WordPress 6.4.2 Maintenance & Security Release

WordPress 6.4.2 is now available!

This minor release features 7 bug fixes in Core. The fixes include a bug fix for an issue causing stylesheet and theme directories to sometimes return incorrect results.

This release also features one security fix. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately.

You can download WordPress 6.4.2 from WordPress.org, or visit your WordPress Dashboard, click “Updates”, and then click “Update Now”. If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically.

WordPress 6.4.2 is a short-cycle release. The next major release will be version 6.5 released in early 2024.

For more information on this release, please visit the HelpHub site.

Security updates included in this release

The security team addressed the following vulnerability in this release.

  • A Remote Code Execution vulnerability that is not directly exploitable in core, however the security team feels that there is a potential for high severity when combined with some plugins, especially in multisite installs.

To help the security team and WordPressers around the world, you are encouraged to responsibly report vulnerabilities. This allows vulnerabilities to be fixed in future releases.

Thank you to these WordPress contributors

This release was led by Aaron Jorbin.

WordPress 6.4.2 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver maintenance and security fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.

Aaron Jorbin, Aki Hamano, Akira Tachibana, Alex Concha, Angela Jin, Anton Vlasenko, Barry, bernhard-reiter, Caleb Burks, Corey Worrell, crstauf, Darren Ethier (nerrad), David Baumwald, Dennis Snell, Dion Hulse, Erik, Fabian Todt, Felix Arntz, Héctor Prieto, ironprogrammer, Isabel Brison, Jb Audras, Jeffrey Paul, Jessica Lyschik, Joe McGill, John Blackbourn, Jonathan Desrosiers, Kharis Sulistiyono, Krupal Panchal, Kylen Downs, meta4, Mike Schroder, Mukesh Panchal, partyfrikadelle, Peter Wilson, Pieterjan Deneys, rawrly, rebasaurus, Sergey Biryukov, Tonya Mork, vortfu

How to contribute

To get involved in WordPress core development, head over to Trac, pick a ticket, and join the conversation in the #core. Need help? Check out the Core Contributor Handbook.

As a final reminder, The WordPress Security Team will never email you requesting that you install a plugin or theme on your site, and will never ask for an administrator username and password. Please stay vigilant against phishing attacks.

Thanks to @angelasjin and @desrosj for proofreading.

WordPress 6.4.1 Maintenance Release

WordPress 6.4.1 is now available!

This minor release features four bug fixes. You can review a summary of the maintenance updates in this release by reading the Release Candidate announcement or view the list of tickets on Trac.

WordPress 6.4.1 is a short-cycle release. If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically. If your site does not update automatically, you can also update from your Dashboard.

You can download WordPress 6.4.1 from WordPress.org, or visit your WordPress Dashboard, click “Updates”, and then click “Update Now”.

For more information on this release, please visit the HelpHub site.

Thank you to these WordPress contributors

This release was led by Aaron Jorbin and Tonya Mork. Thank you to everyone who tested the RC and 6.4.1, and raised reports.

WordPress 6.4.1 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people. Their quick and concerted coordination to deliver maintenance fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.

@afragen @clorith @desrosj @pbiron @schlessera @azaozz @davidbaumwald @tomsommer @nexflaszlo @howdy_mcgee @baxbridge @earnjam @timothyblynjacobs @johnbillion @flixos90 @joedolson @jeffpaul @zunaid321 @courane01 @audrasjb @tacoverdo @ironprogrammer @webcommsat @otto42 @barry @chanthaboune @rajinsharwar @aaroncampbell @peterwilsoncc @anandau14 @iandunn @matthewjho @coffee2code @boogah @jason_the_adams @joemcgill @johnjamesjacoby @jrf @renehermi @dlh @mukesh27 @sumitbagthariya16 @starbuck @sergeybiryukov @ravipatel

How to contribute

To get involved in WordPress core development, head over to Trac, pick a ticket, and join the conversation in the #core channel. Need help? Check out the Core Contributor Handbook.

Thanks to @jeffpaul and @webcommsat for proofreading.

WordPress 6.4 “Shirley”

Record cover with an image of Shirley Horn, a record sliding down the right side, and the words Shirley WordPress 6.4.

Say hello to WordPress 6.4 “Shirley,” named after the iconic jazz artist Shirley Horn. Her distinctive voice and extraordinary connection to the piano established her as one of the leading jazz musicians of her generation. Horn’s journey from the Washington D.C. jazz scene to the international stage is a testament to her dedication and perseverance. Her influence reached far beyond the confines of traditional jazz, breaking boundaries and inspiring audiences worldwide.

Enjoy the easy pace of Shirley Horn’s music as you take in all that 6.4 offers.

This latest version of WordPress introduces a new, versatile default theme and a suite of upgrades to empower every step of your creative journey. Craft your content seamlessly with further writing improvements. Explore more ways to bring your vision to life and streamline site editing with enhanced tools. Whether you’re new to WordPress or an experienced creator, “Shirley” has something for you. Discover the unmatched flexibility of building with blocks and let your ideas take flight.

Many of the features and enhancements in WordPress 6.4 fall in the “small but mighty” category. Along with the adaptable beauty of the Twenty Twenty-Four theme, these updates help content creators and site developers alike save time and effort while delivering the high value, low hassle WordPress experience the world has grown to expect.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of WordPress

What’s inside 6.4

Meet Twenty Twenty-Four

Experience site editing at its finest with Twenty Twenty-Four. This new multi-faceted default theme has been thoughtfully crafted with three distinct use cases in mind, from writers and artists to entrepreneurs. Save time and effort with its extensive collection of over 35 templates and patterns—and unlock a world of creative possibilities with a few tweaks. Twenty Twenty-Four’s remarkable flexibility ensures an ideal fit for almost any type of site. Check it out in this demo.

Cropped screenshots of the Twenty Twenty-Four theme, showing its diverse use cases for photographers, bloggers, and small businesses.

Let your writing flow

New enhancements ensure your content creation journey is smooth. Find new keyboard shortcuts in List View, smarter list merging, and enhanced control over link settings. A cohesive toolbar experience for the Navigation, List, and Quote blocks lets you work efficiently with the tooling options you need.

