WordPress 6.0 closes the conceptual stage of the Gutenberg project Phase 2, bringing with it many enhancements to the full site editing, blocks, and global styles features.

This article will provide an overview of what to expect from WordPress’s next major release.

WordPress 6.0 Release Schedule

WordPress 6.0 is scheduled for release on May 24, 2022. The first beta release is expected on April 12, 2022, and you can Test it to explore the new planned features and report any bugs to the developers.

WordPress will launch several beta versions and release candidates before the final release. Here is the WordPress 6.0 timeline provided by the WordPress team:

Planned Features for WordPress 6.0

The previous major release has provided the foundation for full site editing with the Gutenberg editor and pattern library. We can expect considerable refinement of these features and new additions to create an even better site-building experience.

Now, let’s go through some of the highlighted features planned for WordPress 6.0. Note that this is not a definitive list, as the developers may change it as we approach the release date.

Site Editor

The site editor, launched in the previous major release, was a big step forward in page and post customization.

WordPress 6.0 will improve the editor by introducing new features and removing some limitations. Here are some expected site editor improvements in WordPress 6.0:

• Global style switcher. Users will be able to quickly switch between pre-made global style alternatives. This means you can implement a new global style without modifying the current one via the global style interface.
• Selecting text across multiple blocks. This new writing improvement lets you select text from multiple paragraph and heading blocks. If you try to do this in the current version, it will automatically select the entire block.

• Block style retaining. When you transform a block into a different block, this new feature will keep the block style, including color and typography. For example, the text color in a heading block will stay the same if you switch it to a heading block. This style retaining feature also applies to the button block when you add more buttons to the content.
• More template options. WordPress 6.0 will offer more options for template creation, such as author, category, and taxonomy.
• Decoupling themes from templates. Switching themes will not change any customized templates.

Browse mode and site navigation structurefor the site editor are expected to arrive in WordPress 6.0.

However, according to the WordPress 6.0 product walkthrough, these features are not ready yet.

Other than these major improvements, the new WordPress version will also provide UI improvements for the site editor, such as selectable blocks on the list view, the addition of a code editor and preferences for the main site editor, and better placeholders for various blocks.

Blocks

WordPress blocks will be significantly enhanced in WordPress 6.0, including the introduction of several new blocks. Here are some of the notable improvements to expect in the new release:

• New blocks. WordPress 6.0 will add post author biography and read more blocks. There’s also a plan to add 12 blocks for post comments, including comment form and comment loop blocks.
• Block style preview. Hovering over the block style options in the design tool will show a live preview in the content area.
• Block locking UI. WordPress 5.9 added the lock attribute, but users still need to tweak the code to lock a block. WordPress 6.0 will add a UI in the block toolbar to make locking a block easier.
• Featured image expansion. Featured images will no longer be limited to post featured image blocks. It will be possible to incorporate them into media and text blocks or cover blocks. This enhancement will improve the overall design possibilities.
• More transformation options. WordPress 6.0 will add six new block transformation options, including paragraph to code, group to row, and tag cloud to categories.
• Nested quote block. It will be possible to nest blocks and add paragraphs, lists, or code snippets inside the quote.

Patterns

Block patterns will be at the center of the site creation process in WordPress 6.0. WordPress has already kickstarted this by launching the pattern directory and pattern creator on the official website.

The main change planned is the replacement of the quick block inserter. If you click the plus icon in the content area of the site editor, the inserter will show pattern options instead of block options.

Another proposal is to use patterns for layout transformation. As of now, patterns are only used for creating new content. This proposal suggests that patterns should be able to transform the content layout without losing the existing content.

Design Tools

WordPress 6.0 aims to improve user experience, introduce more customization options, and expand API support in the design tools. There are also many smaller improvements, like a better color palette interface and border control.

Here are some of the significant improvements for the design tools in WordPress 6.0:

• Layout transformation for multiple blocks. WordPress 6.0 will add new options in the block toolbar and the design tool panel to transform multiple blocks. Users can select several blocks and use this feature to transform them into container blocks like group, row, and stack blocks.
• Custom post date format. The design tool for post date block will provide the option to use a custom date format.
• Gallery block gap spacing. The gallery block will have a block gap spacing configuration in the block design tool. This will allow users to better customize the layout of image galleries.
• Web Fonts API. The Webfonts API integration was excluded from the WordPress 5.9 release and will be re-introduced in WordPress 6.0. Users and theme developers will be able to add web fonts options to the global styles interface.
• Typography support for container blocks. Group, row, and stack blocks will have typography options.

