This security and maintenance release features 12 bug fixes on Core, 5 bug fixes for the Block Editor, and 3 security fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. All versions since WordPress 3.7 have also been updated.
WordPress 6.0.2 is a short-cycle release. You can review a summary of the main updates in this release by reading the RC1 announcement.
The next major release will be version 6.1 planned for November 1, 2022.
If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically.
WordPress 6.0.2 would not have been possible without the contributions of more than 50 people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver several enhancements and fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.
This maintenance release features 13 bug fixes in Core and 18 bug fixes for the Block Editor. WordPress 6.0.1 is a short-cycle maintenance release. You can review a summary of the key updates in this release by reading the RC1 announcement.
The next major release will be version 6.1 planned for later in 2022.
If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically.
WordPress 6.0.1 would not have been possible without the contributions of more than 50 people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver several enhancements and fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.
Say hello to “Arturo” and WordPress 6.0, inspired by Grammy-winning jazz musician, Arturo O’Farrill. Known for his influence on contemporary Latin jazz, Arturo has pressed more than 15 albums spanning a body of work across five decades.
Take some time to explore WordPress 6.0, built to help you unlock your creative aspirations and make your site-building experience more intuitive. And check out some of Arturo’s inspirational sounds that span Afro Cuban jazz, contemporary Latin jazz, and so much more.
With nearly 1,000 enhancements and bug fixes, the second major release of 2022 is here. Download it now! As of today, WordPress powers more than 42% of websites worldwide.1
Site owners and administrators should upgrade to take full advantage of the many stability, performance, and usability enhancements today. WordPress content creators will enjoy a suite of new features geared toward improving the writing and designing experiences.
Expanding Gutenberg into a full site editing experience in WordPress means that all of the problems the community had to address were complex and far-reaching. WordPress 6.0 is an example of the community’s commitment to tackling these tough challenges together. With thoughtful updates to the writing experience, building better block functionality, and adding a new intuitive style switcher, I’m really proud of the work that’s been done in this release to make a great site editing experience.
Writing improvements abound, whether you’re writing a brand new post or adding elements to an existing page. Explore more ways to streamline your content creation process, including:
Select text across multiple blocks for easier copying and pasting.
Type two open brackets `[[` to quickly access a list of recent posts and pages.
Keep existing styles when you transform some blocks from one kind to another—from a Paragraph block to a Code block, for instance.
Create customized buttons and any new buttons you make will retain the style customizations automatically.
Make tag clouds and social icons even more appealing with updated settings and controls, and a new outline style for the tag cloud.
Style Switching
Block themes now include the option to contain multiple style variations. This expands the new Style system even further and enables shortcuts to switch the look and feel of your site all within a single theme. In block themes that support this feature, you can change both the available settings, like the font-weight, and the style options, like the default color palette. Change the look and feel of your site with just a few clicks.
More Template Choices
WordPress 6.0 includes five new template options for block themes: author, date, categories, tag, and taxonomy. These additional templates provide greater flexibility for content creators. Tailor each with the tools you already know or with the following new options in this release:
Featured images can be used in the cover block.
New featured image sizing controls make it easier to get the results you want.
While editing a template, at the root, or between blocks, the quick inserter shows you patterns and template parts to help you work faster and discover new layout options.
The query block supports filtering on multiple authors, support for custom taxonomies, and support for customizing what is shown when there are no results.
Integrated Patterns
Patterns will now appear when you need them in even more places, like in the quick inserter or when creating a new header or footer. If you’re a block theme author, you can even register patterns from the Pattern Directory using `theme.json`, enabling you to prioritize specific patterns that are most helpful to your theme’s users.
Additional Design Tools
Design tools grow more powerful and intuitive with each release. Some highlights for 6.0 include:
A new color panel design saves space, but still shows your options at a glance.
New border controls offer a simpler way to set your border exactly as you like it.
Transparency levels for your colors allow for even more creative color options.
Control gaps, margins, typography, and more on a collection of blocks, all at once, in the Group block.
Switch between stack, row, and group variations to position groups of blocks with more layout flexibility.
Use the gap support functionality in the Gallery block to create different looks – from adding spacing between all images, to removing spacing altogether.
