Wordpress

WordPress 7.0 Beta 5 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended to test Beta 5 on a test server and site.WordPress 7.0 Beta 5 can be tested using any of the following methods: PluginInstall and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.)Direct DownloadDownload the Beta 5 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.Command LineUse this WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.0-beta5WordPress PlaygroundUse the WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser. No setup is required – just click and go! The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.0 is still April 9, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Thank you to everyone who helps with testing! Please continue checking the Make WordPress Core blog for 7.0-related posts in the coming weeks for more information. What’s new in WordPress 7.0? Check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3 announcements for details and highlights. How to test this release Your help testing the WordPress 7.0 Beta 5 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 detailed guide will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.0. 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. Beta 5 updates and highlights WordPress 7.0 Beta 5 contains more than 101 updates and fixes since the Beta 3 release. Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes, and more are on the way with your help through testing. You can browse the technical details for all issues addressed since Beta 3 using these links: GitHub commits since March 5, 2026 Closed Trac tickets since March 5, 2026 Issues addressed since Beta 4: GitHub commits since March 10, 2026 Closed Trac tickets since March 10, 2026 WordPress 7.0 Beta 5 contains a new feature! Instantly access all the tools you need with a single click using the new Command Palette shortcut in the Omnibar! In 7.0 Beta 5, logged-in editors will see a field with a ⌘K or Ctrl+K symbol in the upper admin bar that unfurls the command palette when clicked. The new command palette entry point streamlines navigation and customization, giving you full control from anywhere on your site – whether you’re editing, designing or just browsing plugins. A Beta 5 haiku A smooth melody Beta 5 plays on its strings. Seven brings good things. Props to @amykamala, @annezazu and @4thhubbard for proofreading and review. View the full article

WordPress 6.9.4 is now available! WordPress 6.9.2 and WordPress 6.9.3 were released yesterday, addressing 10 security issues and a bug that affected template file loading on a limited number of sites. The WordPress Security Team has discovered that not all of the security fixes were fully applied, therefore 6.9.4 has been released containing the necessary additional fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. You can download WordPress 6.9.4 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. For more information on WordPress 6.9.4, please visit the version page on the HelpHub site. Security updates included in this release The security team would like to thank the contributors who reported and investigated this issue, in particular Thomas Kräftner for his responsible disclosure. The security issues that are resolved in 6.9.4 are: A PclZip path traversal issue reported independently by Francesco Carlucci and kaminuma An authorization bypass on the Notes feature reported by kaminuma An XXE in the external getID3 library reported by Youssef Achtatal View the full article

For nearly two decades, WordPress has been known for a simple, powerful idea: that anyone should be able to get online and start creating with minimal friction. The famous five-minute install captured that spirit for an earlier era of the web. Today, we’re introducing my.WordPress.net, a new take on that idea designed for a new generation of creators. With my.WordPress.net, WordPress runs entirely and persistently in your browser. There’s no sign-up, no hosting plan, and no domain decision standing between you and getting started. Built on WordPress Playground, my.WordPress.net takes the same technology that powers instant WordPress demos and turns it into something permanent and personal. This isn’t a temporary environment meant to be discarded. It’s a WordPress that stays with you. New Ways to WordPress When you open my.WordPress.net, you’re placed directly into a complete WordPress environment that runs entirely in your browser. What makes this approach meaningful is not just where WordPress runs, but how it changes the relationship between people and the software itself. By removing the need to sign up or make early decisions about hosting and visibility, my.WordPress.net reframes WordPress as a space you can enter and work within, rather than a service you have to configure before you begin. “This takes WordPress from being framed as something that is democratizing publishing to democratizing digital sovereignty.” – Alex Kirk Seen through that lens, my.WordPress.net is not just about convenience. As you don’t need to choose a hosting provider, your WordPress belongs entirely to you. In a publishing environment, you’d briefly