Screenshot of a Quote block showing its improved toolbar and the text "Études has saved us thousands of hours of work and has unlock insights we never thought possible."

The Command Palette just got better

First introduced in WordPress 6.3, the Command Palette is a powerful tool to quickly find what you need, perform tasks efficiently, and speed up your building workflow. Enjoy a refreshed design and new commands to perform block-specific actions in this release.

Screenshot of the refreshed UI of the Command Palette. It displays a search bar with the words "Search for commands" and a variety of shortcuts listed below, including "Add new page," "Preview in a new tab," and "Patterns."

Categorize and filter patterns

Patterns are an excellent way to leverage the potential of blocks and simplify your site-building process. WordPress 6.4 allows you to organize them with custom categories. Plus, new advanced filtering in the Patterns section of the inserter makes finding all your patterns more intuitive.

Screenshot of the Site Editor's patterns view which shows a list of patterns with custom categories, such as "About," "Banners," and "Call to Action," patterns.

Get creative with more design tools

Build beautiful and functional layouts with an expanded set of design tools. Play with background images in Group blocks for unique designs and maintain image dimensions consistent with placeholder aspect ratios. Do you want to add buttons to your Navigation block? Now you can do it conveniently without a line of code.

Decorative image with text "Background images in Group blocks."

Make your images stand out

Enable lightbox functionality to let your site visitors enjoy full-screen, interactive images on click. Apply it globally or to specific images to customize the viewing experience.

Decorative photo of a triangular building structure with a "click to expand" icon on the right top corner.

Rename Group blocks

Set custom names for Group blocks to organize and distinguish areas of your content easily. These names will be visible in List View.

Screenshot of the List View tool. It shows a Group block renamed as "Hero Area" with inner Group blocks also with custom names, such as "Content," "Images," and "Call to action."

Preview images in List View

New previews for Gallery and Image blocks in List View let you visualize and locate where images on your content are at a glance.

Screenshot of the List View tool, showing the new image previews for the Image and Gallery blocks.

Share patterns across sites

Need to use your custom patterns on another site? Import and export them as JSON files from the Site Editor’s patterns view.

Screenshot showing the "Import pattern from JSON files" option from the Site Editor's patterns view.

Introducing Block Hooks

Block Hooks enables developers to automatically insert dynamic blocks at specific content locations, enriching the extensibility of block themes through plugins. While considered a developer tool, this feature is geared to respect your preferences and gives you complete control to add, dismiss, and customize auto-inserted blocks to your needs.

Cropped screenshot showing a mini shopping cart (in a red dotted circle) inserted into a navigation menu by Block Hooks.

Performance wins

This release includes more than 100 performance-related updates for a faster and more efficient experience. Notable enhancements focus on template loading performance for themes (including Twenty Twenty-Four), usage of the script loading strategies “defer” and “async” in core, blocks, and themes, and optimization of autoloaded options.

Accessibility highlights

Every release is committed to making WordPress accessible to everyone. WordPress 6.4 brings several List View improvements and aria-label support for the Navigation block, among other highlights. The admin user interface includes enhancements to button placements, “Add New” menu items context, and Site Health spoken messages. Learn more about all the updates aimed at improving accessibility.

Other notes of interest

Learn more about WordPress 6.4

Check out the new WordPress 6.4 page to learn more about the numerous enhancements and features of this release.

Explore Learn WordPress for quick how-to videos, online workshops, and other free resources to level up your WordPress knowledge and skills.

If you are looking for detailed technical notes on new changes, the WordPress 6.4 Field Guide is for you. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Developer Blog to stay on top of the latest development updates, tutorials, and more.

For more information on installation, fixes, and file changes, visit the 6.4 release notes.

The 6.4 release squad

​​The WordPress 6.4 release comes to you from an underrepresented gender release squad to welcome and empower diverse voices in the WordPress open source project.

Being part of the 6.4 release coordination team has allowed me to closely observe the intricate release process, where every detail, no matter how minor, is meticulously addressed—taking into account various factors like performance and backward compatibility. There’s still much to learn, but I feel fortunate to have had the chance to contribute to WordPress 6.4.

Akshaya Rane, 6.4 release coordinator team member

Over several weeks, the 6.4 release squad kept the release on track and moving forward by leading collective work, connecting ideas, and removing roadblocks.

Thank you, contributors

WordPress believes in democratizing publishing and the freedoms that come with open source. Supporting this idea is a global and diverse community of people working together to strengthen the software.

WordPress 6.4 reflects the countless efforts and passion of more than 600 contributors in at least 56 countries. This release also welcomed over 170 first-time contributors!

Their collaboration delivered more than 1150 enhancements and fixes, ensuring a stable release for all—a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress open source community.

