Free online HTML editor user guide

Welcome to the online HTML editor by CKEditor 5! This is a versatile and customizable editor WYSIWYG users love because it’s fast, modern, flexible, feature-rich, and backed by the CKEditor 5 Framework and products by CKSource.


Features overview

CKEditor is an open-source WYSIWYG editor that delivers HTML rich content. It comes packed with a plethora of functions and features, from the basic ones like text formatting to the most advanced, industry-standard options like the commercial export to PDF.


Basic formatting features and text styling

Basic text styles

The basic text styles feature allows you to apply the most frequently used formatting options in rich-text content. These include bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, subscript, and superscript. These options provide authors with powerful formatting tools and form the foundation of every WYSIWYG editor’s interface.

Use the toolbar buttons to apply any basic style to your content—select a word or a larger portion of text, then use the corresponding button.

Font styles

The font feature allows you to choose from a wide range of font families and font sizes. You can also apply font color and background color to enhance your document’s appearance.

Use the toolbar buttons to change font size, font face, font color, or background color. Apply selected styles to single words or longer selections.

Remove formatting

The remove formatting feature allows you to remove formatting with a single click of a toolbar button. Use it to reset font face or color, remove bold or italic styling, and restore the default content style.


Layout and structure

Block formatting and text operations can be used to provide a rich-text editing experience.

Headings

Use the heading feature to apply logical structure to your documents. Headings help organize content, improve readability, and boost SEO. The toolbar dropdown includes several heading levels as well as the standard paragraph format.

Select the sentence or phrase you want to turn into a heading, then use the heading dropdown in the toolbar. You can easily revert a heading to a paragraph.

Text alignment

Text alignment options let you align content left, right, center, or justify it across the page. These settings help structure paragraphs and make documents easier to read.

Horizontal rule

A horizontal rule is a dividing element you can use between parts of the content. It adds a graphic break between sections.

Blockquote

Use blockquotes to indicate user remarks, prominent messages, or cited text. This element visually separates specific content.

Indent and outdent

Indent and outdent buttons change the spacing and nesting of paragraphs and lists. Use these to create structured, hierarchical formatting.

Code snippets

Code snippets allow you to distinguish regular text from code or script blocks. They preserve formatting and disable rich-text styling to ensure clarity.


Rich content

Images

The editor allows you to insert and edit images via toolbar buttons or drag-and-drop. Resize, align, and add alt text to support accessibility and layout control.

Media

The media embed feature lets you insert and preview media such as videos, audio, and iframes. Supported URLs are rendered directly inside the editor.

Tables

The table feature offers full support for tables. Use toolbar buttons to insert, customize, and style rows, columns, and cells.

Lists

Create bulleted or numbered lists to organize content efficiently. Nest list items to show hierarchy.

Links

Insert, edit, or remove links from your content. You can define link text, enable link previews, and manage targets.

Pasting

Pasted content can be cleaned to fit the HTML or Google Docs style, supporting live formatting and heading levels.


Source access

The CKEditor 5-based “Online HTML Editor” allows you to switch to HTML view. With the WYSIWYG rich-text editor, you can toggle between visual and source modes. This is useful for advanced use cases or troubleshooting markup.

Use the toolbar’s source button to switch modes. You can then view or copy raw HTML output and paste it into other platforms.

Any content transformed into HTML format while editing is preserved.


Feature-rich online HTML editor

Whatever your needs are, this online HTML editor offers dozens of useful features. From quick edits to complete documents, it covers text, media, layout, tables, source editing, export, and more.

Use the visual editor for intuitive formatting or toggle the source for full HTML control.

This tool is ideal for developers, marketers, and content professionals who require both flexibility and a modern interface.


Accessibility Support

CKEditor complies with most present industry standards for content editing, such as Section 508, WCAG 2.0, WAI-ARIA, and level AAA accessibility checklists.


Keyboard shortcuts

Many tools in CKEditor have their respective keyboard shortcuts. This improves accessibility and helps you edit content more efficiently.

Working with a document

CTRL+A – Select all content

CTRL+HOME – Jump to the beginning of the document

CTRL+END – Jump to the end of the document

CTRL+Z – Undo

CTRL+Y – Redo

Navigation

HOME – Jump to the beginning of the line

END – Jump to the end of the line

PAGE UP – Move to the top of the document

PAGE DOWN – Move to the bottom of the document

CTRL+ – Jump to the beginning (approx. one screen up)

CTRL+ – Jump to the end (approx. one screen down)

Writing

ENTER – Start a new paragraph

SHIFT+ENTER – Add a line break

CTRL+B – Bold

CTRL+I – Italic

CTRL+U – Underline

CTRL+K – Insert a link

Text selection

SHIFT+/ – Select characters

SHIFT+/ – Select lines

CTRL+SHIFT+/ – Select words

CTRL+SHIFT+/ – Select lines by word blocks

Cut, Copy and Paste

CTRL+C – Copy

CTRL+X – Cut

CTRL+V – Paste

Text styling

CTRL+B – Bold

CTRL+I – Italic

CTRL+U – Underline


Rich text

Use all features of the rich-text editing interface.


About online HTML editor

This online HTML editor contains a great set of rich features from both the online and real-time versions. Use either, collaborate easily, and export to various formats with minimal friction.