interact with WordPress as you prepare your next post. In a personal setting, it becomes a place you shape and return to. That change unlocks new ways of thinking about what WordPress can be. Permanently and Privately Yours Because sites on my.WordPress.net are private by default and not accessible from the public internet, they don’t behave like traditional websites. They aren’t optimized for traffic, discovery, or presentation, and they don’t need to be. Instead, WordPress becomes a personal environment where ideas can exist before they are ready to be shared, or where they may never be shared at all. This changes how WordPress can be used day to day. It becomes a place to think, to draft, to organize, and to experiment without pressure, whether that means writing privately, collecting research, or building small tools for personal use. Learning also fits naturally into this model, since people can explore plugins, themes, and features inside a real WordPress environment where mistakes are expected and recoverable. This turns WordPress into a personal workspace. It becomes a place for thinking, learning, prototyping, and tinkering, where exploration matters more than outcomes. In that role, WordPress shifts from being something you prepare for others to visit into something you actively work inside, adapting to how you want to create and learn over time. Sparking Creativity with Apps To make these ideas concrete, my.WordPress.net includes an App Catalog with pre-configured experiences designed specifically for personal use, built with WordPress plugins. These examples highlight how WordPress can function when it’s private, persistent, and easy to experiment with. Each app installs with a single click and configures itself automatically. Personal CRM A private relationship manager designed to help you stay in touch with people who matter to you. Contacts can be grouped, enriched with personal details, and paired with reminders to reconnect. In the demo, this extends to analyzing communication patterns using imported chat data, all stored locally inside WordPress. Personal RSS Reader Using the Friends plugin, WordPress becomes a quiet, personal feed reader. Instead of relying on external platforms, you can follow sites and creators inside your own WordPress and read at your own pace, free from algorithms or engagement pressure. AI Workspace and Knowledge Base Because my.WordPress.net is powered by WordPress Playground, an AI assistant can safely modify it, empowering you to customize beyond what you’re used to. Ask it to modify a plugin to your liking, or create an entirely new one, featuring your desired block. Ask it about the data you have stored in your WordPress. The assistant remembers what it touches and makes it easy to share your changes with others. Over time, WordPress itself can become your personal knowledge base that the AI understands and works with. Zero Barriers my.WordPress.net lowers the barrier to getting started with WordPress to almost nothing. It offers a fast, commitment-free way to explore, learn, and build, whether the result is a long-term personal project or something that eventually moves elsewhere. In that sense, it updates the spirit of the five-minute install for a browser-first web. What you should know Storage starts at roughly 100 MB The first launch takes a little longer while WordPress downloads and initializes All data stays in your browser and is not uploaded anywhere Each device has its own separate installation Backups should be downloaded regularly Create and explore WordPress has always grown through experimentation. People trying things, breaking things, and discovering new ways to use the platform have shaped what WordPress is today. my.WordPress.net continues that tradition by making experimentation easier and more personal. It’s an invitation to create without pressure, to explore ideas that may never be published, and to use WordPress in ways that fit your life. Start exploring at my.WordPress.net my.WordPress.net is built on WordPress Playground technology. Learn more at WordPress.org/playground or join the conversation in the #meta-playground channel on WordPress Slack. View the full article

WordPress 6.9.2 was released earlier today and addressed 10 security issues. A few users have subsequently reported an issue where the front end of their site was appearing blank after updating to 6.9.2. The issue has been narrowed down to some themes using an unusual approach to loading template files via “stringable objects” instead of primitive strings for file paths. Although this is is not an officially supported approach to loading template files in WordPress (the template_include filter only accepts a string), it nevertheless caused some sites to break. As a result, the Security Team has decided to address this in a fast follow 6.9.3 release. As always, it is recommended that you update your sites to the latest version of WordPress immediately. This ensures your site is protected by all available security fixes in 6.9.2 and that you will not be affected by the bug fixed in 6.9.3. Many thanks to those who reported the issue, assisted in narrowing down the