Better List View
New keyboard shortcuts enable you to select multiple blocks from the list view, modify them in bulk, and drag and drop them within the list. List View can be opened and closed easily; it comes collapsed by default and it automatically expands to the current selection whenever you select a block.
Block Locking Controls
Now you can lock your blocks. Choose to disable the option to move a block, remove a block, or both. This simplifies project handover, allowing your clients to unleash their creativity without worrying about accidentally breaking their site in the process.
Improved Performance in WordPress 6.0
This release includes several updates focused on improving the performance of WordPress. These enhancements cover a range of performance areas including improving the page and post-load speed, reducing the execution time of various query types, caching, navigation menus, and much more. The performance team working group is an important focus area of the core development team. For more information on this group’s work, please follow their work on Making WordPress with the #performance hashtag.
Enhancing WordPress 6.0 Accessibility
Accessibility is an integral part of the WordPress mission of fostering an inclusive community and supporting users of all types around the world. With this in mind, WordPress 6.0 includes more than 50 updates specifically focused on enhancing the accessibility of the platform. You can read about these updates and learn more about the accessibility initiatives that are ongoing.
Learn More About WordPress 6.0
See WordPress 6.0 in action! Watch a brief overview video highlighting some of the major features debuting in WordPress 6.0.
Developers can explore the WordPress 6.0 Field Guide. It is overflowing with detailed developer notes to help you build with and extend WordPress.
Read the WordPress 6.0 Release Notes for more information on the included enhancements and issues fixed, installation information, developer notes and resources, release contributors, and the list of file changes in this release.
The WordPress 6.0 Release Squad
The group listed below tirelessly supported the release, from conception to ship date, and beyond:
WordPress 6.0 would not have been possible without the contributions of more than 500 people in at least 58 countries. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver hundreds of enhancements and fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.
By release day, 76 locales had translated 90-percent or more of WordPress 6.0 into their language. Community translators continue after a release ensuring more translations are on their way. Thank you to everyone who helps to make WordPress available in 205 languages.
Many thanks to all of the community volunteers who contribute to the support forums by answering questions from WordPress users around the world.
If contributing to WordPress appeals to you, it’s easy to learn more and get involved. Discover the different teams that come together to Make WordPress and explore the product roadmap on the core development blog.
The WordPress Mission & You
WordPress is software designed for everyone, emphasizing accessibility, performance, security, and ease of use. The project believes great software should work with minimum setup, so you can focus on sharing your story, product, or services freely. The basic WordPress software is simple and predictable so you can easily get started. It also offers powerful features for growth and success.
WordPress believes in democratizing publishing and the freedoms that come with open source. Supporting this idea is a large community of people collaborating on and contributing to this project. The WordPress community is welcoming and inclusive. Our contributors’ passion drives the success of WordPress which, in turn, helps you reach your goals.
Learn more about WordPress and how you can join our community to help shape the future of the world’s most popular website platform.
A Release Haiku
Six-point-oh is here Time to download and upgrade Let’s pause, celebrate
WordPress 6.0 is scheduled for release next week on May 24, 2022! This RC3 release is the final opportunity for you to test and help contribute to making the 6.0 release great.
You can view changes since the RC2 release via Gutenberg and Trac.
Installing RC3
This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, and test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended that you install RC3 on a test server and site.
You can test WordPress 6.0 RC3 in three ways:
Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
Option 3: When using WP-CLI to upgrade from Beta 1, 2, 3, 4, RC1, or RC2 on a case-insensitive filesystem, please use the following command:
wp core update --version=6.0-RC3
Plugin and Theme Developers
All plugin and theme developers are encouraged to complete testing of their respective extensions against WordPress 6.0 RC3 and update the “Tested up to” version in their readme file to 6.0 this week. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post detailed information to the support forums, so these items can be investigated further prior to the final release date of May 24.
Testing for issues is critical for stabilizing a release throughout its development. Testing is also a great way to contribute to WordPress. If you are new to testing, check out this detailed guide that will walk you through how to get started.
If you think you have run into an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. This is also where you can find a list of known bugs.
RC3, An (Almost) Final Haiku
It’s near time for six The reward is the journey Just one week to go
Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @dansoschin, @webcommsat.
