What is: Visual Editor

When you want to write a post or create a page for your WordPress site, you have two options: Visual and Text.

For authors who are not familiar with HTML or don’t want to use HTML, the best option is the visual editor. The Visual Editor is sometimes referred to as a WYSIWYG editor, meaning “What You See Is What You Get.” Whatever appears in the box is what will be displayed when the post/page is published.

When you begin a new post/page, a white box will appear. If you look at the upper right-hand corner of the white box, you’ll see the option to choose either Visual or Text. By default, most new WordPress installations have Visual selected. You can switch between Visual and Text at any time, and WordPress will remember your selection when you write your next post/page.

The Visual Editor is actually a slightly modified version of an open-source text editor called TinyMCE. It operates very similarly to Microsoft Word and Google Docs, so if you’re familiar with these publishing tools, you’ll easily be able to create posts/pages with the Visual Editor in WordPress.

When using the Visual Editor, at the top of the white box, you’ll see a toolbar with options like B (for bold), I (for italics), et cetera. If you want to modify the text that you’re writing, simply highlight it with your mouse and click on the appropriate section in the toolbar. The toolbar allows you to set the font size, color, alignment, and other adjustments.

If you want to insert an image, an audio file, or a video into your post/page, click on the “Add Media” button in the upper left-hand corner of the white box.

Note: Plugins are available that allow you to add new buttons to the toolbar.