Conclusion

WordPress 6.0 will bring significant improvements to the full site editing experience. We can expect more flexibility in the site editor and more customization possibilities thanks to the enhancement of the blocks and design tools.

WordPress developers will release the first beta version of WordPress 6.0 on April 12, 2022. You can Test it in a staging or testing environment to experience the features this major release will provide.

Some of these releases are full new versions or critical security patches, in which we recommend updating all your sites to the latest version fairly quickly. Others are minor fixes or even release candidates that are less critical to update right away or even optional (in the case of beta releases). 

How to update WordPress

If your sites are on a managed WordPress host, updates are probably automatically taken care of for you. The Core Hosting, for example, updates major versions two weeks after release and security updates  24-72 hours after release. Of course, you can always manually update your site yourself or opt-out of major version updates if you need more time for testing. 

Click here for more information about how The Hosting Guy handles updates to the WordPress core. 

If you’re not working with a managed provider yet, you’ll likely have to manually update your sites to the latest version via the WordPress admin panel. This is very easy to do, but can be time-consuming if you manage lots of client sites. 

To update WordPress manually, simply log into wp-admin and look for a notification at the top of the homepage prompting you to update. Click that, and you’re good to go!

Even if your hosting provider takes care of updates for you, it’s still a good idea to be in the know about the latest WordPress version. Then you can make sure your sites are ready for the upgrade and can take advantage of any important new features (like the recent Gutenberg Editor)!

To help you stay up to date with the most current WordPress version, we’ve created this changelog where we’ll publish the details of major version updates, security releases, and maintenance releases. 

The latest WordPress version is 5.5.1 “Eckstine” that came out on August 11th, 2020. Other recent versions include:

• WordPress version is 5.5 “Eckstine”
• WordPress 5.4.2 Security and Maintenance Release
• WordPress 5.4.1 Security and Maintenance Release
• WordPress 5.4 “Adderley”
• WordPress 5.3.2 Maintenance Release
• WordPress 5.3.1 Security and Maintenance Release
• WordPress 5.3 “Kirk”
• WordPress 5.2.4 Security Release
• WordPress 5.2.3 Security and Maintenance Release
• WordPress 5.2.2 Maintenance Release 
• WordPress 5.2.1 Maintenance Release

WordPress 5.5.1 Maintenance Release

Released on September 1, 2020.

This maintenance release features 34 bug fixes and five enhancements. Nothing too exciting in this short-cycle maintenance release except for improvements in user interface functionality. The WordPress core team is working around the clock to ready WordPress 5.6 for its target release in December!

Highlights of this maintenance release include: 

• Fixing an issue so you can now check your site health by using the [site-status-tests] filter.
• Fixing an issue with XML sitemaps since they were incorrectly paginated in the previous release (woohoo!).
• Removing the ability to change the list of environment types with a new wp_get_environment_type() function.

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine”

Released on August 12th, 2020.

This new version of WordPress, named after Billy Eckstine, is bringing improvements to three primary areas of your sites: speed, search, and security.

Speed improvements

Posts and pages now use lazy loading to feel like they load faster to users. This means images won’t load until they’re about to scroll into view, which should give image-heavy sites a nice boost in performance. (In fact, this is one of our recommended steps when optimizing images for the web!)

Search improvements

By default, WordPress 5.5 will include an XML sitemap from the moment you go live. This will help search engines discover your content sooner, and therefore help more people find your content sooner.

Security improvements

Outdated themes and plugins are one of the most common reasons sites get hacked, but it’s also easy to miss an update (especially if you’re using lots or managing several sites). WordPress 5.5 gives you the new option to set themes and plugins to automatically update when a new version releases, so you can automate the process on a per plugin or per theme basis.

A word of caution: Sometimes an update can cause problems on a site, which is why we usually recommend either making updates on a staging site first or using a service like The Hosting Guy’s Managed Plugin Updates Add-on (in which we’ll review the site and roll back updates if anything breaks).