problem, and helped with the fix. You can download WordPress 6.9.3 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 shortly. You don’t have to do a thing! For more information on WordPress 6.9.3, please visit the version page on the HelpHub site. WordPress 7.0 beta 4 The next major release of WordPress will be version 7.0, which is planned for April 9, 2026. The Security Team has decided to package a new beta release (7.0 beta 4) to keep everyone protected from the patched vulnerabilities, including the dedicated members of the community focusing their time and effort on testing the upcoming release. This will be an additional beta release in the 7.0 release cycle. The schedule will remain the same going forward, but with five total beta releases instead of the previously planned four. The next 7.0 beta release is still scheduled for Thursday, March 12th. This beta version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please do not install, run, or test WordPress 7.0 beta versions on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, you should evaluate Beta 4 on a test server and site. Beta 4 updates and highlights WordPress 7.0 Beta 4 contains the ten security patches shipped in WordPress 6.9.2, and more than 49 updates and fixes since the Beta 3 release, including 14 in the Editor and 35 in Core. Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes. More are on the way, thanks to your help with testing. You can browse the technical details for all issues addressed since Beta 3 at these links: GitHub commits for 7.0 since March 5, 2026 Closed Trac tickets for 7.0 since March 5, 2026 As always, a successful release depends on your confirmation during testing. So please download and test! Props @peterwilson, @desrosj, @marybaum, @amykamala for peer reviewing. View the full article

WordPress 6.9.2 is now available! This is a security release that features several fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. You can download WordPress 6.9.2 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. The next major release will be version 7.0, which is planned for April 9th, 2026. For more information on WordPress 6.9.2, please visit the version page on 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: A Blind SSRF issue reported by sibwtf, and subsequently by several other researchers while the fix was being worked on A PoP-chain weakness in the HTML API and Block Registry reported by Phat RiO A regex DoS weakness in numeric character references reported by Dennis Snell of the WordPress Security Team A stored XSS in nav menus reported by Phill Savage An AJAX query-attachments authorization bypass reported by Vitaly Simonovich A stored XSS via the data-wp-bind directive reported by kaminuma An XSS that allows overridding client-side templates in the admin area reported by Asaf Mozes A PclZip path traversal issue reported independently by Francesco Carlucci and kaminuma An authorization bypass on the Notes feature reported by kaminuma An XXE in the external getID3 library reported by Youssef Achtatal The WordPress security team have worked with the maintainer of the external getID3 library, James Heinrich, to coordinate a fix to getID3. A new version of getID3 is available here. As a courtesy, these fixes are being backported, where necessary, to all branches eligible to receive security fixes (currently through 4.7). As a reminder, only the most recent version of WordPress is actively supported. The backports are in progress and will ship as they become ready. Thank you to these WordPress contributors This release was led by John Blackbourn. In addition to the security researchers mentioned above, WordPress 6.9.2 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people: Dennis Snell, Alex Concha, Jon Surrell, Isabel Brison, Peter Wilson, Jonathan Desrosiers, Jb Audras, Luis Herranz, Aaron Jorbin, Weston Ruter, and Dominik Schilling. View the full article

WordPress 7.0 Beta 3 is available for download and testing! This beta version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, you should evaluate Beta 3 on a test server and site.WordPress 7.0 Beta 3 can be tested using any of the following methods: PluginInstall and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.)Direct DownloadDownload the Beta 3 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.Command LineUse this WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.0-beta3WordPress PlaygroundUse the WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser. No setup is required – just click and go! The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.0 is April 9, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Please continue checking the Make WordPress Core blog for 7.0-related posts in the coming weeks for more information. Thank you to everyone who is contributing with testing! Catch up on what’s new in WordPress 7.0: Read the Beta 2 announcement for details and highlights. How to test this release Your help testing the WordPress 7.0 Beta 3 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 detailed guide will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.0. 