6adminit · Aaron D. Campbell · Aaron Jorbin · Aaron Robertshaw · aayusha · Abha Thakor · Abid Omar · Adam Silverstein · Adhun Anand · admcfajn · adrianduffell · aegkr · ahardyjpl · Ahmed Hussein · Ahmed Kabir Chaion · ajakaroth · Aki Hamano · Akihiro Harai · Akira Tachibana · Akshaya Rane · Al-Amin Firdows · Alain Schlesser · Albert Juhé Lluveras · Alex Concha · Alex King · Alex Lende · Alex Stine · Alexandre Buffet · Alisha Bajracharya · Allison Tarr · Alvi Tazwar · amedv · Ana Cirujano · Anand Upadhyay · Anders Norén · André · Andrea Fercia · Andrei Draganescu · Andrew Hayward · Andrew Hutchings · Andrew Nacin · Andrew Ozz · Andrew Serong · Andrew Wilder · Andy Fragen · Andy Peatling · Ankit Gade · Ankit K Gupta · Ankit Panchal · Anna · Anne Katzeff · Anne McCarthy · Anne-Mieke Bovelett · anphira · Anthony Burchell · Anton Plauche · Anton Timmermans · Anton Vlasenko · Anveshika Srivastava · archon810 · arena · Ari Stathopoulos · Arnab Mondal · Artemio Morales · Arthur Chu · asafm7 · Aslam Doctor · Aurooba Ahmed · Austin Ginder · Ayesh Karunaratne · azharckra · Balu B · bangank36 · barbmiller · Barry · Bart · Basilis Kanonidis · Beatriz Fialho · behoney · ben · Ben Dwyer · Ben Greeley · Ben Hansen · Benjamin Intal · Benjamin Zekavica · benjaminknox · Benoit Chantre · Bernhard Reiter · Bernie Reiter · Bhrugesh Bavishi · Bijay Yadav · Binsaifullah · Biplav · Birendra Dhami · Birgit Olzem · Birgit Pauli-Haack · Block Themes Pro · bmalsht · bonger · bookwyrm · Boone Gorges · Boro Sitnikovski · Brad Jorsch · Bradley Jacobs · Brandon Kraft · Brandon Vreeman · Brian Gardner · Brian Haas · Brooke · Brooke. · Bud Kraus · Caleb Burks · Calvin Alkan · Carlo Cannas · Carlos Bravo · Carlos G. P. · Carolina Nymark · Cathi Bosco · ceer · cenkdemir · Chad Chadbourne · chased@si.edu · Chintan hingrajiya · Chip Bennett · Chloé Bringmann · Chris Runnells · chriscct7 · chrisdesrochers · codersantosh · Colin Stewart · Corey Worrell · Courtney Patubo Kranzke · Courtney Robertson · Crisoforo Gaspar · crstauf · Csaba (LittleBigThings) · Cupid Chakma · cybeardjm · Cyberchicken · Daisuke Takahashi · Dajeema Rai · Damon Cook · Damon Sharp · Dan Tovbein · Daniel Bachhuber · Daniel Richards · danieldudzic · Daniele Scasciafratte · Danielle Zarcaro · danieltj · darerodz · Darin Kotter · darkfate · Darren Ethier (nerrad) · Darshit Rajyaguru · Dave Loodts · dave03 · David Baumwald · David Biňovec · David Calhoun · David E. Smith · David Favor · David Herrera · David Ryan · David Smith · Dawid Urbanski · daxelrod · De Belser Arne · Dean Sas · Dee Teal · Deepak Vijayan · Denis Žoljom · Dennis Snell · Derek Blank · Derrick Tennant · Devan Ferguson · Dharmesh Patel · Dhrumil Kumbhani · Dhruvi Shah · Diane Co · Dilip Bheda · Dimitris Mitsis · Dion Hulse · DJ · dj.cowan · Dominik Schilling · doughamlin · Drew Jaynes · Earle Davies · Ebonie Butler · Edi Amin · Edward Caissie · Ehtisham S. · Ella van Durpe · Ellen Bauer · emailjoey · Emerson Maningo · Emily Clarke · Emily Leffler Schulman · emirpprime · enodekciw · Enrico Battocchi · Erik Betshammar · Esrat Sultana Popy · Estela Rueda · Fabian Kägy · Fabian Todt · Fabio Rubioglio · Faisal Alvi · Felipe Elia · Felix Arntz · Femy Praseeth · floydwilde · FolioVision · Francesca Marano · Frank Laszlo · Fredde Battel · fzhantw · Gabriel Koen · Ganesh Dahal · Garrett Hyder · Gary Cao · Gary Pendergast · Gennady Kovshenin · George Hotelling · George Mamadashvili · Gerardo Pacheco · Gio Lodi · Glen Davies · Gnanasekaran Loganathan · Gopal Krishnan · GOZER · gpotter · Grant M. Kinney · Greg Ross · Greg Ziółkowski · gregfuller · Guss77 · Gustavo Bordoni · gvgvgvijayan · Héctor Prieto · H.M. Mushfiqur Rahman · hanneslsm · Hanzala Taifun · Hareesh S · Harsh Gajipara · Hasanuzzaman · Haz · Helen Hou-Sandi · Hemant Tejwani · Hit Bhalodia · hlunter · Howdy_McGee · Huzaifa Al Mesbah · Ian Dunn · Incursa Designs · ironprogrammer · Isabel Brison · itecrs · Ivan Zhuck · jaimieolmstead · Jakaria Istauk · Jake Goldman · Jake Spurlock · James Hunt · James Janco · James Koster · James Roberts · james0r · Jamie McHale · Jamie Perrelet · Jamie VanRaalte · jane · Jarda Snajdr · Jari Vuorenmaa · Jarko Piironen · Jason Adams · Jason Cosper · Jason Crist · jastos · Jean-Baptiste Audras · Jeff Bowen · Jeff Everhart · Jeff Ong · jeffikus · Jeffrey Paul · jeflopo · Jeremy Felt · Jeremy Herve · Jeremy Yip · jeryj · Jesin A · Jessica Duarte · Jessica Goddard · Jessica Lyschik · Jick · Jip Moors · jivygraphics · Joe Dolson · Joe Hoyle · Joe McGill · Joen A. · John Blackbourn · John Hooks · John James Jacoby · John Regan · Jon Brown · Jon Cave · Jonathan Desrosiers · Jonny Harris · Jono Alderson · Joona · Joost de Valk · JordanPak · jordesign · Jorge Costa · Joseph G. · Josepha Haden · joshcanhelp · joshuatf · JR Tashjian · Juan Aldasoro · JuanMa Garrido · Juliette Reinders Folmer · Justin Tadlock · Jyolsna J E · K M Ashikur Rahman · K. Adam