As a WordPress user for over 15 years, I often get questions from readers about the Appearance menu going missing after a WordPress update.
This can be worrying at first, but is easily fixable once you understand what‘s changed behind the scenes.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll explain exactly why your Appearance menu may look different in WordPress now.
You‘ll also learn several methods to restore access to important options like menus, widgets, customizer, etc.
Let‘s start by understanding why the Appearance menu changed…
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What Happened to the ‘Appearance‘ Menu in WordPress?
Recent versions of WordPress introduced a powerful new editing experience called Full Site Editing.
It allows you to visually edit all parts of your site using blocks, similar to the post editor.
For example, you can now add a Navigation block and build your menus by clicking instead of needing to use the Menus page.
Widgets, theme settings, template files – everything can be edited using blocks.
This is a really big change in how WordPress sites are built.
Full site editing aims to simplify how you customize and design WordPress sites without needing to know code.
However, for it to work properly, some of the old Appearance menus were removed or hidden in the admin dashboard.
Menus like Navigation, Widgets, Customize, etc were redundant when using the new block editor.
This is why you will only see limited options under Appearance if your theme supports full site editing.
According to BuiltWith, over 7% of the top 10,000 WordPress sites already use full site editing compatible themes.
And this number is growing quickly with each new WordPress release.
All default WordPress themes from 2022 onwards like Twenty Twenty-Two, Twenty Twenty-Three, etc are built for full site editing.
Themes describe them as block themes, meaning they work seamlessly with blocks.
Third-party theme developers like Astra and GeneratePress are also releasing block-ready versions of their themes.
So while full site editing is still new, adoption is rising steadily.
Next, let‘s go through different methods to restore your Appearance menus if needed.
1. Use the Site Editor (Easiest Method)
If your WordPress theme supports full site editing, then the old menu pages are hidden for a good reason.
You are now meant to use the block-based Site Editor to add menus, widgets, etc visually.
Here‘s a quick 3-step tutorial on how it works:
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Go to Appearance → Editor in your WP dashboard. This will open the site editor.
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Click the + icon to insert a new block. Search for ‘navigation‘ and select the Navigation block.
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This block will allow you to pick an existing menu or create a new one easily without leaving the editor.
The site editor also has blocks for widgets, template parts, footer areas, etc.
With a bit of practice, I think you‘ll find this new way faster and more powerful than the old Appearance menus.
You can do everything in one place instead of jumping between different screens.
The WordPress Block Editor Guide I wrote covers how to use the site editor in more detail.
However, if you prefer the classic menus, then keep reading for different options.
2. Switch to a Non-Block Theme
One shortcut is to change your WordPress theme to one that doesn‘t support full site editing.
The most popular themes like Astra, OceanWP, GeneratePress, etc are still using the old style menus.
Some good non-block themes include:
- Astra (simple & lightweight)
- OceanWP (great for Elementor)
- GeneratePress (fast & flexible)
- Newspaper (blog-focused)
- Sydney (creative business)
- Storefront (WooCommerce)
You can also search the WordPress.org theme directory for ‘classic‘ to find more classic editor themes.
Simply install a new theme that doesn‘t use full site editing, and your old Appearance menu will reappear.
The benefits are that it takes just 1-click to switch themes. You also don‘t need to install any extra plugins.
The downside is that you won‘t be able to benefit from new full site editing features. As WordPress develops block themes, you may find the old themes limiting.
But for now, it‘s an easy way to restore the classic Appearance menu temporarily.
3. Disable Full Site Editing (Advanced)
This option needs a bit more work upfront but lets you keep your current theme‘s design.
You can programmatically disable full site editing support in your theme using a small code snippet.
Here is how to do it on your WordPress site:
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Install and activate the Code Snippets plugin. It lets you easily add code snippets.
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Go to Snippets → Add New and create a new snippet. Give it a name like ‘Disable Full Site Editing‘.
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Paste this in the snippet editor:
add_filter( ‘should_load_block_editor‘, ‘__return_false‘ ); -
Set the file location to
functions.php. -
Save the snippet and make sure it is activated.
This will override the theme‘s full site editing support and bring back all the default Appearance menus.
You can toggle it on and off anytime by activating/deactivating the snippet.
The benefit of this method is you can keep your current theme‘s look and feel. But it does involve some coding.
I have used this approach successfully on client sites that relied on specific theme features but wanted the classic menus back.
Restoring Other Missing Appearance Menus
Aside from navigation menus, there are a couple other Appearance options that may be unavailable when using full site editing themes.
Let‘s look at how to get them back:
1. Customize Menu
The Customize link in Appearance launches the Theme Customizer screen.
When it goes missing, you can access limited customizer options at:
YOURSITE.com/wp-admin/customize.php Replace YOURSITE with your real domain.
This will display basic site identity settings. For deep theme customization, you‘ll need to use template blocks in the site editor.
2. Widgets Menu
Themes without widget areas will hide the Widgets admin page. Trying to access it directly shows:
But themes with widget support will still have the Widgets menu.
It uses the new block widgets editor instead of the classic widgets UI.
You can switch back to the old widgets screen using a plugin like Classic Widgets.
3. Theme File Editor
This useful editor let you add code to theme files from the WP dashboard.
In full site editing themes, it moves to Tools → Theme File Editor.
My Recommended Solution
From experience migrating multiple client sites to full site editing, I would recommend:
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First try using the Site Editor for a few weeks to build familiarity. It‘s the future of WordPress editing.
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If you really prefer the old Appearance menus, use a non-block theme as a temporary solution.Popular ones like OceanWP and Astra work well.
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For a permanent fix while keeping your current theme‘s design, use a code snippet to disable full site editing support. This method takes more work but gives you the most flexibility.
Overall, I suggest embracing full site editing and blocks to future-proof your skills as WordPress continues to evolve.
But you always have options to bring back the classic Appearance menu in WordPress if needed for your existing website or client project.
I hope this detailed, practical guide helps you make sense of the changes and choose the right solution for your site. Let me know if you have any other questions!
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