A few other highlights of WordPress 5.5:

• Create stunning site layouts combining text and media with new block patterns.
• Looking for a new block? Search the directory right from the editor, so you never have to leave your screen to find what you’re looking for!
• Edit images right in the image block. You can now crop, rotate, and zoom without leaving the post or page. Plus you can edit images with an assistive device!
• Copy links in media screens and modals with a button (without trying to highlight the text).
• Move meta boxes with the keyboard.

To learn more about Eckstine and see what it brings for developers, check out the official release post or the documentation page.

For more information about this release, check out the announcement post.

WordPress 5.4.2 Security and Maintenance Release

Released on June 10th, 2020.

WordPress 5.4.2 features 23 bug fixes and 6 security patches, so it’s recommended you update to the latest version. If you haven’t updated to version 5.4, there’re also updated versions of 5.3 and earlier that fix the bugs for you!

Highlights of the WordPress 5.4.2 security updates include:

• Fixing an issue where authenticated users with low privileges are able to add JavaScript to posts in the block editor.
• Fixing an issue where authenticated users with upload permissions are able to add JavaScript to media files.
• Fixing an open redirect issue in wp_validate_redirect().
• Fixing an authenticated XSS issue via theme uploads.
• Fixing an issue where set-screen-option can be misused by plugins leading to privilege escalation.
• Fixing an issue where comments from password-protected posts and pages could be displayed under certain conditions.

For more information about this release, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.4.1 Security and Maintenance Release

Released on April 29th, 2020.

WordPress 5.4.1 features 17 bug fixes and 7 security patches, so it’s highly recommended you update to the latest version if you haven’t already.

Highlights of the WordPress 5.4.1 security updates include:

• Fixing an issue where password reset tokens weren’t properly invalidated.
• Fixing an issue where certain private posts could be be unauthenticated.
• Fixing XSS issues in the Customizer, search block, wp-object-cache, and file uploads.

For more information about this release, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.4 “Adderley”

Released on March 31st, 2020.

This major release, named after American jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley, is all about giving you more ways to make your pages come to life without sacrificing speed (in your workflow or your page load time). Let’s start with block updates.

Naturally, enhancements to the Gutenberg Editor were a big focus of this release. Here are some of the new things you’ll see!

• Two new blocks! “Social Icons” and “Buttons,” to increase interactions on your page.
• New color options, such as gradients for Buttons and Covers and added color functionality for Group and Columns blocks.
• A streamlined process for placing and replacing media in blocks.
• The option to have the Media+Text block link to something.

On top of all the block updates, WordPress 5.4 brings cleaner UI and easier navigation. You’ll find things like block breadcrumbs, better tabbing and focus when navigating with the keyboard, and a faster editor load time. (51% faster time to type!)

To round it out, this version also helps with some privacy-related matters (like being able to see progress as you process export and erasure requests), and a number of enhancements specifically for developers.

Here are a few highlights!

• You can add custom fields to menu items natively, thanks to two new actions.
• Blocks are easier to style, and no longer have negative margins and default padding.
• There are two new APIs for block variations and gradients.
• The block editor now supports TikTok in embeds.

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the WordPress 5.4 Field Guide. 

WordPress 5.3.2 Maintenance Release

Released on December 18th, 2019.

This maintenance release features 5 fixes and enhancements. Some high-severity tickets were opened shortly after WordPress 5.3.1 was released, so the team pushed this release to solve those issues.

Highlights of the WordPress 5.3.2 updates include:

• Ensuring that get_feed_build_date() correctly handles a modified post object with an invalid date.
• Fixing a file name collision in wp_unique_filename() when uploading a file with upper case extension on non case-sensitive file systems.
• Fixing PHP warnings in wp_unique_filename() when the destination directory is unreadable.
• Fixing the colors in all color schemes for buttons with the .active class.
• Using a proper delta comparison when checking the post date to set future or publish status.

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.3.1 Security and Maintenance Release

Released on December 13th, 2019.

This update features 46 fixes and enhancements, including a number of security improvements. For this reason, updating is highly recommended!

This security release includes fixes for: 

• An issue where an unprivileged user could make a post sticky via the REST API.
• An issue where cross-site scripting (XSS) could be stored in well-crafted links.
• Hardening wp_kses_bad_protocol() to ensure it’s aware of the named colon attribute.
• A stored XSS vulnerability using block editor content.