White · KafleG · Kai Hao · Kalmang · Kalpesh · Kamrul Hasan · Karlijn Bok · Karol Manijak · Karthik Thayyil · Katie Ayres · kawsaralameven · Keanan Koppenhaver · Kelly Choyce-Dwan · Kevin Fodness · Kevin Miller · Kevin Taron · khleomix · Khokan Sardar · Kim Coleman · Kishan Jasani · kkmuffme · Koji Kuno · Konstantin Kovshenin · Konstantin Obenland · Kopila Shrestha · krokodok · Krupal Panchal · Labun Chemjong · Lance Willett · LarryWEB · lastsplash (a11n) · lau@mindproducts.com.au · launchinteractive · Laura Adamonis · Laura Byrne · laurelfulford · Lauren · Laxmikant Bhumkar · Lee Willis · Lena Morita · Liam Gladdy · Linkon Miyan · Linnea Huxford · Lloyd Budd · Lovekesh Kumar · Luigi · Luis Felipe Zaguini · Luis Herranz · Luke Cavanagh · lunaluna · lyndauwp · Márcio Duarte · maciejmackowiak · madejackson · Madhu Dollu · Madhu Dollu · Maggie Cabrera · Mahbub Hasan Imon · Mahrokh · Mai · Maja Benke · maltfield · Manesh Timilsina · manfcarlo · Manzoor Wani · marcelle42 · Marcelo de Moraes Serpa · Marco Ciampini · Marco Pereirinha · Marcoevich · margolisj · Marin Atanasov · Mario Santos · Marius L. J. · Mark Jaquith · Marko Ivanovic · Marta Torre · Martijn van der Klis · martin.krcho · Mary Baum · Masoud NKH · mathsgrinds · Matias Benedetto · Matias Ventura · Matt Keys · Matt Watson · Matthaus Klute · Matthew Eppelsheimer · Matthew Farlymn · Matthew Haines-Young · matthewjho · maurodf · Maxwell Morgan · maysi · Md HR Shahin · meagan hanes · Mehedi Hassan · Meher Bala · Mel Choyce-Dwan · mer00x · merel1988 · Michael Arestad · Michael Burridge · Michael Showes · Michal Czaplinski · Michalooki · Michelle Blanchette · Michelle Frechette · Michi91 · Miguel Fonseca · Mikael Korpela · Mike Jolley (a11n) · Mike McAlister · Mike Schinkel · Mike Schroder · Mike Straw · Mikin Chauhan · Milen Petrinski - Gonzo · mimi · mitchellaustin · Monir · Mrinal Haque · mrwweb · Muhammad Arslan · Muhibul Haque · mujuonly · Mukesh Panchal · Mumtahina Faguni · Mushrit Shabnam · Myles Taylor · Nalini Thakor · nandhuraj · Nazgul · Nazmul Sabuz · Neil Hainsworth · nendeb · Nick Diego · Nicolas Juen · Nicole Furlan · nicomollet · nidhidhandhukiya · Niels Lange · Nihar Ranjan Das · Nik Tsekouras · Nilambar Sharma · Nilo Velez · niravsherasiya7707 · Nitesh Das · Nithin John · Nithin SreeRaj · Noah Allen · Nyasha · ockham · Ohia · okat · Olga Gleckler · Oliver Campion · OllieJones · Paal Joachim Romdahl · pannelars · Pascal Birchler · Paul Biron · Paul Kevan · pavelevap · Pedro Mendonça · pentatonicfunk · Pete Nelson · Peter Wilson · petitphp · petrosparaskevopoulos · Petter Walbø Johnsgård · Phill · Pieterjan Deneys · piyushdeshmukh · Plugin Devs · Pooja Bhimani · Pooja Derashri · Pooja N Muchandikar · pranavjoshi · Prashant · Presskopp · r-c · Rajin Sharwar · Ramon Ahnert · Ramon Corrales · Ramon James · Rebekah Markowitz · Remy Perona · ren · Renatho (a11n) · Rene Hermenau · Reyes Martínez · Riad Benguella · Rian Rietveld · Rich Tabor · Robert Anderson · Robert O'Rourke · Robin · robpetrin · Rolf Allard van Hagen · Ryan Duff · Ryan McCue · Ryan Neudorf · Ryan Welcher · Sérgio Gomes · Sagar Tamang · Sajjad Hossain Sagor · Sakib Mohammed · Sal Ferrarello · samba45 · Samir Karmacharya · Sampat Viral · Samuel Wood (Otto) · Sarah Norris · Sarah Williams · Sarath AR · Satish Prajapati · saulirajala · saxonfletcher · Scott Kingsley Clark · Scott Reilly · Scott Taylor · Scout James · scribu · Sergey Biryukov · Sergio Scabuzzo · Seth Rubenstein · Shail Mehta · shawfactor · Shawn Hooper · shilo-ey · Shiva Shanker Bhatta · shresthaaman · Shubham Sedani · Simon Dowdles · Siobhan · Siobhan Bamber · Smit Rathod · sofiashendi · Sonia Gaballa · Soren Wrede · SourceView · Spenser Hale · Stephanie Walters · Stephen Bernhardt · Stephen Edgar · Steve Erdelyi · Steve Jones · Subodh Sunuwar · Subrata Sarkar · Suji K Chandran · Sumi Subedi · Sumit Bagthariya · Sumit Singh · Sunita Rai · suprsam · syamraj24 · Sybre Waaijer · Synchro · Sé Reed · Taco Verdonschot · Tahmid ul Karim · Tahmina Jahan · Takayuki Miyoshi · Tammie Lister · Tanvirul Haque · Teddy Patriarca · tejadev · thinkluke · Thomas Patrick Levy · tibbsa · Tiffany Bridge · Tim Nolte · timdix · Timothy Jacobs · tmatsuur · TobiasBg · tobifjellner (Tor-Bjorn Fjellner) · Tom · Tom Cafferkey · Tom H · Tom J Nowell · tomluckies · Tomoki Shimomura · tomsommer · Tony G · Tonya Mork · Toro_Unit (Hiroshi Urabe) · Torsten Landsiedel · toscho · Tran Ngoc Tuan Anh · Trinisha · Trisha Salas · tristanleboss · TV productions · Ugyen Dorji · Ulrich · Umesh Balayar · Upadala Vipul · Utsav tilava · valentindu62 · Valerie Blackburn · Vicente Canales · Viktor Szépe · Vipul Ghori · vivekawsm · vortfu · Vraja Das · webashrafians · WebMan Design | Oliver Juhas · Weston Ruter · WHSajid · Will Skora · William Earnhardt · Willington Vega · Winstina · winterstreet · WraithKenny · wyrfel · Yoseph Tamang · Yui · zieladam · Zunaid Amin · Илья

