How to add more options to the WordPress Text Editor.
The default WordPress text editor gives you some basic editing tools for the content of your pages and posts. But if you are NOT technical and don’t know how to write CSS code to modify your theme, you may need some more options on the text editor to help you out.
These may include:
- To re-size text in your pages
- To change the font-family or font-style
- To insert a YouTube video
- A Horizontal line
- A table
- Anchor text
- Dummy text
- An email link
- Line break
- Emotions
To do this is fairly easy. You can add one of the following plugins.
We have recommended a few just in case one of the following plugins do not work. Sometimes other plugins or your WordPress theme may conflict.
Ultimate TinyMCE
https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-tinymce/
- This plugin is great!
- My first choice
- Simply install it
- Activate
- Go to the Ultimate TinyMCE Panel
- Select the icons you want to add to your toolbar
- Select a new row (this stops the text editor to be over crowded)
- Save
- When you go into a page or post you will see the new tools on your WordPress text editor
TinyMCE Advanced
https://wordpress.org/plugins/tinymce-advanced/
- Install
- Activate
- Go to the TinyMCE Advanced Panel
- Drag and drop the icons you want to add to your toolbar
- Save
- The new tools will be placed on your WordPress text editor
WP Editor
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-editor/
- Install
- Activate
- Go to the WP Editor Panel
- Drag and drop the icons from the right to the left
- Save
- The new tools will be placed on your WordPress text editor
This text editor works great with the WP Smushit Plugin.
Unfortunately the other text editor plugins don’t work with WP Smushit.
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget
https://wordpress.org/plugins/black-studio-tinymce-widget/
Black Studio TinyMCE is an excellent plugin as it allows you to have all your WordPress Text Editor tools inside a widget.
Making your life easier, as without it you would have to write HTML code to add to a plain text widget.
This plugin gives you all the same text editor tools that you have inside a page and a post but inside a widget. See image below.
- Install
- Activate
- Go to Widgets
- Go to the Black Studio TinyMCE Widget
- Drag and drop the widget to your sidebar
- You will see all the text editor options from a page/post
- Add your content
- Save
By Jodi Allbon
Original content 2014
Web Designer/Trainer – Adv Dip, Dip, TAE
Jodi is a qualified WordPress Trainer and Designer with an Advanced Diploma in Digital Media (2D And 3D Animation, Web Development) and a Diploma in Web Development. She has been a Website Trainer at the Northern Beaches Community College since 2008 and a WordPress Tutor for NSW TAFE since 2016.
Jodi has developed several web design courses including, a WordPress Beginners Course and Build your own WordPress Website for small businesses. These courses will teach you how to update and manage your website ongoing. Giving website owners more control over their website, thus helping to keep costs down.
View Jodi’s credentials here.