On top of these security updates, WordPress 5.3.1 also introduces several maintenance fixes, such as:

• Adding Customizer options to show/hide author bio, replace JavaScript-based smooth scroll with CSS, and fix Instagram embed CSS.
• Fixing Edge scrolling issues and intermittent JavaScript issues.
• Avoiding thumbnails overwriting other uploads when filename matches, and excluding PNG images from scaling after upload.
• Ensuring administration email verification uses the user’s locale instead of the site locale.

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.3 “Kirk”

Released on November 12th, 2019. 

WordPress 5.3, named after jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, brings some great improvements to the publishing experience. This version includes the new default theme, Twenty Twenty, which takes full advantage of the block editor to offer new levels of flexibility and design. It also features a variable font for the first time (Inter by Rasmus Andersson), which is easy to read for users and easy to load for browsers.

The block editor was also a major focus of this update, with over 150 new features and usability improvements! 

I won’t list them all, but here are some of the highlights: 

• Improved image support, specifically for non-optimized, high-resolution photos from a phone or camera. 
• Accessibility improvements, including a new Navigation mode that will help users jump from block to block when navigating the dashboard with a keyboard (instead of tabbing through every control).
• Predefined layouts, which makes it easy for content creators to arrange content in advanced designs. 
• Additional style options, including the ability to control the text and background color of Heading blocks, support for fixed-width columns in the Columns block, and a new Group block that can be used for creating colorful sections throughout the page. 

Beyond the block editor and Twenty Twenty, WordPress 5.3 also introduces some basic improvements that everyone will appreciate. Images will now automatically rotate on upload based on the embedded orientation data – a feature that was first proposed nine years ago! And now when you log into a site as an administrator, you’ll occasionally be asked to verify your email address. This should help reduce the chance of getting locked out in the event that your address changes. 

For more information about WordPress 5.3, check out the official release. 

WordPress 5.2.4 Security Release

Released on October 14th, 2019.

This security update fixes six bugs that are found in WordPress versions earlier than and including 5.2.3.

This security release includes fixes for: 

• An issue where stored XSS (cross-site scripting) could be added via Customizer.
• A method of viewing unauthenticated posts.
• A way to create a stored XSS to inject JavaScript into style tags.
• A method to poison the cache of JSON GET requests via the Vary: Origin header.
• A server-side request forgery in the way that URLs are validated.
• Issues related to referrer validation in the admin.

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.2.3 Security and Maintenance Release

Released on September 5th, 2019. 

This security update fixes bugs that are found in WordPress versions earlier than and including 5.2.2, along with a few additional feature enhancements. Updating is highly recommended!

This security release includes fixes for: 

• Issues where cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities could be found in post previews by contributors, stored comments, and shortcode previews. 
• Issues where validation and sanitization of a URL could lead to an open redirect or XSS attacks. 
• Reflected XSS during media uploads and in the dashboard. 

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.2.2 Maintenance Release 

Released on June 18th, 2019. 

This maintenance release fixes 13 bugs and includes improvements to the Site Health feature released in WordPress 5.2.

Highlights of the tickets completed in the 5.2.2 Maintenance Release include: 

• Dashboard elements don’t always have clear focus states or tab order
• Make Site Health page access be filterable
• Theme update links show in Customizer but don’t work

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the documentation page. 

WordPress 5.2.1 Maintenance Release

Released on May 21st, 2019. 

This maintenance release fixes 33 bugs (nice work, core contributors!) and includes improvements to the block editor, accessibility, internationalization, and the Site Health feature released in WordPress 5.2.

Highlights of the tickets completed in the 5.2.1 Maintenance Release include: 

• Gutenberg right-to-left (RTL) typing issues
• At least one function in /wp-includes/sodium_compat/src/Core32 that timed out on 32-bit servers
• wp_targeted_link_rel filter that shouldn’t be applied to “Custom HTML” widget
• Editor: Update packages for WordPress 5.2.1

For more information about this update, check out the official release post or the full list of changes. 

WordPress is constantly evolving and improving thanks to the dedicated team of developers working on the core. For more information about any and all WordPress versions, be sure to check out the Release Archive.