Over 60 locales have translated 90 percent or more of WordPress 6.4 into their language. Community translators are working hard to ensure more translations are on their way. Thank you to everyone who helps make WordPress available in 200 languages.

Last but not least, thanks to the volunteers who contribute to the support forums by answering questions from WordPress users worldwide.

Get involved

Participation in WordPress is not limited to coding. If contributing appeals to you, learning more and getting involved is easy. Discover the teams that come together to Make WordPress, and use this interactive tool to help you decide which is right for you.

Looking ahead

Over the past two decades, WordPress has transformed the digital publishing landscape and empowered anyone to create and share, from handcrafted personal stories to world-changing movements.

The present and future of WordPress hold exciting opportunities for everyone, builders and enterprises alike. The foundational work for Phase 3 of the roadmap continues, with efforts focused on fostering real-time collaboration and streamlining publishing flows to improve how creators and teams work together in WordPress.

Stay on top of the latest news and contributing opportunities by subscribing to WordPress News and the WP Briefing podcast.

A release haiku

The smooth feel of jazz
The cutting-edge of the web
Install 6.4

WordPress 6.4 Release Candidate 3

The third release candidate (RC3) for WordPress 6.4 is ready to download!

This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC3 on a test server and site.

WordPress 6.4 is slated for release on November 7, 2023—less than a week away. If you haven’t tried it, now is the time.

You can test WordPress 6.4 RC3 in three ways:

  1. Plugin: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  2. Direct download: Download the RC3 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress site.
  3. Command line: Use the following WP-CLI command:
    wp core update --version=6.4-RC3

Read the RC1 announcement for featured highlights, and check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts. If you are looking for detailed technical notes on new features and improvements, the WordPress 6.4 Field Guide is for you.

The WordPress 6.4 release is brought to you by an underrepresented gender release squad to welcome the participation and partnership of those who identify as gender-underrepresented in the WordPress open source project.

What’s in WordPress 6.4 RC3?

Thanks to everyone who has tested the beta and RC releases. Since RC2 was released on October 24, there have been more than 25 issues resolved. You can browse the technical details for all recent updates using these links:

PHP compatibility update

It’s recommended to use PHP 8.1 or 8.2 with the upcoming 6.4 release. Refer to WordPress 6.4’s PHP compatibility post for more details.

Contributing to 6.4

WordPress is open source software made possible by a community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help, regardless of your technical expertise.

Get involved in testing

Your feedback and help in testing are vital to developing the WordPress software and ensuring its quality. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute. Check out this guide for instructions on testing WordPress 6.4 features.

The core Query block requires more testing and feedback to ensure the latest changes to prevent full page reloads work smoothly. Please note that this setting was called “Enhanced pagination” but has recently been renamed, and it’s now referred to as “Force page reload” instead.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.

Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Search for vulnerabilities

During the release candidate phase of WordPress 6.4, the monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled. Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

Update your theme or plugin

Do you build themes and plugins? Your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for users worldwide.

Hopefully, you have already tested your themes and plugins with WordPress 6.4 betas. With RC3, you will want to continue your testing and update the “Tested up to” version in your plugin’s readme file to 6.4.

Please post detailed information to the support forums if you find compatibility issues.

Documentation

Help the Docs team put the finishing touches on end-user documentation in time for the 6.4 release. Find out what’s needed and how you can help in this post.

Help translate WordPress

Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Português? Русский? 日本? Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages.

A RC3 haiku

One more week of prep
One more week to test the code
One more week til launch

Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @meher, @rmartinezduque, @sereedmedia, @jorbin, @luisherranz, @marybaum.

WordPress 6.4 Release Candidate 2

The second release candidate (RC2) for WordPress 6.4 is now available!

This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC2 on a test server and site.

WordPress 6.4 is slated for release on November 7, 2023—two weeks from today. If you haven’t tried it, now is the time.

You can test WordPress 6.4 RC2 in three ways:

  1. Plugin: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  2. Direct download: Download the RC2 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress site.
  3. Command line: Use the following WP-CLI command:
    wp core update --version=6.4-RC2

Read the RC1 announcement for featured highlights, and check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts. If you are looking for detailed technical notes on new features and improvements, the WordPress 6.4 Field Guide is for you.

The WordPress 6.4 release is brought to you by an underrepresented gender release squad to welcome the participation and partnership of those who identify as gender-underrepresented in the WordPress open source project.

What’s in WordPress 6.4 RC2?

Thanks to everyone who has tested the beta and RC releases. Since RC1 was released on October 17, there have been more than 25 issues resolved. You can browse the technical details for all recent updates using these links:

Contributing to 6.4

WordPress is open source software made possible by a community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help, regardless of your technical expertise.

Get involved in testing

Your feedback and help in testing are vital to developing the WordPress software and ensuring its quality. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute. Check out this guide for instructions on testing WordPress 6.4 features.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.

Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Search for vulnerabilities

During the release candidate phase of WordPress 6.4, the monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled. Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

Update your theme or plugin

Do you build themes and plugins? Your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for users worldwide.

Hopefully, you have already tested your themes and plugins with WordPress 6.4 betas. With RC2, you will want to continue your testing and update the “Tested up to” version in your plugin’s readme file to 6.4.

Please post detailed information to the support forums if you find compatibility issues.

Help translate WordPress

Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Português? Русский? 日本? Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages.

A RC2 haiku

You have been waiting
Download and give it a test
RC2 is here

Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @meher, @rmartinezduque, @michelleames, @cbringmann

WordPress 6.4 Release Candidate 1

The first release candidate (RC1) for WordPress 6.4 is now available!

This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC1 on a test server and site.

Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for release, testing remains vital to ensure that everything in WordPress 6.4 is the best it can be.

You can test WordPress 6.4 RC1 in three ways:

  1. Plugin: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  2. Direct download: Download the RC1 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress site.
  3. Command line: Use the following WP-CLI command:
    wp core update --version=6.4-RC1

The current target for the WordPress 6.4 release is November 7, 2023. Get an overview of the 6.4 release cycle, and check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts.

