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Resizable Sidebar for the Gutenberg Block Editor

By Toast Plugins

Site Administration & Utilities / Admin Interface Customization

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Resizable Sidebar for the Gutenberg Block Editor Review - In-Depth Analysis

Make the WordPress Gutenberg sidebar resizable with an intuitive drag and drop interface.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.91/10

User Rating

4.6/5 (based on 9+ reviews)

Active Installations

3,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin provides an intuitive solution to make the default WordPress Gutenberg sidebar resizable.

It functions straight out of the box and features an easy to use drag and drop interface.

Preferences are saved directly to your machine, allowing editors to work alongside you with their own settings.

Comparing to Alternatives

Resizable Sidebar for the Gutenberg Block Editor stands alone in its category with no close direct alternatives available.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Provides a much-needed feature missing from the core Gutenberg editor.
Improves usability for users with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) in the sidebar.
Works seamlessly with the latest WordPress versions, including WP 6.6.
Highly praised for enhancing the block editor user experience.
Lightweight and straightforward functionality without unnecessary complexity.

Weaknesses

Includes an intrusive ad when resizing the sidebar, which some users find distracting.
Lacks a paid or ad-free version to remove advertisements.
Limited customization options beyond resizing the sidebar.
No direct alternatives to compare feature sets with.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong 4.6 out of 5 rating from 9 reviews and no low-star ratings, users generally express high satisfaction with this plugin.

Positive highlights

'Just what I was after' – footstepsdesign appreciates the wider sidebar for ACF fields.
'What I’ve been looking for years. This is it.' – Wolfram Kläger praises it as a crucial missing feature in Gutenberg.
'Elevates Block Editor UX' – dromvati highlights it as an essential authoring experience improvement.
'It works perfectly.' – nick6352683 values compatibility with WordPress 6.6.
'Very useful. I am surprised it is not a core feature.' – kwebdesign finds it a huge help for editing with many fields.

Common complaints

Weaknesses

The advertisement displayed during resizing is considered intrusive by some users.
No option to remove ads via a paid version.
Limited feature set focused solely on sidebar resizing.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who frequently work with the Gutenberg block editor and need to adjust the sidebar width, especially those using Advanced Custom Fields or similar plugins that add many fields to the sidebar.

Not ideal for

Users who prefer an ad-free experience or require more extensive customization options beyond resizing the sidebar may find this plugin less suitable.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full functionality to resize the Gutenberg editor sidebar, improving usability without cost.

Final Verdict

Resizable Sidebar for the Gutenberg Block Editor fills a significant gap in the WordPress editing experience by allowing users to resize the sidebar, which enhances usability especially for those using complex field setups. Its high user ratings and positive feedback highlight its value and effectiveness.

However, the presence of an intrusive ad during resizing and the lack of a paid ad-free option may deter some users. Despite this, the plugin remains a lightweight, essential tool for improving the Gutenberg editor's UX, with no known security issues and no direct alternatives available.