The Crossword Editor Just Got a Big Upgrade

We just shipped a full redesign of the crossword builder on Gridl. The editor is cleaner, more organized, and a lot easier to use from start to finish.

A Sidebar That Makes Sense

The biggest change is how the sidebar is organized. It now has two tabs at the top: Build and Customize.

The Build tab is where you spend most of your time. Add words in the textarea, generate the grid, write clues, and reposition words. Everything is stacked in the order you actually use it.

The Customize tab has collapsible sections for Details (description), Appearance (background color, patterns, and custom images), and Print Options (name and date header). These settings were always there, but they used to compete for space with the build controls. Now they have their own dedicated place.

Name and Save Are Always Visible

The puzzle name field, folder picker, and Save button are now pinned to the bottom of the sidebar at all times. They are disabled until you have generated a grid, then they become active automatically. You never have to hunt for the Save button or wonder when it appears.

Create Clues Upsell

If you are not logged in, the Create Clues button now invites you to sign up to get AI clue generation rather than just sitting there disabled. If you have a free account, it shows you how to upgrade to Pro to unlock it. Either way, you know exactly what to do next.

A Floating Controls Panel

After you save a puzzle, a small floating panel appears in the top-right corner of the puzzle canvas. This is where all the sharing and classroom controls live:

• Solve mode: turns the grid into an interactive puzzle students can fill in on any device
• Show answers: reveals all the correct letters, useful for an answer key
• Share link: copy the link to send to students or colleagues
• Make Public: lists your puzzle on your public profile
• Access code: require students to enter a code before solving, great for controlling when a class activity starts (Pro)

Each control has a small help tooltip so you always know what it does. You can also collapse the panel with the close button and reopen it with the settings icon.

Print Button on the Canvas

There is now a dedicated Print button in the top-left of the puzzle canvas. It is always visible when you have a grid, so you can print at any point without digging through menus.

Reposition Gets Easier

The Reposition button is now part of the main actions list alongside Generate and Create Clues. It is disabled before you generate a grid, then becomes active once there is something to reposition. Drag words around the grid, right-click to flip a word between across and down, and use the compass arrows to expand or shrink the grid in any direction.

Updated Help Guide

The step-by-step walkthrough has been updated to cover the new layout, including a step for the Customize tab and a final step pointing to the puzzle controls panel.

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Jump into the updated builder at /crossword. If you have any feedback, we would love to hear it.