The WordPress 6.4 release is brought to you by an underrepresented gender release squad to welcome the participation and partnership of those who identify as gender-underrepresented in the WordPress open source project.

What’s in WordPress 6.4 RC1?

This release contains 420 enhancements and 445 bug fixes for the editor, including more than 260 tickets for WordPress 6.4 core. Browse the technical details for all issues recently addressed using these links:

Highlights

WordPress 6.4 is the third and last major release of 2023. It introduces a multi-purpose default theme, new features, and a keen focus on details to enhance every aspect of your creation journey—from site editing and design to writing flows.

  • A new flexible default theme brings together the latest and greatest of WordPress. Discover its vast collection of templates and patterns to tweak and match your brand. Built for versatility, Twenty Twenty-Four is an ideal fit for nearly any type of website.
  • Enable lightbox functionality in images for immersive viewing experiences.
  • Organize your patterns with your own custom categories. Find them all more intuitively with advanced filtering in the Patterns section of the inserter.
  • Enjoy more writing improvements, including new keyboard shortcuts, smoother list merging, and enhanced control over your link settings. A revamped toolbar experience for Navigation, List, and Quote blocks ensures cohesive and organized access to the tooling options you work with.
  • A redesigned Command Palette with new commands helps you find what you need, perform tasks efficiently, and speed up your workflow.
  • Rename Group blocks to organize and distinguish areas of your content easily.
  • See and locate your content’s media assets at a glance with new gallery and image previews in List View.
  • Build beautiful yet functional layouts with an expanded set of design tools. Play with background images in Group blocks for unique creative designs, keep image dimensions consistent with placeholder aspect ratios, and effortlessly add buttons to your Navigation block without custom CSS—among other new capabilities.
  • Block Hooks enable developers to automatically insert blocks at their chosen content locations, enriching the extensibility of block themes through plugins. While developer-centric, this new feature improves your building experience with blocks and gives you complete control to customize Block Hooks to your needs.
  • Over 60 accessibility updates, including significant List View enhancements, aria-label support for the Navigation block, and upgrades to the admin user interface.
  • More than 100 performance updates, focusing on template loading performance for classic and block themes, usage of the script loading strategies “defer” and “async,” and optimization of autoloaded options.

Are you looking for a deeper dive into details and technical notes? These recent posts cover a few of the latest updates:

Ways to contribute

WordPress is open source software made possible by a community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help, regardless of your technical expertise.

Get involved in testing

Testing for issues is critical to developing the software and ensuring its quality. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute—whether you have experience or not. Check out this guide for detailed instructions on testing key features in WordPress 6.4.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.

Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Search for vulnerabilities

During the release candidate phase of WordPress 6.4, the monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled. Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

Update your theme or plugin

Do you build themes and plugins? Your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for users worldwide.

You most likely have already been testing your latest themes and plugins with the WordPress 6.4 betas. With RC1, you will want to complete your testing and update the “Tested up to” version in your plugin’s readme file to 6.4.

Please post detailed information to the support forums if you find compatibility issues.

Help translate WordPress

Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Português? Русский? 日本? Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages. This release also marks the hard string freeze point of the 6.4 release cycle.

A haiku for RC1

RC1 in hand
WordPress evolves and takes shape
Testing, a sneak peek, in place

Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @meher, @rmartinezduque, @webcommsat, @annezazu, @cbringmann, @priethor.

WordPress 6.3.2 – Maintenance and Security release

This security and maintenance release features 19 bug fixes on Core, 22 bug fixes for the Block Editor, and 8 security fixes.

WordPress 6.3.2 is a short-cycle release. You can review a summary of the maintenance updates in this release by reading the Release Candidate announcement. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. Backports are also available for other major WordPress releases, 4.1 and later.

The next major release will be version 6.4 planned for 7 November 2023.

If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically.

You can download WordPress 6.3.2 from WordPress.org, or visit your WordPress Dashboard, click “Updates”, and then click “Update Now”.

For more information on this release, please visit the HelpHub site.

Security updates included in this release

The security team would like to thank the following people for responsibly reporting vulnerabilities, and allowing them to be fixed in this release:

  • Marc Montpas of Automattic for finding a potential disclosure of user email addresses.
  • Marc Montpas of Automattic for finding an RCE POP Chains vulnerability.
  • Rafie Muhammad and Edouard L of Patchstack along with a WordPress commissioned third-party audit for each independently identifying a XSS issue in the post link navigation block.
  • Jb Audras of the WordPress Security Team and Rafie Muhammad of Patchstack for each independently discovering an issue where comments on private posts could be leaked to other users.
  • John Blackbourn (WordPress Security Team), James Golovich, J.D Grimes, Numan Turle, WhiteCyberSec for each independently identifying a way for logged-in users to execute any shortcode.
  • mascara7784 and a third-party security audit for identifying a XSS vulnerability in the application password screen.
  • Jorge Costa of the WordPress Core Team for identifying XSS vulnerability in the footnotes block.
  • s5s and raouf_maklouf for independently identifying a cache poisoning DoS vulnerability.

Thank you to these WordPress contributors

This release was led by Joe McGill, Aaron Jorbin and Jb Audras, with the help of David Baumwald on mission control.

WordPress 6.3.2 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver maintenance and security fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.

Aaron Jorbin, Aki Hamano, Akihiro Harai, Alex Concha, Andrew Ozz, Andy Fragen, Anthony Burchell, Aurooba Ahmed, Ben Dwyer, Carolina Nymark, Colin Stewart, Corey Worrell, Damon Cook, David Biňovec, David E. Smith, Dean Sas, Dennis Snell, Dhruvi Shah, Dion Hulse, Ehtisham S., Felix Arntz, George Mamadashvili, Greg Ziółkowski, Huzaifa Al Mesbah, Isabel Brison, Jb Audras, Joe Hoyle, Joe McGill, John Blackbourn, John James Jacoby, Jonathan Desrosiers, Jonny Harris, Jorge Costa, Justin Tadlock, K. Adam White, Kim Coleman, LarryWEB, Liam Gladdy, Mehedi Hassan, Miguel Fonseca, Mukesh Panchal, Nicole Furlan, Paul Biron, Paul Kevan, Peter Wilson, Pooja N Muchandikar, Rajin Sharwar, Ryan McCue, Sal Ferrarello, Sergey Biryukov, Shail Mehta, Stephen Bernhardt, Teddy Patriarca, Timothy Jacobs, Weston Ruter, Zunaid Amin, ahardyjpl, beryldlg, floydwilde, jastos, martin.krcho, masteradhoc, petitphp, ramonopoly, vortfu, zieladam

How to contribute

To get involved in WordPress core development, head over to Trac, pick a ticket, and join the conversation in the #core and #6-4-release-leads channels. Need help? Check out the Core Contributor Handbook.