The next release candidate for WordPress 6.0 is now available!
WordPress 6.0 is scheduled for release on May 24th, 2022 – just two weeks from today.
“Release Candidate” means that this version of WordPress is ready for release! Since the WordPress ecosystem includes thousands of plugins and themes, it is important that everyone within the WordPress community check to see if anything was missed along the way. That means the project would love your help.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards testing and logging issues to help make WordPress 6.0 stable (and awesome). WordPress still needs your help testing, especially theme and plugin developers.
Since the RC1 release on May 3rd, 2022, there have been approximately 40 issues resolved in Gutenberg and Trac.
Installing RC2
This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, and test this version of WordPress on a production or mission-critical website. Instead, it is recommended that you RC2 on a test server and site.
You can test WordPress 6.0 RC2 in three ways:
Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
Option 3: When using WP-CLI to upgrade from Beta 1, 2, 3, 4, or RC1 on a case-insensitive filesystem, please use the following command: wp core update --version=6.0-RC2
All plugin and theme developers should test their respective extensions against WordPress 6.0 RC2 and update the “Tested up to” version in their readme file to 6.0. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post detailed information to the support forums so that these items can be investigated further prior to the final release date of May 24th.
Testing for issues is critical for stabilizing a release throughout its development. Testing is also a great way to contribute to WordPress. If you are new to testing, check out this detailed guide that will walk you through how to get started.
If you think you have run into an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. This is also where you can find a list of known bugs.
The first release candidate (RC1) for WordPress 6.0 is now available!
This is an important milestone on the 6.0 release cycle journey. “Release Candidate” means that this version of WordPress is ready for release! Before the official release date, time is set aside for the community to perform final reviews and help test. Since the WordPress ecosystem includes thousands of plugins and themes, it is important that everyone within the WordPress community check to see if anything was missed along the way. That means the project would love your help.
WordPress 6.0 is planned for official release on May 24th, 2022, three weeks from today.
This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, and test this version of WordPress on a production or mission-critical website. Instead, it is recommended that you RC1 on a test server and site.
You can test WordPress 6.0 RC1 in three ways:
Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
Backport a bugfix of Comment Template block pagination (#55658)
Editor: Backport bug fixes for WordPress 6.0 from Gutenberg (#55567)
WordPress 6.0 is the second major release for 2022, following 5.9 which became generally available in January. This release includes nearly 1,000 fixes and enhancements spanning most areas of the WordPress platform. Some key highlights within the content creation and site-building feature sets include:
More template options: use blocks to edit five more templates (author, date, categories, tag, and taxonomy).
Multi-select: Easily select text across multiple blocks. Edit to your liking.
Retain Styles: Keep your custom styles in place, whether transforming between blocks or creating new buttons.
More patterns in more places: the Quick Inserter surfaces patterns that might work well for the condition you’re in, baking in relevant patterns for template parts and pages you’re working on.
List View improvements: New keyboard shortcuts (shift + click) let you select multiple blocks to modify in bulk (reposition, delete, etc.), see your content at a glance with a collapsed by default view, and more.
Refined design tools: Explorea new color panel, transparency options, more group block variations to create new layout options (Stack, Row), the ability to set your featured image in a Cover block, control the exact size of your featured image, gap support for the Gallery block, and more.
New blocks: Various Post Comments, Read More, No Results in Query Loop, Post Author Biography, Avatar blocks.
Block Locking: Choose to disable the option to remove a block, move it, or both, right in the editor.
Export block themes: Explore the improved block theme export tool, as WordPress heads closer to codeless visual block theme building.
Plugin and Theme Developers
All plugin and theme developers should test their respective extensions against WordPress 6.0 RC1 and update the “Tested up to” version in their readme file to 6.0. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post detailed information to the support forums, so these items can be investigated further prior to the final release date of May 24th.
Testing for issues is critical for stabilizing a release throughout its development. Testing is also a great way to contribute to WordPress. If you are new to testing, check out this detailed guide that will walk you through how to get started.
If you think you have run into an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. This is also where you can find a list of known bugs.
Haiku Fun for RC 1
Release candidate Our journey nearly done Get ready, WordPress
WordPress 6.0 Beta 4 is now available for testing!
