Flash Sale:75% Off Hosting + Free DomainEnds in13h47m14sView Plans
Hostvento logoHostvento
Get Started

How to set up the TinyMCE editor plugin in WordPress

This guide shows you how to add and set up an extended TinyMCE editor plugin, so you get more formatting buttons when you write.

WordPress2 min read16 steps

What is TinyMCE?

TinyMCE is a text editor, the kind of writing box with buttons for bold, lists and links. WordPress used it as its main editor for years. It is still used in the Classic Editor and in the Classic block. An editor like this is called a WYSIWYG editor. That stands for "what you see is what you get", meaning the text looks on screen like it will on your site.

The basic toolbar is small. A plugin such as "Advanced Editor Tools" (also known as TinyMCE Advanced) adds more buttons: tables, font sizes, colors and more.

Steps: install the plugin

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Go to Plugins, then Add New.
  3. In the search box, type Advanced Editor Tools or TinyMCE Advanced.
  4. Click Install Now.
  5. Click Activate.

Steps: set it up

  1. Go to Settings, then Advanced Editor Tools. The menu name may differ a little by version.
  2. Open the tab for the editor you use. Choose Classic Editor (TinyMCE) or the Classic block tab.
  3. You see the current toolbar at the top and a pool of unused buttons below.
  4. Drag a button from the unused pool into the toolbar to add it.
  5. Drag a button out of the toolbar to remove it.
  6. Drag buttons left or right to change their order.
  7. Scroll to the Options section. Tick the options you want, such as keeping the toolbar in two rows.
  8. Click Save Changes.

Check the result

  1. Go to Posts, then Add New.
  2. If you use the block editor, add a Classic block. You will find it by searching for "Classic".
  3. Look at the toolbar. Your new buttons should be there.

The new buttons will not show in normal block-editor paragraph blocks. They belong to the TinyMCE editor only.

Use the classic editor for everything

If you prefer the old writing screen, install the Classic Editor plugin from Plugins, then Add New. Then go to Settings, then Writing, to choose it as the default.

Tip: Add only the buttons you will really use. A toolbar with fifty buttons is hard to read. If something breaks, turn off the plugin and your posts stay safe.

Quick recap

  • TinyMCE is the writing box with formatting buttons used by the classic editor.
  • Install Advanced Editor Tools from Plugins, then Add New.
  • Drag buttons into the toolbar under Settings.
  • Click Save Changes and test in a post.