design-token refresh for theme authors. |
None of these need any action from a site owner. They apply automatically once core updates, the same as any other WordPress release. The only one worth flagging to editorial staff is the Command Palette in 6.9+, since it’s a genuinely faster way to jump between posts, pages and settings than the admin menu.
Classic theme or block theme: do you need to switch?
Not urgently. A classic theme with no theme.json still runs the block editor fine for post and page content, it just won’t show Appearance > Editor for full site editing, because there’s no template structure for it to edit. That’s not a fault, it’s how classic themes are built.
To check which kind of theme is active from the command line:
# Confirm the active theme
wp theme list --status=active
# Check whether it ships a theme.json (block theme marker)
wp eval 'var_dump( file_exists( get_stylesheet_directory() . "/theme.json" ) );'If it returns bool(false), the theme is classic, and full site editing isn’t available, though the block editor for content still is. There’s no forced migration and no deprecation date for classic themes. Move when a redesign is planned anyway, not because of a version number.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Gutenberg plugin still a separate thing I might see installed?
Yes. It’s still actively developed (v23.9 as of early September 2026) and used to trial features ahead of core. If you inherit a site with it active, check whether anything actually depends on a beta feature before deactivating it, most sites don’t need it running.
Do I need a block theme to use the block editor?
No. The block editor for posts and pages works on any modern theme. A block theme is only required for full site editing, meaning editing the header, footer and templates visually.
Can I still install the Classic Editor plugin in 2026?
Yes, it’s still maintained and works on current WordPress. Official support is reconfirmed roughly annually rather than open-ended, so if you’re relying on it long-term for a client site, it’s worth a note in your maintenance checklist to re-check that status once a year.
What’s the difference between a pattern and a reusable block now?
Reusable blocks were renamed and folded into patterns years ago. What used to be a reusable block is now a “synced pattern”: edit it once, and every instance across the site updates. An unsynced pattern is just a starting layout you can customise freely per use, with no link back to the original.
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