Beta 4 was not part of the originally published development cycle. It is aimed at providing an opportunity for testing some specific issues that were resolved since Beta 3. WordPress will continue with the regularly scheduled release milestones on May 3rd, 2022, with the RC1 release.
This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, and test this version of WordPress on a production or mission-critical website. Instead, it is recommended that you test Beta 4 on a test server and site.
You can test WordPress 6.0 Beta 4 in three ways:
Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
Testing for issues is critical for stabilizing a release throughout its development. Testing is also a great way to contribute to WordPress. If you are new to testing, check out this detailed guide that will walk you through how to get started.
If you think you have run into an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. This is also where you can find a list of known bugs.
Another Haiku, Just for You
Beta four, surprise! Iterating all day long Time to share and test
WordPress 6.0 Beta 3 is now available for testing!
This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended that you test Beta 3 on a test server and site.
You can test WordPress 6.0 Beta 3 in three ways:
Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
Create Comments Title block with simple styling #40419
Navigation block: After choosing an option from Select Menu, focus after block render #40390
Add comment id to all comments inside comments query loop #40268
Add post-comments-form block to comments template #40256
Elements: Add styles to the footer before the block is rendered #37728
Add default comment status to discussion settings #55567
Fix styles for nested elements (link color) #55567
Move wp_enqueue_block_style() to wp-includes/script-loader.php, for better consistency #55182, #55148
Move administration related hooks to admin-filters.php #54795
Update on the Webfonts API and Style Variations in Twenty Twenty-Two
A prior announcement for WordPress 6.0 Beta 1 included a reference to “Webfonts API:Manage local fonts with PHP or theme.json”, as a feature that would be included in the release. WordPress 6.0 Beta 3 will allow theme authors to use webfonts in theme.json, with a public API for plugins to register and enqueue webfonts available in a future version for WordPress. Beta 3 will also include three new style variations to the Twenty Twenty-Two default theme.
How to Help
Testing for issues is critical for stabilizing a release throughout its development. Testing is also a great way to contribute to WordPress. If you are new to testing, check out this detailed guide that will walk you through how to get started.
If you think you have run into an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. This is also where you can find a list of known bugs.
WordPress 6.0 Beta 1 is now available for download and testing.
This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, and test this version of WordPress on a production or mission-critical website. Instead, it is recommended that you test Beta 1 on a test server and site.
You can test the WordPress 6.0 Beta 1 in three ways:
Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
Testing for issues is critical for stabilizing a release throughout its development. Testing is also a great way to contribute. If you have never tested a beta release before, this detailed guide will walk you through how to get started.
Testing helps make sure that this and future releases of WordPress are as stable and issue-free as possible. And anyone can do it – especially great WordPress community members just like you.
If you think you have run into an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. This is also where you can find a list of known bugs.
To review features in the Gutenberg releases since WordPress 5.9 (the most recent major release of WordPress), access the What’s New In Gutenberg posts for 13.0 (release pending), 12.9, 12.8, 12.7, 12.6, 12.5, 12.4, 12.3, 12.2, 12.1, and 12.0.
More template options: use blocks to edit five more templates (author, date, categories, tag, and taxonomy).
Multi-select: Easily select text across multiple blocks. Edit to your liking.
Retain Styles: Keep your custom styles in place, whether transforming between blocks or creating new buttons.
More patterns in more places: the Quick Inserter surfaces patterns that might work well for the condition you’re in, baking in relevant patterns for template parts and pages you’re working on.
List View improvements: New keyboard shortcuts (shift + click) let you select multiple blocks to modify in bulk (reposition, delete, etc.), see your content at a glance with a collapsed by default view, and more.
Refined design tools: Explorea new color panel, transparency options, more group block variations to create new layout options (Stack, Row), the ability to set your featured image in a Cover block, control the exact size of your featured image, gap support for the Gallery block, and more.
New blocks: Comments, Read More, No results in Query Loop, Post Author biography, Avatar blocks.
Block Locking UI: Choose to disable the option to remove a block, move it, or both, right in the editor.
Export block themes: Explore the improved block theme export tool, as WordPress heads closer to codeless visual block theme building.
Webfonts API: Manage local fonts with PHP or theme.json.
