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Edit your site with the AI Editor

Last reviewed on October 5, 2026

The AI Editor is a way to edit your WordPress.com site by chatting with AI. Describe the changes you want in a chat sidebar on the right, and see them applied to a live preview of your site on the left.

About the AI Editor

In the AI Editor, you describe the changes you want in plain language, and the WordPress Agent applies them to your site. The live preview on the left shows your actual site as your visitors see it.

Use it when you want to edit your site with AI instead of editing blocks by hand.

An example of a site displayed on the left with the AI chat panel on the right.

Enable the AI Editor

The AI Editor appears once you turn on both the WordPress Agent and the AI-powered site building experience.

The AI Editor requires a block theme. On a site using a classic theme, the AI Editor menu item does not appear.

To enable the AI Editor, follow these steps:

  1. Enable the WordPress Agent for your site.
  2. Visit your site’s dashboard.
  3. Navigate to Settings → Writing.
  4. In the AI Features section, select the “Enable AI-powered site building experience” checkbox.
  5. Click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the screen.
The Writing settings page with the Enable AI-powered site building experience checkbox selected.

Open the AI Editor

Open the AI Editor from Appearance → AI Editor, which appears once both settings above are turned on.

To open the AI Editor, follow these steps:

  1. Visit your site’s dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Appearance → AI Editor.
An arrow from the Appearance menu to the AI Editor submenu item.

The AI Editor opens with the chat sidebar showing. The AI Editor needs a wide browser window. In a narrower window, AI Editor opens the full Site Editor with the chat in a floating window.

Edit your site

The AI Editor gives you three ways to make changes: chat, annotations, and direct editing.

Switch between pages

Switch between pages from the page name at the top of the AI Editor. The name shows which page you’re viewing, and clicking it opens a list of the other pages on your site.

To switch to a different page, follow these steps:

  1. Click the page name at the top of the editor.
  2. Select the page you want to edit from the list.
An arrow from the current page name in the top toolbar to the list of pages on the site.

You can also click links in the preview to move between pages, the same way a visitor would.

Describe changes in the chat

Type what you want to change in the chat sidebar on the right. For example: “Change my homepage headline to Welcome to my site.“

The WordPress Agent makes the change in the editor. Review the change, then click the Save button in the top bar to keep it.

Request changes with annotations

Annotations let you point at parts of a page and request several changes at once.

To request changes with annotations, follow these steps:

  1. Click the annotate button (a speech bubble with a plus sign) in the top bar, next to the Preview and Edit options.
The annotate icon with a box drawn around it.
  1. Click the part of the page you want to change.
  2. Type your request in the “Add a comment…” field, then click the checkmark (✓) button that appears.
The add annotation window open with text and a checkmark.
  1. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each change. Each annotation shows a number on the page.
  2. Click the Send button in the top bar. The button shows how many annotations you added.
Content with annotation icons over it and an arrow pointing to the Send button.

In annotation mode, the top bar shows a close (X) button to leave without sending, and a trash button to discard your annotations.

The WordPress Agent makes all the requested changes. Review them, then click the Save button to keep them.

Edit text and images directly

To update text or images without using chat:

  1. In the top-left corner of the editor, switch from the Preview option to the Edit option.
The Preview and Edit toggles at the top-left of the AI Editor.
  1. Click the text you want to change and type the new text.
  2. Click the image you want to change and choose the Replace option that appears. For a background image in a section, ask the chat to change it instead.
  3. Click the Save button in the top bar to save your changes.

Use the chat as a sidebar or floating window

The chat can appear as a sidebar next to the preview, or as a floating window over the editor. The AI Editor is available when the chat is a sidebar. Switching the chat to a floating window takes you to the full Site Editor — choose “Switch to sidebar” to come back.

To switch between the sidebar and the floating window, follow these steps:

  1. Click the three dots (⋮) menu at the top of the chat.
  2. Select the “Switch to floating” option or the “Switch to sidebar” option at the bottom of the menu.

In a narrower browser window, the chat always floats and the “Switch to sidebar” option doesn’t appear. Make your browser window wider to use the sidebar.

Switch to the full Site Editor

The full Site Editor gives you more control over blocks, templates, and theme settings. Closing the chat switches you from the AI Editor to the full Site Editor.

To switch to the full Site Editor, follow these steps:

  1. Click the close (X) button at the top of the chat sidebar. The full Site Editor opens on the same page, and any unsaved changes stay in place.
  2. To return to the AI Editor, click the Agent button in the admin bar at the top of the screen.

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