Backdrop 1.2.0 introduced a built-in rich text editor, utilizing the CKEditor project. For existing sites that have upgraded from a previous version of Backdrop, this module must be enabled to use its new functionality. This can be done by visiting the modules page (admin/modules), and checking the box for CKEditor.

If your site previously was using the contributed module version of CKEditor (available from GitHub), the old module will continue functioning on your site. However, due to differences between the core CKEditor module and the contributed CKEditor module, it is recommended that the old module be removed from your installation to prevent problems in the future.

You can identify if your site is running the old version of CKEditor module by checking your site's code directories. If a directory exists at /modules/ckeditor or /sites/*/modules/ckeditor, then your site is running the old CKEditor module. The new core CKEditor module resides at /core/modules/ckeditor and should not be changed.

To remove the old module, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the modules page on your site (/admin/modules).
  2. Disable the CKEditor module.
  3. Visit the uninstall modules page on your site (/admin/modules/uninstall).
  4. Uninstall CKEditor module.
  5. Delete the /modules/ckeditor directory from your site.

Then enable the new CKEditor module just like any other module. Visit the /admin/modules page again, and enable the CKEditor module. Even though it has the same name, the new module should then install itself.

If you have deleted the old CKEditor module without uninstalling, you should check to make sure that the ckeditor.settings.json file has been removed from your active configuration directory (typically located at /files/config_*/active). Then uninstall and reinstall the CKEditor module through the modules page to ensure any new defaults are set.

Introduced in branch: 
1.2.x
Introduced in version: 
1.2.0
Impacts: 
Architects, Administrators, Editors