Moodle provides several different text editors with a variety of features in each. The text editor can be changed at the user's discretion.

This article provides instructions for changing a user's default text editor in Moodle.

Understanding Available Text Editors

The default text editor is the Atto editor for Moodle servers before the 2024-25 academic year. Eventually support for the Atto editor will be discontinued and as a result, the TinyMCE editor was set as the new default for all Moodle spaces during and after the 2024-25 academic year.

The Atto editor and TinyMCE editor have similar features, but use different menus and navigation styles to enhance the user's experience.

Atto Editor

The Atto editor is meant to resemble a word processor, using a ribbon at the top of the editor with several buttons to engage different features. Eventually it will be fully replaced with the TinyMCE editor.

More information can be found Moodle's "Atto Editor" documentation.

TinyMCE Editor

The TinyMCE editor is a rich-text editor with a modern feel and more user-friendly interface. Eventually it will fully replace the Atto editor, and is set as the default text editor for the 2024-25 and all future academic years. TinyMCE editor is compatible with screen readers such as JAWS and NVDA as it follows the WAI-ARIA specification. It is recommended to use NVDA together with Firefox for the most accessible experience.

More information on the editor's features can be found Moodle's "TinyMCE editor" documentation.

Starting in Summer 2025, TinyMCE editor will include four new plugin tools available for use:

• Image Editing
  • This adds a contextual toolbar for editing images, including rotation, flipping, markup, and alternative text.
  • To use this tool, click on an image in a content field in Moodle.
• Link Checker
  • This highlights any broken or invalid links in a text field.
  • To use this tool, add any URL to a content field in Moodle.
• PowerPaste
  • This cleans up formatted text from external sources, like Microsoft Word, to keep text visually consistent.
  • To use this tool, copy any text from an external source and paste it into a content field in Moodle.
• Spell Checker Pro
  • This adds a native spellchecking feature that underlines misspelled words in red.
  • To use this tool, type naturally in any content field in Moodle, and right-click any misspelled words to correct them.

 The plugin links include technical instructions as well as an end-user interactive product demo of the plugins.

Changing Text Editor Preferences in Moodle

The text editor used in Moodle can be changed in the preferences menu. To change the text editor:

1. In the top-right corner of the Moodle window, click the profile picture and user name menu.
2. In the drop-down menu select the Preferences option.
3. In the User account section, click the Editor preferences link.
4. Set the Text editor field to the preferred editor.
5. Click the Save changes button.

When editing a text field, the preferred text editor should appear.

Additional Resources

TinyMCE editor (MoodleDocs)

Atto editor (MoodleDocs)

For additional assistance, please contact the LearnTech Help Desk at learntech@ncsu.edu or (919) 513-7094, or via the Get Help form on the DELTA Knowledge Base.