The Gutenberg 23.1 update just landed, and while the bi-weekly release cycle can sometimes feel like a stream of minor UI tweaks, this version actually ships a few heavy-hitters under the hood. Specifically, if you’ve ever sat there staring at a spinner while batch-uploading high-res gallery images, you’re going to appreciate the performance changes in this release.
I’ve seen plenty of site editors slow to a crawl because of how WordPress handles media finalization. Historically, sideloading thumbnails happened sequentially. This bottleneck was a silent performance killer for media-heavy sites. This update fixes that by moving to a concurrent model.
Performance Gains in the Gutenberg 23.1 Update
The standout feature here is parallel image upload finalization. When you upload an image, WordPress doesn’t just store one file; it generates multiple thumbnail sizes. Previously, these sideload requests ran one by one. In the Gutenberg 23.1 update, these requests now run in parallel up to a defined concurrency limit.
If you’re managing a WooCommerce store with massive product galleries, this is a massive win. You’ll notice the difference immediately on slower connections or when bulk uploading. It’s a pragmatic fix for a long-standing “race to the bottom” in editor performance. You can track the technical details of this change on GitHub PR #75888.
Native Custom Taxonomies (Experimental)
We’ve also gained an experimental UI for managing custom taxonomies directly inside the WordPress admin settings. For years, we’ve relied on plugins like CPT UI or coding them by hand in PHP. This experiment aims to bring that capability into the core editor experience.
While I generally prefer keeping my definitions in code for version control, this is a huge step for site owners who need flexibility without hiring a dev for every new category type. Just remember: it’s an experiment. Do not toggle this on a production site without a database backup.
This follows the trend we saw in the Gutenberg 23.0 update where the focus shifted toward empowering the site editor as a full-scale admin dashboard.
The “Disable Classic Block” Filter
One of the more subtle changes is the ability to hide the Classic block from the inserter. The “Disable TinyMCE” experiment was refocused because killing TinyMCE everywhere broke too many legacy sites. Instead, they’ve given us a surgical tool: the wp_classic_block_supports_inserter filter.
If you are building a site for a client and want to force them into using blocks correctly, you can now drop this into your theme’s functions.php:
<?php
/**
* Remove the Classic Block from the Gutenberg Inserter
* bbioon_disable_classic_block
*/
add_filter( 'wp_classic_block_supports_inserter', '__return_false' );
?>This keeps existing Classic blocks functional but prevents users from creating new ones. It’s the kind of control we need to prevent clients from turning a clean layout into a mess of legacy HTML tags.
New Primitives for Developers
The @wordpress/ui package is becoming more robust. Version 23.1 introduces Drawer (for slide-in panels) and Autocomplete. These are low-level primitives, but they are essential if you’re building custom block inspectors or admin interfaces that need to look and feel native.
Furthermore, the @wordpress/grid package is now in developer preview. We’re finally getting a two-dimensional grid component with native drag-to-reorder logic. It’s still early, but this is the foundation for future dashboard-style layouts within WordPress.
Look, if this Gutenberg 23.1 update stuff is eating up your dev hours or you’re worried about breaking legacy components, let me handle it. I’ve been wrestling with WordPress since the 4.x days.
The Senior Dev’s Takeaway
Stability is the name of the game here. The fixes for Real-time Collaboration (RTC) and the move toward parallel processing show that the Gutenberg team is finally addressing the “bloat” complaints. If you’re building complex sites, check out the official documentation to see how the new UI primitives can simplify your custom plugin builds.
For more context on how these releases are shaping the future of the editor, revisit my breakdown of Gutenberg 22.8 which introduced the initial collaboration logic being refined today.