Already testing WordPress 6.4? The fourth beta is now available (zip) and it contains these security fixes. For more on 6.4, see the beta 3 announcement post.

Thanks to @jeffpaul, @chanthaboune, @peterwilsoncc and @rawrly for proofreading.

WordPress 6.4 Beta 3

WordPress 6.4 Beta 3 is now available for testing!

This beta version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended that you evaluate Beta 3 on a test server and site.

You can test WordPress 6.4 Beta 3 in three ways:

  1. Plugin: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  2. Direct download: Download the Beta 3 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.
  3. Command line: Use the following WP-CLI command:
    wp core update --version=6.4-beta3

The current target for the final release of WordPress 6.4 is November 7, 2023. Get an overview of the 6.4 release cycle, and check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts in the coming weeks for more information.

The WordPress 6.4 release is brought to you by an underrepresented gender release squad to welcome the participation and partnership of those who identify as gender-underrepresented in the WordPress open source project.

Want to know what’s new in WordPress 6.4? Read the Beta 1 announcement for details.

Get involved in testing

Your help testing WordPress 6.4 Beta 3 is key to ensuring its quality. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This detailed guide will walk you through testing features in WordPress 6.4.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.

Learn more about Gutenberg updates debuting in WordPress 6.4 by reviewing prior editions of What’s New in Gutenberg posts for 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, and 16.7.

Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Vulnerability bounty doubles during Beta 3

Between Beta 1 and the final release candidate (RC) for each new WordPress version, the monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled. Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

Update on the Font Library

The Font Library feature, initially planned for WordPress 6.4, is now set to release in 6.5. WordPress is committed to delivering the best possible experience. This decision allows time to address enhancement opportunities, test, and get enough feedback to meet WordPress’s quality standards. Thanks for your support as contributors work towards an exceptional Font Library experience.

Beta 3 highlights

WordPress 6.4 Beta 3 contains more than 60 updates since the Beta 2 release, including 29 tickets for WordPress core.

Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes; more are on the way with your help through testing. You can browse the technical details for all issues addressed since Beta 2 using these links:

A Beta 3 haiku

Beta 3 arrives
Testing where progress derives
Iterate, it thrives

Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @meher, @rmartinezduque, @cbringmann, @sereedmedia and @michelleames

WordPress 6.4 Beta 2

WordPress 6.4 Beta 2 is now available for testing!

This beta version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended you evaluate Beta 2 on a test server and site.

You can test WordPress 6.4 Beta 2 in four ways:

  1. Plugin: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  2. Direct download: Download the Beta 2 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.
  3. Command line: Use the following WP-CLI command:
    wp core update --version=6.4-beta2
  4. Local environment: Use wp-now to set up a Node.js-based WordPress 6.4 Beta 2 install locally. Learn more in this guide.

The current target for the final release of WordPress 6.4 is November 7, 2023. Get an overview of the 6.4 release cycle, and check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts in the coming weeks for more information.

The WordPress 6.4 release is brought to you by an underrepresented gender release squad to increase participation and partnership with those who identify as gender-underrepresented in the WordPress open source project.

Want to know what’s new in WordPress 6.4? Read the Beta 1 announcement and tune into Episode 63 of the WP Briefing podcast for details.

How to get involved with testing

Your help testing the WordPress 6.4 Beta 2 version is key to ensuring everything in the release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This guide will walk you through testing features in WordPress 6.4.

The Font Library feature, currently available in Gutenberg 16.7, requires more testing and feedback to ensure it is ready for inclusion in the upcoming 6.4 release. Check out this guide for detailed test instructions.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.

Learn more about Gutenberg updates debuting in WordPress 6.4 by reviewing prior editions of What’s New in Gutenberg posts for 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, and 16.7.

Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Vulnerability bounty doubles during Beta 2

Between Beta 1 and the final release candidate (RC) for each new WordPress version, the monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled. Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

Beta 2 highlights

WordPress 6.4 Beta 2 contains more than 50 updates since the Beta 1 release, including 18 tickets for WordPress core.

Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes; more are on the way with your help through testing. You can browse the technical details for all issues addressed since Beta 1 using these links:

Note on Twenty Twenty-Four

Please note that some images in the Twenty Twenty-Four theme may not load correctly. A fix is in the works! Learn more on this Trac ticket.

Note on pattern management improvements in non-block themes

While WordPress 6.4 will bring several exciting pattern advancements, improvements to pattern management in non-block themes will eventually be addressed in WordPress 6.5. The Beta 1 announcement has been updated to reflect this change accordingly.

A Beta 2 haiku

Not the first, nor last
A second space to reflect
Both new and not new

Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @meher, @sereedmedia, @rmartinezduque, @cbringmann, @priethor, @annezazu, @ironprogrammer.

WordPress 6.4 Beta 1

WordPress 6.4 Beta 1 is ready for download and testing!

This beta version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended you evaluate Beta 1 on a test server and site.

You can test WordPress 6.4 Beta 1 in three ways:

  1. Plugin: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  2. Direct download: Download the Beta 1 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.
  3. Command line: Use the following WP-CLI command:
    wp core update --version=6.4-beta1

The current target for the final release of WordPress 6.4 is November 7, 2023. Your help testing this version is key to ensuring everything in the release is the best it can be.

