The new WordPress editor Gutenberg which was included in WordPress 5.0 has been loathed by many WordPress users. Whether you’re a fan or not millions have been moved to the new WordPress editor.
If you’re addicted to making your WordPress site load as fast as possible you may have noticed a bit of CSS from Gutenberg. Every request on your site will slightly slow down your pages so if you’re not using Gutenberg you’ll want to remove Gutenberg CSS.
This provides support to blocks but if you are using the classic editor you most likely don’t want it loading with your pages. I noticed the “block-library/style.min.css” file loading even though I exclusively use the classic editor.
You can remove Gutenberg CSS by using the PHP below to dequeue the “/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css” file.
Note: If you are using Gutenberg editor you won’t want to add this snippet to your site.
This PHP will work in your theme’s functions.php file or being added using a plugin like Code Snippets. Additionally from dequeuing core Gutenberg block CSS it will also remove the WooCommerce block CSS.
| <?php | |
| //Remove Gutenberg Block Library CSS from loading on the frontend | |
| function smartwp_remove_wp_block_library_css(){ | |
| wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library' ); | |
| wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library-theme' ); | |
| wp_dequeue_style( 'wc-block-style' ); // Remove WooCommerce block CSS | |
| } | |
| add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'smartwp_remove_wp_block_library_css', 100 ); |
If you ever decide to use the Gutenberg editor just remember to remove this snippet since it’ll affect your blocks from working correctly.
I hope this code snippet helped speed up your site! If you have any issues feel free to let me know in the comments below.
33 Responses
// Alternative// Fully Disable Gutenberg editor.
add_filter('use_block_editor_for_post_type', '__return_false', 10);
// Don't load Gutenberg-related stylesheets.
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'remove_block_css', 100 );
function remove_block_css() {
wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library' ); // WordPress core
wp_dequeue_style( 'wp-block-library-theme' ); // WordPress core
wp_dequeue_style( 'wc-block-style' ); // WooCommerce
wp_dequeue_style( 'storefront-gutenberg-blocks' ); // Storefront theme
}
Thanks for the tip! This is good to know since mine assumed you were using the classic editor plugin.
Thanks faruk yetkin!!! Your code helped to finally remove the block library css. Awesome!!!
Does this mean we don’t need the Classic Editor plugin with this?
You’ll still need that plugin, this just removes additional CSS files that are loaded
Hi Andy, since I added this code snippet
add_filter( 'use_block_editor_for_post_type', '__return_false', 10 );I don’t even use that Classic editor plugin (for what? cause it sets WP back to the state it was before Gutenberg era)All works flawless, so highlight ppl why you think it is still needed please.
Sorry, but I wished it worked for me! I wasn’t sure where to put it, so tried at top of funcionts.php and at bottom – neither worked,
Sorry Mike! The location in functions.php shouldn’t matter. But you could try increasing the priority of the action. Let me know if changing
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'smartwp_remove_wp_block_library_css' );to
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'smartwp_remove_wp_block_library_css', 9999 );Thanks, Andy. Nice to get some advice – it’s a minefield to a newbie!
Thanks Andy – not using Gutenberg and looking to make some speed gains. This is a great little snippet to have.
Glad it helped Chris! be sure to remove it if you ever want to use Gutenberg though.
Thanks Andy – not using Gutenberg and looking to make some speed gains. This is a great little snippet to have.
Glad it helped! and yeah it’s odd the classic editor plugin doesn’t do this for you.
Superb, i am using classic editor plugin, but was unaware that new editor also includes a css file. This code removes the css. Perfecto…..
Hi Andy, thanks for the code. I’ve been looking for this. Thank you.
Glad to help Carl!
Thanks faruk yetkin!!
Awesome!
Thank you for the tip.
Is the snippet safe to use when I’m using WooCommerce? My website is an eCommerce website that uses heavily on WooCommerce and I noticed this line of code:
wp_dequeue_style( ‘wc-block-style’ ); // Remove WooCommerce block CSS
Will this affect the front-end?
Thank for the reply.
Hey Clay, if you are not using Gutenberg it shouldn’t affect the front end.
@Andy Awesome! Thank you for this guide!
thx mucho 😉
Helped a lot. Don’t need Gutenberg-Kindergarten.
This is good but is there a way to entirely disable the customizer too? I hate that whatever i do to keep my source code clean it’s still loaded with junk inline css. I’m using WP5.5 with a custom Storefront child theme. Thanks!
Hey Victor, I don’t think there is an easy way to disable the WP customizer (I assume you mean the customize button in the header). You can use a role editor plugin to disable usage for admins on your site though. Not sure if that is a solution you’d want but I don’t think disabling the customizer will lead to any performance improvements.
I tried your solution, but it doesn’t work.
Is still there.
I’ve been dealing with this problem for days. Thank you so much Andy & Faruk 🙂
Hi Andy,
Thank you for your great advice about removing the Gutenberg Block Library CSS. Help my website a lot.
Best wishes 🙂
didn’t work
For anyone trying this with the Avada theme you might notice it only works for the woo commerce styles.
I was sure my pages where not using gutenberg blocks so I had to set:
Avada > Options > Advanced > Theme Features > Load Frontend Block Styles
To “Off” for the styles to stop loading.
Thank you very much! 😀
Hi All, This is very interesting about the CSS from the Block editor. I am curious to know if anyone has tried to get the WP Core team developers to add “do not load block editor css” as an option in the General Settings, or do you think it is better that the theme developers implement it as an option on their side?
For myself, I have always viewed WordPress as a great engine on which to add on to, either with my own custom-written themes, or with a website builder like Elementor. I have inherited various sites that are built in Divi, WP Bakery, Beaver Builder, among others, and each case there is no real need for the Block Editor css.
It seems so futile to have to disable something in “core” and really, I wonder why the core code can’t be more intelligent and decide whether or not to load all of the block editor css, much in the way that a plugin like Contact Form 7 knows when to add its CSS in. Is it now the case that a page building tool should be smart enough to know whether or not to load the Block editor CSS/JS?
I also recall that either Drupal or Joomla offered a choice of editors, but I suppose that train has left the station for WordPress. I am increasingly alarmed by the amount of code that WordPress core is adding.
Make a PR! WordPress is open source and it’s always looking for more contributors.