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. Beta 3 updates and highlights WordPress 7.0 Beta 3 contains more than 148 updates and fixes since the Beta 2 release, including 70 in the Editor and 78 in Core. Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes, and 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: GitHub commits for 7.0 since February 26, 2026 Closed Trac tickets for 7.0 since February 26, 2026 Tapping into the power of AI is even easier in Beta 3! The WP AI Client Connectors screen now dynamically registers providers from the WP AI Client registry, in addition to the 3 default providers, giving users more flexibility and command over AI integrations. A Beta 3 haiku Through sun set and rise, Beta 3 takes off and flies. Seven soon arrives. Props to @annezazu, @jeffpaul, @chaion07, @audrasjb and @valentingrenier for proofreading and review. View the full article

WordPress 7.0 Beta 2 is now ready 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, you should evaluate Beta 2 on a test server and site. You can test WordPress 7.0 Beta 2 in any of the following ways: PluginInstall and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.)Direct DownloadDownload the Beta 2 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.Command LineUse this WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.0-beta2WordPress PlaygroundUse the WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser. No setup required – just click and go! The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.0 is April 9, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Make sure to check the Make WordPress Core blog for 7.0-related posts in the coming weeks for more information. Thank you to everyone who contributes by testing! Catch up on what’s new in WordPress 7.0: Read the Beta 1 announcement for details and highlights. How to test this release Your help testing WordPress 7.0 Beta 2 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 on what to test in WordPress 7.0 will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.0. 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. Beta 2 updates and highlights WordPress 7.0 Beta 2 contains more than 70 updates and fixes across the Editor and Core since the Beta 1 release. Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes; and 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: GitHub commits for 7.0 since February 20, 2026 Closed Trac tickets for 7.0 since February 20, 2026 Beta 2 also contains a new feature! AI provider management is more intuitive in 7.0 Beta 2 with a new Connectors UI dashboard page. WordPress users can now manage external AI connections in a central place in wp-admin, under Settings > Connectors. The new UI enables users to add, delete, and update external connections. It is powered by an extensible, route-based architecture that allows plugins and themes to hook into the page and expand its functionality. The new Connectors page builds on PHP-based script and menu infrastructure, and adds route components powered by @wordpress/components and @wordpress/admin-ui. A new connections-wp-admin-init hook and registration APIs allow plugins to integrate cleanly. This makes managing external connections easier while giving developers a clearer path to extend the experience. Heads up, block authors! WordPress 7.0 enforces the iframed editor for classic themes when all blocks use Block API version 3. Upgrade your blocks to version 3 to ensure compatibility. More details on Iframed Editor Changes in WordPress 7.0 here. Gutenberg 22.6, released on February 25th, will also be enforced in WordPress 7.0. Here are more details on What’s new in Gutenberg 22.6. A Beta 2 haiku New, and fresh as dew Crafted and refined for you: Beta 2 breaks through. Props to @4thhubbard, @annezazu, @audrasjb, @mukesh27, and @chaion07 for collaboration, proofreading and review. View the full article

WordPress 7.0 Beta 1 is ready for download and testing! This beta release is intended for testing and development only. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, use a test environment or local site to explore the new features. How to Test WordPress 7.0 Beta 1 You can test WordPress 7.0 Beta 1 in any of the following ways: PluginInstall and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.)Direct DownloadDownload the Beta 1 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.Command LineUse this WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.0-beta1WordPress PlaygroundUse a 7.0 Beta 1 WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser. No setup required-just click and go! The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.0 is April 9, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Thank you to everyone who contributes by testing! How important is your testing? Testing for issues is a critical part of developing any software, and it’s a meaningful way for anyone to contribute – whether or not you have experience. Details on what to test in WordPress 7.0 are available here. If you encounter an issue, please share it in the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums. If you are comfortable submitting a reproducible bug report, you can do so via WordPress Trac. You can also check your issue against this list of known bugs. Curious about testing releases in general and how to get started? