Are you going crazy trying to copy-paste Gutenberg blocks?
Don’t feel bad, ok? I’m just as noob about it as anybody else! Here are some clever work-arounds the “experts” are using…
Dear WordPress core development team,
Please make COPY-PASTE functions native in Gutenberg. I’m sick of having to copy blocks over one-by-one. Or adding and removing them from reusable blocks. Sh*t needs to work exactly like regular text…with simple hotkey use (CTRL + C/V, or CMD + C/V).
Sincerely,
EVERY WORDPRESS USER RIGHT NOW
EDIT: Gutenberg has since improved and native WordPress core allows you to use your usual copy/paste hotkeys. Hooray!
WORKAROUND #1 – copy one-by-one
Honestly not even a work-around but some of you may have already figured out. It works fine if you copy only one block at a time. If you don’t have too many blocks to copy, this will work ok (although still annoying as heck).
To copy only one block at a time, I click anywhere inside of it and then CTRL/CMD + A to highlight all, and then paste it wherever I need.
WORKAROUND #2 – copy the code
Go to the Document tab in the sidebar and switch from Visual to Code, you can copy the whole page. You can then paste it into another page in the code view too. Occasionally a block will mess up, but then you only have one to fix and not the whole page. (Thanks to Marcy Diaz of Amethyst Website Design for this tip.)
This is probably my favorite solution especially for copying entire pages. It’s quick and easy, and doesn’t require any plugin. If you need only one or a few blocks, you can find them easily enough.
WORKAROUND #3 – EditorsKit
Once again, Jeffrey Carandang (phpbits) to the rescue with another super handy plugin to deal with day-to-day WordPress issues. He’s made dozens of handy ones before and he’s an awesome guy.
All you gotta do is install the EditorsKit plugin and then you can COPY/PASTE to your heart’s content! You can also “Export as JSON” and then drag-and-drop onto another site (that also has EditorsKit installed).
I personally hate installing new plugins so I don’t like going this route but I’m sure many people would love not only this simple feature but also the many others he has in there. This plugin has definitely saved my ass a couple times when trying to moved custom blocks with tons of info in them.
Workaround #4 – Duplicate page
You can use any of “duplicate page” plugins (there are many) to quickly copy any existing page you have. Then go edit your copy and change what you need. Super quick solution but meant only for copying entire pages rather than individual blocks.
Workaround #5 – WordPress export/import
Simple export and import into another site.
Gutenberg is a drag. Takes too long to cut/paste several blocks. The whole thing is as choppy as the disconnected thinking among techies today. Shame on WP for forcing users to waste more time.
They’ve already improved on this and now easily done with your usual CTRL/CMD+C and CTRL/CMD+V. Or you can go back to Classic Editor if you prefer. Nothing’s lost either way.
There’s a much simpler method. In the source document just click preview (or look at the front end if the page is already live) then select and copy as many blocks as you need. Then go back the target document in edit mode and paste.
All the blocks are automicsiallty recreated in the target document.
Thanks for the comment. I imagine that would work for some blocks but not all.