How to remove core WordPress blocks

While I try to support all the core blocks in the themes I build, sometimes it makes sense to remove a few.

Typically it’s because I built a custom block that’s similar to a core block while addressing the design and functional requirements of the theme. Most of my themes include a “Content and Image” block that’s similar to the “Media & Text” block but it uses the theme’s grid layout.

Sometimes I’ll unregister the “Search” block and create my own that uses the searchform.php file in the theme, ensuring the Search block matches the design and functionality of the search form used everywhere else in the theme.

Enqueue block editor assets

You can use the enqueue_block_editor_assets hook to load scripts and styles into the block editor. My themes typically have an editor.js file that I use for block styles and unregistering block types.

I also enqueue any custom fonts used on the frontend so I can also use them in the editor styles.

/**
 * Gutenberg scripts and styles
 *
 */
function be_gutenberg_scripts() {
	wp_enqueue_style( 'theme-fonts', be_theme_fonts_url() );
	wp_enqueue_script( 'theme-editor', get_template_directory_uri() . '/assets/js/editor.js', array( 'wp-blocks', 'wp-dom' ), filemtime( get_template_directory() . '/assets/js/editor.js' ), true );
}
add_action( 'enqueue_block_editor_assets', 'be_gutenberg_scripts' );

/**
 * Theme Fonts URL
 *
 */
function be_theme_fonts_url() {
	return 'https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Roboto+Slab&display=swap';
}

Unregister block type

Now that you’ve created an editor.js file and enqueued it into the block editor, you can use wp.blocks.unregisterBlockType to unregister block types.

wp.domReady( () => {
	wp.blocks.unregisterBlockType( 'core/media-text' );
	wp.blocks.unregisterBlockType( 'core/search' );
} );

Here’s a list of all the core block types.

Unregister blocks everywhere

The above code only unregisters the block from the “Edit Post” screen. If you’re trying to remove blocks from the Widgets screen, Full Site Editor, or Template Parts, you’ll need to adjust the dependencies.

Please refer to Jason Lemahieu’s article for more information: How to Unregister WordPress Blocks (from everywhere!)