diff --git src/wp-includes/class-wp-editor.php src/wp-includes/class-wp-editor.php
index 9a5d974..344fffc 100644
--- src/wp-includes/class-wp-editor.php
+++ src/wp-includes/class-wp-editor.php
@@ -62,7 +62,15 @@ final class _WP_Editors {
 	 * @return array Parsed arguments array.
 	 */
 	public static function parse_settings( $editor_id, $settings ) {
-		$set = wp_parse_args( $settings,  array(
+
+		/**
+		 * Filter the default wp_editor() settings.
+		 *
+		 * @since 4.0.0
+		 *
+		 * @param array $defaults Documented in _WP_Editors::parse_settings()
+		 */
+		$defaults = apply_filters( 'wp_editor_defaults', array(
 			'wpautop'           => true,
 			'media_buttons'     => true,
 			'default_editor'    => '',
@@ -79,6 +87,8 @@ final class _WP_Editors {
 			'quicktags'         => true
 		) );
 
+		$set = wp_parse_args( $settings, $defaults  );
+
 		self::$this_tinymce = ( $set['tinymce'] && user_can_richedit() );
 
 		if ( self::$this_tinymce ) {
@@ -118,7 +128,16 @@ final class _WP_Editors {
 		elseif ( $set['editor_height'] > 5000 )
 			$set['editor_height'] = 5000;
 
-		return $set;
+		/**
+		 * Filter the wp_editor() settings.
+		 *
+		 * Applied just before _WP_Editors::parse_settings() returns the settings.
+		 *
+		 * @since 4.0.0
+		 *
+		 * @param array $set Settings for the editor. Documented in _WP_Editors::parse_settings().
+		 */
+		return apply_filters( 'wp_editor_settings', $set );
 	}
 
 	/**