Drupal 11.3.x Change: Block Content Module No Longer Ships with the Body Field

In Drupal 11.3.x, the block_content module has dropped the automatic creation of the default Body field (field.storage.block_content.body.yml). This is part of an ongoing effort to reduce assumptions in core and give site builders more control over content architecture.

What Changed?

Previously, when you enabled the Custom Block module (block_content), every custom block automatically had a Body field. That field was defined in:

field.storage.block_content.body.yml 

Starting from Drupal 11.3.x, that file is no longer included.

Any module, install profile, or recipe expecting this field to exist will now fail or produce empty blocks.

How to Check If Your Project Is Affected

Run through this quick checklist:

✅ 1. Do you use the "Basic block" or any block type that had a Body field?

• Go to Structure → Block Layout → Custom block library → Add custom block

• If "Body" is missing, you're affected.

✅ 2. Do you have custom code assuming $block->body->value exists?

Search your codebase for:

body 
field_body 
$block->get('body') 

✅ 3. Do you import configuration that references:

• field.storage.block_content.body

• field.field.block_content.[TYPE].body

If so, config import will fail or skip those fields.

✅ 4. Are you using a custom install profile (e.g. corporate distro, recipe, or a starter kit)?

Open config/install/ in your profile and check if you assumed the field was already there.

If any of the above is true, you need to manually define the field or enable the compatibility module.

What Should Developers Do?

✅ Option 1: Temporary Compatibility Module (Deprecated in Drupal 13)

Enable:

block_content_storage_body_field 

This restores the legacy body field but will be removed before Drupal 13.

✅ Option 2 (Recommended): Ship Your Own Body Field Storage

Create:

config/install/field.storage.block_content.body.yml 

langcode: en 
status: true 
dependencies: 
  module: 
    - block_content 
    - text 
id: block_content.body 
field_name: body 
entity_type: block_content 
type: text_with_summary 
settings: {  } 
module: text 
locked: false 
cardinality: 1 
translatable: true 
indexes: {  } 
persist_with_no_fields: true 
custom_storage: false 

Then attach it to a block type:

config/install/field.field.block_content.basic.body.yml 

langcode: en 
status: true 
dependencies: 
  config: 
    - field.storage.block_content.body 
    - block_content.type.basic 
id: block_content.basic.body 
field_name: body 
entity_type: block_content 
bundle: basic 
label: 'Body' 
required: false 
settings: 
  display_summary: true 
field_type: text_with_summary 

Who Is Affected?

Summary

This change promotes flexibility and avoids forcing a Body field on every block — but older projects may break silently if not updated.