The WordPress 6.4 release is brought to you by an underrepresented gender release squad to increase participation of and partnership with those who identify as gender-underrepresented in the WordPress open source project.

Get an overview of the 6.4 release cycle, and check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts in the coming weeks for further details.

How you can help: Testing

Testing for issues is a critical part of developing any software, and it’s a meaningful way for anyone to contribute—whether you have experience or not. This detailed guide will walk you through testing key features in WordPress 6.4.

If you encounter 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. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.

Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Learn more about Gutenberg updates that have debuted since WordPress 6.3 by reviewing prior editions of What’s New in Gutenberg posts for 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, and 16.7.

WordPress 6.4 Beta 1 contains over 400 enhancements and 370 bug fixes for the editor, including more than 190 tickets for WordPress 6.4 core.

Vulnerability bounty doubles during Beta 1

Between Beta 1 and the final release candidate (RC) for each new WordPress version, the monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled. Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

A first look at WordPress 6.4

WordPress 6.4 will introduce a versatile default theme, new features, and numerous updates designed to enhance your WordPress experience across multiple areas—from writing and design to workflow efficiency. All while the foundational work continues for Phase 3 of the WordPress roadmap. Read on for some highlights.

Meet the Twenty Twenty-Four theme

Twenty Twenty-Four is a new default theme that will launch with 6.4. With a versatile collection of templates and patterns, this theme covers a diverse range of use cases, from entrepreneurs to small businesses to artists and writers. Twenty Twenty-Four also emphasizes the latest design tooling and site editing features, enabling you to leverage the flexibility of blocks and unlock numerous creative possibilities with just a few tweaks. Follow the theme’s progress and report any issues on this GitHub repo.

Manage fonts across your site

WordPress 6.4 will introduce new font management features:

The Font Library enables you to handle fonts across your site, regardless of your active theme—just like you manage assets in the Media Library. Easily install local and Google Fonts and choose which to activate for each theme. This new font manager is a powerful way to control a fundamental piece of your site’s design and branding without coding. Thanks to its extensibility, custom typographic collections can expand your font choices.

On the other hand, Font Face provides server-side @font-face style generation and printing support. It introduces a new global function called wp_print_font_faces(), which processes font data received from styles set in the editor or by the active theme.

Please note: The Font Library is slated for inclusion in upcoming 6.4 beta releases.

Add lightbox functionality to your images

Showcase your images in an interactive fashion with lightbox functionality. This new core feature will be available for Image blocks, allowing visual assets to be opened and enlarged on top of the existing content.

Enjoy new writing improvements

Many enhancements in 6.4 will ensure that your WordPress writing experience remains smooth and enjoyable, from new keyboard shortcuts to more reliable pasting from other sources. Moreover, a fresh toolbar experience will be available for the Navigation, List, and Quote blocks, making working with their tooling options more efficient and intuitive.

More design tools, greater creativity

New design tools will improve the overall creation experience with WordPress while providing greater layout control and flexibility. Some updates include:

Upgrades for smoother workflows

As the Site Editor continues to evolve and expand its capabilities, so do the interface and tools that support it.

First introduced in WordPress 6.3, the Command Palette helps you perform actions, search, and quickly navigate your site’s content and settings. It will receive significant updates in 6.4, featuring an updated design, new commands to accomplish block-specific actions, and better command language and action consistency.

List View provides a great way to browse and work with the blocks that make up your site. This release will introduce enhancements to its interface and usability, making it even more powerful. You can rename Group blocks, view media previews for Gallery and Image blocks, and duplicate blocks with a keyboard shortcut.

Pattern advancements

Patterns play an essential role in site editing, and its importance remains prominent in the upcoming release.

6.4 will allow you to better organize your synced and unsynced patterns with categories as part of the creation process. These categories are available for sorting within the insertion flow to make discovering and adding patterns easier. In addition, you can conveniently access all your custom patterns from the same place—the Patterns section of the Block Inserter, which removes the separate tab for synced patterns.

Other improvements include importing and exporting patterns as JSON files, ensuring backward compatibility with Reusable blocks, and enabling pattern transfer across sites.

Lastly, this release will improve compatibility with Classic Themes, building on the groundwork laid in WordPress 6.3 for pattern creation and management. A new Patterns tab under the Appearance menu of your dashboard will grant access to the pattern interface available in the Site Editor.

Introducing Block Hooks

Block Hooks is a new powerful feature that enriches the extensibility of block themes, drawing inspiration from the familiar WordPress Hooks concept. Upon activation, plugins can automatically insert blocks into content relative to another block. For example, a “Like” button block can automatically be inserted after the Post Content block.

While developer-centric, Block Hooks enhances the user experience by making block usage more intuitive and allowing for further customization and control over where and how the auto-inserted blocks appear. A new block inspector panel named “Plugins” is designed to respect creators’ preferences, ensuring you can add, dismiss, or relocate Block Hooks as desired.

Accessibility

WordPress 6.4 has 70 accessibility improvements slated for inclusion, 60 of those are included in Beta 1. Notable updates focused on enhancing the user interface (UI) experience include better button placements, improved context for “Add New” admin menu items, and upgraded spoken messages in Site Health.

Additionally, fixes for image editing in the Media Library, error reporting on the login screen, and “no motion” settings for GIFs have been implemented. The cause of some false positives in automated UI tests has been corrected, and users without JavaScript now see a direct link to install the Classic Editor plugin. Learn more about these changes and other accessibility improvements for 6.4 on WordPress Trac.

Performance

WordPress 6.4 will include more than 100 performance-related updates, including improvements to template loading performance for Block Themes and Classic Themes, usage of the new script loading strategies “defer” and “async” in core, blocks, and themes, and new functions to optimize the use of autoloaded options.

Please note that features in this list are subject to change before final release.

A haiku for 6.4

Inline fonts, lightbox
Command blocks like CLI
Almost to 6-4

Thank you to the following contributors for collaborating on this post: @meher, @sereedmedia, @meaganhanes, @rmartinezduque, @annezazu, @cbringmann, @flixos90, @richtabor@francina, @joedolson, @priethor, @davidbaumwald, @chanthaboune, @luminuu.