CKEditor 5

CKEditor 5 is the rich text editor built into Drupal core. It gives editors a toolbar for headings, bold text, links, lists and images inside text fields, and Drupal stores what they write as HTML. Each text format decides which editor it uses and which HTML tags survive. In Drupal 11.4, it is the only rich text editor that ships in core.

How it works in Drupal 11

CKEditor 5 is a core module named ckeditor5. It builds on the core Editor module, which keeps one editor configuration for each text format. For CKEditor 5, that configuration lists the toolbar items and the settings of each plugin. In Drupal 11.4.10, the Standard installation profile ships this configuration for Basic HTML and Full HTML; it ships none for Restricted HTML.

You manage it at /admin/config/content/formats. In the admin menu the link sits under Configuration › Content authoring, and the page title is Text formats and editors. The editor form has the sections CKEditor 5 toolbar configuration and CKEditor 5 plugin settings.

Every toolbar button belongs to a plugin. Core defines its plugins in ckeditor5.ckeditor5.yml. A module adds its own in a file named {module_name}.ckeditor5.yml and can change existing definitions with hook_ckeditor5_plugin_info_alter().

The editor and the HTML filter work as a pair. When a format uses the filter named Limit allowed HTML tags and correct faulty HTML, CKEditor 5 fills in its Allowed HTML tags field from the enabled plugins and makes the field read-only. To allow tags that no enabled plugin covers, you use the Source editing plugin and its field Manually editable HTML tags.

Status and history

Checked on 26 October 2026: Drupal 11.4.0 came out on 1 July 2026, and its announcement says text formats using CKEditor can now include a Fullscreen plugin, which expands the editor to the whole browser viewport. The plugin is defined as ckeditor5_fullscreen in the core plugin file.

Example

An editor asks for a distraction-free writing view on long articles. A site builder opens /admin/config/content/formats and configures the Full HTML format. In the toolbar configuration, the builder moves Fullscreen from the available items into the active toolbar and saves. In the Standard profile of Drupal 11.4.10, the Full HTML toolbar does not include this button, so it has to be added.

The same screen answers another request. If a page needs a definition list, the builder enables Source editing and types <dl> <dt> <dd> into Manually editable HTML tags. Editors then paste or type that markup in the Source view.

Common mistakes

• Listing tags in Source editing that a plugin already covers. Core refuses to save such tags in Manually editable HTML tags and names the plugin to enable instead. Enable the plugin, so editors get a button rather than raw HTML.
• Giving every role the Full HTML format. Core creates a permission named Use the (format name) text format for each text format and warns that it may have security implications. Grant the permissive formats to trusted roles only.
• Expecting a CKEditor 4 plugin to keep working. A plugin written for CKEditor 4 does not run in CKEditor 5. Look for a CKEditor 5 release of the module before you plan an upgrade.

For marketing and content teams

The toolbar you see is the toolbar of your WYSIWYG text format, not a fixed feature of Drupal. If a button is missing, the format is configured without it; ask a site builder to add it at /admin/config/content/formats rather than pasting raw HTML. In the Standard profile, the Basic HTML toolbar includes a Source button, so editors with that format can view and edit the HTML directly. A format that uses the filter limiting allowed HTML tags removes other tags when the text is shown, so markup pasted from other tools can disappear.

Sources

• Drupal.org: CKEditor 5 module documentation
• Drupal.org: Drupal 11.4.0 release notes
• Drupal.org: Drupal 11.4.0 is now available
• Drupal core 11.4.10: CKEditor 5 module hooks (Ckeditor5Hooks.php)
• Drupal core 11.4.10: CKEditor 5 API documentation (ckeditor5.api.php)
• Drupal core 11.4.10: Source editing plugin
• Drupal core 11.4.10: core CKEditor 5 plugin definitions
• Drupal core 11.4.10: core.libraries.yml
• Drupal core 11.4.10: Source editing redundant tags constraint
• Drupal.org: Deprecated and obsolete extensions
• Drupal.org: CKEditor 4 project page
• Drupal.org: CKEditor 5 Premium Features project page
• CKEditor 5 documentation: license and legal