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In the WordPress Block Editor, open the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and select Distraction free to hide writing-interface controls and close open sidebars. Choose Fullscreen mode separately if you also want to hide the surrounding WordPress administration interface; the two modes can be used together.

Turn on Distraction free in the Block Editor

  1. Open a post or page in the Block Editor.

  2. Select the three vertical dots at the upper right of the editor.

  3. Select Distraction free. Open sidebars close, and interface elements such as the block toolbar and inserter controls are hidden or faded. This changes the view, not the post or page content, and the controls remain available.

  4. To bring back the limited toolbar, move the pointer to the very top of the editor. It appears temporarily and fades when you move the pointer away.

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WordPress documents this setting as browser-local: its Distraction Free mode guide explains the behavior and how to toggle it. WordPress: Distraction Free mode

Add blocks while writing without the visible inserter

Press Enter to continue with another paragraph. To insert a different kind of block, type / and then the block name—for example, a heading or image. Search for or select the block from the choices that appear.

This slash-command method is useful when the usual inserter controls are hidden. The WordPress guide describes inserting blocks this way during distraction-free writing.

Distraction free vs. Fullscreen mode

These settings hide different parts of the interface. Fullscreen mode is a WordPress editor setting, not your browser’s fullscreen display setting.

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Setting What it hides or changes How to get controls back Where it applies
Distraction free Reduces visible editor controls and closes open sidebars. Move the pointer to the top of the editor to reveal the limited toolbar; turn off the setting in the three-dot menu to restore the regular view. Block Editor for posts and pages; WordPress documentation says it does not work in the Site Editor.
Fullscreen mode Hides the surrounding WordPress administration interface. Toggle Fullscreen mode from the editor’s options menu. Block Editor; can be enabled alongside Distraction free.
Spotlight mode D porims other blocks while keeping the active block prominent. Toggle Spotlight mode from the editor’s options menu. A separate Block Editor focus aid, not another name for either mode above.

WordPress documents the distinction between editor modes in its Block Editor overview. The surrounding administration interface is separate from the browser’s own window controls.

Use keyboard shortcuts to toggle the modes

The Block Editor shortcut reference lists these shortcuts. They can vary with platform or editor version, so use the editor’s keyboard shortcuts list if a combination does not work.

  • Fullscreen mode: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + F on Windows; Shift + Option + Command + F on Mac.
  • Distraction free: Ctrl + Shift + on Windows; Shift + Command + on Mac.

See WordPress’s Block Editor keyboard shortcuts reference for the documented shortcuts.

Turn off Distraction free

  1. Move the pointer to the top of the editor to reveal the limited toolbar.

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  2. Open the three-dot menu.

  3. Uncheck Distraction free.

You can also use the distraction-free keyboard shortcut listed above. Toggling the setting restores the controls; it does not change the content you have written.

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Which WordPress editor are you using?

Block Editor

The steps and shortcuts in this guide are for editing a post or page in the Block Editor. Its options menu is the documented entry point for Distraction free and Fullscreen mode.

Site Editor

The Site Editor is a separate interface for site-level design. WordPress’s Distraction Free mode documentation says the feature does not work there, so the post-and-page instructions above should not be assumed to apply. Consult the Site Editor documentation for that interface.

Classic Editor

The Classic Editor has a different, older feature called Distraction Free Writing, with its own fullscreen control and historical shortcut. Do not use that shortcut as though it were the current Block Editor shortcut. The Classic Editor instructions cover its separate controls.

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