WordPress: Inserting Blocks
All content you insert into a page is one of a type of “block.” This paragraph you are reading is a block of the type paragraph.
This is a separate paragraph and therefore a separate block.
This is a Heading Block
Followed by yet another paragraph block.
Even the image below this paragraph block is a block:
![Placeholder image](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/768x450.png)
Inserting Blocks
When you start on a blank page, you will see this placeholder text where the first block will be placed:
![](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/blank-page.png)
If you click on this placeholder and start typing, it will default to a paragraph block. Pressing return while typing will end that paragraph block and start a new one, once again showing you the placeholder text of “Type / to chose a block”.
Choosing a Different Block Type
If you want a block type other than a paragraph (e.g. heading, image, button or other special feature), either:
1. Click the placeholder text and, as it says, type a forward slash. A list of available blocks will pop up. Select the desired block type.
![](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/forward-slash-choose-1-1024x727.png)
2. Select the “+” button to the right of the block placeholder text and select from the pop-up.
![](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/inserter-button-1.png)
Changing a Block’s Type
A block’s type can be changed easily. In the example below, a paragraph is changed to a heading.
1. Make sure the block is selected. In the toolbar above the block, click the left most icon (in this case the paragraph icon)
![](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/select-block-to-change.png)
2. Select the block type you wish to transform to (note: the type of blocks available will depend on the original block type. E.g. you won’t be able to transform a paragraph block to an image block).
![](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/choose-type.png)
The paragraph has been transformed into a heading.
![](https://www.hmc.edu/communications/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/05/changed-to-heading.png)