If you edit your website and have noticed that your content blocks now open in a side panel or pop-up (or briefly show as empty boxes while editing), you are seeing a known, industry-wide issue. Here is what is going on and what we are doing about it.
What changed
WordPress recently released version 7.1, which changed how the content editor works behind the scenes. For any site built with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Pro, a tool used on most WordPress sites, the editing fields that used to appear right inside each block now open in the right-hand sidebar or a pop-up. On sites that have not been updated yet, blocks may temporarily display as plain squares while you edit.
Your live website is not affected. This is an editing change inside the WordPress dashboard only. Your visitors see your site exactly as before, and nothing is broken on the front end.
This is not unique to your site
This affects every website running ACF Pro, not only sites we built. WordPress 7.1 and the previous version of ACF blocks are not compatible. The makers of ACF have confirmed the issue and released an update to address it.
What we are doing
We have already worked out the fix and begun applying it. There are two supported paths, and we will recommend the right one for your site:
- The permanent fix: migrating your blocks to the latest ACF format (ACF Blocks V3), built to work correctly with the updated WordPress editor.
- A temporary option: a compatibility plugin that restores the previous editing view while the permanent update is scheduled.
A dedicated ticket type, at a discounted rate
Because this change affects so many sites, we have created a dedicated support ticket type for it, the "ACF Compatibility Update". Time spent applying the fix is billed at $75/hr, 50% off our standard hourly rate. If you would like us to schedule the update for your site, or you are seeing the editing change and want to confirm what it means, reach out to our support team and we will take it from there.
Want the technical detail?
- ACF PRO 6.8.9 release post (with before-and-after screenshots): https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/blog/acf-6-8-9-released/
- About ACF Blocks V3: https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/blog/acf-blocks-and-wordpress-blocks-v3/
- Optional webinar from ACF (ACF Chat Fridays, Sept 26): https://wpengine.com/events/acf-chat-fridays-sept-26/
We are on top of this and will guide you through the update. If you have any questions, our support team is here to help.