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Post: Enhance WordPress Formatting with TinyMCE Editor Plugin

Formatting text in WordPress posts can be significantly enhanced with the use of plugins like TinyMCE Advanced. This plugin extends the functionality of the WordPress text editor, offering more options and control over your content’s layout and presentation. Here’s a guide to formatting text in WordPress posts using TinyMCE Advanced:

1. Installing TinyMCE Advanced

  • Navigate to your WordPress admin area: Go to Plugins > Add New.
  • Search for TinyMCE Advanced: Type “TinyMCE Advanced” in the search field and hit enter.
  • Install the plugin: Find TinyMCE Advanced in the search results and click “Install Now.”
  • Activate the plugin: After installation, click on “Activate” to start using the plugin.

2. Configuring TinyMCE Advanced

  • Access the settings: Once activated, you’ll find TinyMCE Advanced under Settings > TinyMCE Advanced.
  • Customize the toolbar: Here, you can drag and drop buttons to customize the toolbar of the WordPress editor according to your needs. Options include font sizes, font family, text/background colors, tables, and more.

3. Using TinyMCE Advanced in Posts

  • Edit or create a new post: Go to Posts > Add New or edit an existing post.
  • Utilize the enhanced toolbar: You’ll notice the TinyMCE Advanced toolbar has replaced the default WordPress toolbar. Use the added buttons to format your text, insert tables, or use any of the new features you’ve added.

4. Advanced Formatting Options

  • Tables: Insert and edit tables easily. You can specify sizes, cell spacing, and even background colors.
  • Font Family and Size: Change the font family and size directly from the toolbar, giving you more control over the appearance of your text.
  • Text Colors: Apply different colors to your text and background for emphasis or visual appeal.
  • Insert Special Characters: Easily add special characters that are not found on the standard keyboard.
  • Creating Lists: Beyond the basic ordered and unordered lists, you can customize list styles.

5. Saving and Previewing

After formatting your post, make sure to save your changes and preview the post to ensure everything appears as expected. This step is crucial to catch any formatting issues before your content goes live.

Best Practices

  • Keep it readable: While it’s tempting to use many styles and colors, keeping your text easily readable should always be a priority.
  • Consistency: Try to maintain a consistent formatting style throughout your posts to improve the user experience.
  • Mobile responsiveness: Always check how your posts look on mobile devices, as some formatting may not translate well to smaller screens.

TinyMCE Advanced offers a powerful way to enhance the standard WordPress editor, allowing for more intricate and professional-looking posts. By customizing the toolbar and utilizing the plugin’s advanced features, you can create visually appealing and well-organized content that stands out to your readers.


In this tutorial, we’ll be covering some of the basics of formatting your WordPress posts (formatting text in WordPress) with the built-in WordPress post editor formatting options. (See below to install the #1 WordPress Plugin for formatting your posts called Tiny MCE Advanced for WordPress.)

The majority of your formatting options can be found in the Post Editor Toolbar. If you’ve ever used a word processing software such as Microsoft Word, most of these icons should look familiar.

To get started formatting your WordPress posts, visit Posts > Add New or Post > All Posts and select the post you’d like to edit.

The formatting icons included in the WordPress post editor include:

  • In the first row of the toolbar, we have options to bold, italize or strikethrough text. To bold text, Just select the text you’d like to format and click the bold button. You’ll see this text has been bolded.
  • The next two icons are for bulleted and numbered lists. If you’d like to add a list to a post, just select the text, then click that icon.
  • The quotation mark icon is the block quote feature. By default, this will add an indentation and italicized style to your selected text. (Note: your WordPress theme controls how block quotes are styled on the front end of your site.)
  • Next are alignment options. You can choose to align left, center or align right.
  • The next icon is the insert more tag. This will change how much text your blog page displays with a read more link.
  • If you’d prefer to write your posts in distraction free mode, click this icon. This will take you to full-screen writing mode similar to using a Word processing software. To exit out of this mode, we’ll click “exit fullscreen.”
  • If we click the Show/hide the kitchen sink, another line of formatting options will be revealed. Here you add heading styles to your text, underline text or set a full alignment.
  • If you decide you’d like to change the color of you selected text, just use this icon to select the color.
  • The next two icons are for pasting text — either as plain text or from Microsoft Word.

If you ever get stuck using your formatting icons, you can simply hover over the icon to see the name and function.

The #1 WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get) for WordPress is TINY MCE ADVANCED FOR WORDPRESS : https://en-ca.wordpress.org/plugins/tinymce-advanced/


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About the Author: Bernard Aybout (Virii8)

I am a dedicated technology enthusiast with over 45 years of life experience, passionate about computers, AI, emerging technologies, and their real-world impact. As the founder of my personal blog, MiltonMarketing.com, I explore how AI, health tech, engineering, finance, and other advanced fields leverage innovation—not as a replacement for human expertise, but as a tool to enhance it. My focus is on bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical applications, ensuring ethical, responsible, and transformative use across industries. MiltonMarketing.com is more than just a tech blog—it's a growing platform for expert insights. We welcome qualified writers and industry professionals from IT, AI, healthcare, engineering, HVAC, automotive, finance, and beyond to contribute their knowledge. If you have expertise to share in how AI and technology shape industries while complementing human skills, join us in driving meaningful conversations about the future of innovation. 🚀