XenForo Tiptap Editor: What It Means for Your Forum

The XenForo Tiptap editor is the new post editor XenForo announced for XenForo 2.4. It replaces the current Froala-based editor. XenForo has not said it is coming to 2.2 or 2.3, so those versions are not affected until you upgrade to 2.4.

What XenForo has said about the Tiptap editor

On 19 December 2024, XenForo developer Chris D posted XF 2.4 - Tiptap: A new editor for XenForo. It presents Tiptap as the editor being built into 2.4.

Tiptap is an open-source editor framework. It is "headless," which means it has no built-in interface of its own. It is built on ProseMirror and uses a strict schema. Marks are inline formatting, like bold. Nodes are block-level items, like paragraphs, quotes and code blocks.

XenForo built the whole interface itself, using its default components and styling. The post says the current editor mixes Froala pop-ups, overlays and menus. That is the main reason for this xenforo editor replacement.

Which XenForo versions are affected

The announcement ties Tiptap to XenForo 2.4. It does not mention 2.2, 2.3 or 3.0. If you run 2.2 or 2.3, nothing changes until you upgrade to 2.4.

If you want a xenforo froala alternative for your current forum, XenForo has not said Tiptap will be backported to older versions.

Where the release stands

The announcement said 2.4 would come in 2025. On 28 December 2024, Chris D said Q1 2025 was the target. That target slipped. A status post, last edited 13 June 2025, said 2.4 was taking longer than expected. XenForo planned to ship with Tiptap V3 instead of V2, which was in beta at the time.

What changes for members writing posts

The xenforo new editor looks and behaves differently. XenForo lists these changes:

• Core editor functions show a visual result. Raw BB code is no longer shown, though typing it by hand still works.
• Code blocks are syntax-highlighted inside the editor.
• Markdown-style input rules are available.
• The "Insert image" menu supports multiple file uploads, including drag and drop.

The early design put the toolbar at the bottom of the editor. XenForo marked that as not final.

Enter and Shift+Enter

In 2.4, pressing Enter starts a new paragraph, using proper paragraph tags. This gives the spacing you get now from pressing Enter twice. Shift+Enter inserts a hard line break. Posts are also rendered with correct paragraphs.

Tell your members about this one. It is the change they will notice first.

What changes for admins and add-ons

The toolbar is still managed with the existing editor button manager in the admin control panel. XenForo says the BB code syntax has not changed. A new BB code parser works out paragraph boundaries and tells line breaks from paragraphs.

For add-ons, XenForo says developers get a flexible extension system. It says existing editor-based add-ons can be adapted by developers who know some JavaScript. The editor adds no extra frameworks and uses vanilla JavaScript.

Some developer tools were still being wired up at the time. These cover custom editor functions, BB codes and custom buttons. So an add-on that adds a button or BB code may need an update from its author.

Add-ons that touch the editor or posting forms

Any add-on that changes the editor or a posting form deserves a test. Look for ones that add toolbar buttons, custom BB codes, extra fields on thread or reply forms, or checks before a post is saved.

One of ours is a fair example. AI Disclosure Label is free and needs XenForo 2.2 or later. It adds an AI-assisted checkbox to thread creation, replies and post editing, plus an AI quote button beside the editor and an [ai] BB code. That makes it a good one to try on a staging copy.

We have not tested it with 2.4, and XenForo has not published a list of affected add-ons. Ask any add-on author directly about 2.4 compatibility.

What to do now to get ready

XenForo has published no official upgrade steps for the editor. This checklist is general good practice, not XenForo instructions.

1. List your add-ons. Mark any that add editor buttons, BB codes or posting forms.
2. Back up your database and files before any upgrade.
3. Make a staging copy of your forum and upgrade that first.
4. On staging, write posts with paragraphs, line breaks, quotes, code blocks, images and your custom BB codes.
5. Open some old posts and check they still look right.
6. Ask each add-on author whether their add-on works with 2.4.
7. Check your toolbar in the editor button manager.

For the same habits on any version move, see our post on XenForo add-on compatibility.

What we don't know yet

• A confirmed 2.4 release date. Check xenforo.com.
• How or whether the public can test Tiptap before release.
• How existing posts and custom BB codes convert. XenForo only says the syntax is unchanged.
• Which add-ons will break. XenForo has given no list.
• Whether 3.0 is affected.

What to do next

Nothing is urgent if you run 2.2 or 2.3. Keep those versions patched, and start your add-on list today. For more updates, browse our XenForo news.