How to Get out of Fullscreen in WordPress

This guide demonstrates three ways to exit full-screen mode in WordPress. To be precise, you will learn how to carry out this task through the WordPress block editor.

This guide will also teach you how to disable full-screen mode in WordPress with the aid of a plugin. That’s not all; I will illustrate how to execute this task by adding a certain code to your WordPress theme’s function.php file.

Lastly, you will find an FAQ section toward the concluding part of this guide. In that section, answers to some of the questions people mostly ask regarding this guide’s topic will be provided.

Exit Fullscreen in WordPress Through WordPress Block Editor

A major and easy way to leave full-screen mode in WordPress is through the WordPress block editor. The following procedures and images will demonstrate how to do that.

1. Sign in to the WordPress backend as an administrator. Now, hover your mouse cursor on Posts among the menus on the left pane, then select Add New from the displayed options.

2. In the WordPress block editor, click the Options button (three vertical dots) at the top right corner. Finally, select Fullscreen mode from the options that appear.

Get out of Fullscreen in WordPress Using a Plugin

Interestingly, there is a simple plugin that allows you to exit full-screen mode in WordPress. Basically, this free plugin disables full-screen mode in WordPress as soon as it is installed and activated.

Thus, the following procedures will demonstrate how to install and activate this plugin on your WordPress site.

1. Log into the WordPress backend using an admin account. Afterward, hover your mouse cursor on Plugins and select Add New from the options that appear.

2. Now, input “Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode” in the search field on the Add Plugins page.

3. From the search result, click the Install Now button of the Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode plugin.

4. After installing the plugin, click the blue Activate button to enable it in WordPress. Consequently, the full-screen mode in WordPress should be automatically disabled.

Disable Fullscreen in WordPress Using Code

Another method to exit full-screen mode in WordPress is by using a certain code. This method requires you to manually add the code to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file.

You should be careful with this method as messing with your theme’s functions.php file can damage your WordPress site.

1. Login to the backend of your WordPress site. Then, hover your mouse pointer on Appearance among the menus on the left pane and select Theme File Editor.

2. In the Edit Themes page, select Theme Functions (functions.php) among the Theme Files.

3. Now scroll to the bottom of the Theme Functions (functions.php) file and input the code below.

if (is_admin()) { 
    function jba_disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default() {
    $script = "jQuery( window ).load(function() { const isFullscreenMode = wp.data.select( 'core/edit-post' ).isFeatureActive( 'fullscreenMode' ); if ( isFullscreenMode ) { wp.data.dispatch( 'core/edit-post' ).toggleFeature( 'fullscreenMode' ); } });";
    wp_add_inline_script( 'wp-blocks', $script );
}
add_action( 'enqueue_block_editor_assets', 'jba_disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default' );
}

4. Finally, click the Update File at the bottom of the page to save the input. Hence, full-screen mode on WordPress should be disabled.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Final Thoughts

When using WordPress, it’s typical to find oneself editing a post or page in fullscreen mode. While this mode can help you focus on your content, it can also be frustrating when you want to switch quickly to a different task.

Fortunately, this guide provided three distinct methods to disable full-screen mode in WordPress. To be more specific, we discussed how to perform this task through the WordPress block editor.

This guide also taught us how to exit full-screen mode in WordPress by using a plugin. Additionally, we learned how to execute the task by adding a certain code to the theme’s functions.php file.

Hopefully, you found this guide helpful and easy to understand. If you did, kindly share your views with our community platform at Itechguides Community Forum.

However, if you have any questions regarding this guide, please don’t hesitate to post them at Itechguides Community Forum. Our forum staff and other community members will provide an answer to your questions as quickly as possible.

Finally, to find other helpful WordPress guides, visit our WordPress & Websites How-To page.

References and Further Reading

1. wpbeginner.com – How to Disable Fullscreen Editor in WordPress
2. Itechguides Community Forum