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack. WordPress 7.0 will include new features that were previously only available in the Gutenberg plugin. Learn more about Gutenberg updates since WordPress 6.9 in the What’s New in Gutenberg posts for versions 22.0, 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 22.4, 22.5 & 22.6. What’s new in WordPress 7.0? WordPress 7.0 boasts numerous upgrades in the editing and admin experience, delivering enhanced real time collaboration, refined customizability, new dashboard styles, and an expanded developer toolbox for people who create, design, and build with WordPress every day. Working as a team just got easier with the ability for multiple users to edit together in real time, while visual revisions allow a visual comparison between page versions, adding agility to the creation and review process. Working with patterns has been simplified, making layout updates and content changes more intuitive, while view transitions smoothly move you from screen to screen as you click. New and improved blocks and design features in 7.0 make sites more customizable, with video embed backgrounds in the Cover block, a responsive-enabled Grid block, and new Icons, Breadcrumbs and Heading blocks. An updated Navigation block makes menu changes easier and more reliable in fewer steps. Responsive, mobile-friendly controls in 7.0 allow you to hide or reveal blocks based on screen size, while client-side media handling speeds up media processing. The Font Library screen for managing installed fonts is now enabled for all themes, so site editors are always able to browse, install, and organize fonts. For developers, it’s now easier to build modern experiences while staying aligned with Core principles. The new WP AI Client in WordPress 7.0 brings a layer into Core that allows leveraging of AI models from any provider within the WordPress framework. This means plugins and themes can tap into any AI model to expound on its endless options. 7.0 offers even more versatility with the Client Side Abilities API that introduces a standardized way to register and run “abilities” in the browser, supporting richer, more consistent workflows. Additionally, 7.0 introduces PHP-only block registration with auto-generated inspector controls, adding a new dimension to block creation, while Block Bindings updates for pattern overrides expands support to custom dynamic blocks, giving block creators more options. Needless to say, this release offers a wide range of flexibility to creators, teams and developers, while bringing a visual refresh to the admin experience you know and love with a fresh default style. Work together in real time Building on the momentum started in WordPress 6.9, the ability for teams to create and edit together is more refined and robust in 7.0. With this version of WordPress multiple users can edit and collaborate on the same post or page in real time, with data syncing and stabilized notes for smoother teamwork and a more streamlined editing and review process. Real Time Collaboration: Teams can now edit posts and pages together live from multiple locations, with offline editing and data syncing enabled, and a new default HTTP polling sync provider with options for plugins or hosts to include websocket support. With this collaborative content creation workflow, teams can brainstorm more effectively and boost productivity. For the beta period, real-time collaboration is opt-in in order to get broader feedback and testing. Notes: 7.0 introduces real time syncing of notes that helps facilitate collaboration, a keyboard shortcut for new notes, and a series of quality-focused fixes that bring more stability to the Notes feature. A Refined Admin Experience WordPress 7.0 gives the wp-admin experience a boost with a fresh default color scheme, and a cleaner, more modern looking dashboard, while keeping the interface familiar. The upgraded dashboard enhances the editing experience with new visual revision comparisons, and smooth transitioning between screens. Visual Revisions: Working with revisions is even better in 7.0 with the added ability to make visual comparisons to revision versions within the editor. View transitions: Cross-document view transitions in the dashboard offer visual continuity with seamless movement from screen to screen. Customizing content with ease Creators have more flexibility in 7.0 with new tools for content and design, enhanced editing controls, and attention to mobile friendliness. Responsive Editing Mode: Block visibility is now more responsive and mobile-friendly, with the ability for blocks to be displayed or hidden based on screen size. Pattern Editing and contentOnly interactivity: WordPress 7.0 introduces pattern-level editing modes, a tree view for buttons and list blocks, and the ability to opt out of the default content only mode. The new Spotlight mode helps you isolate content in patterns and notes, while the Isolated Editor mode can be used for editing symbols and reusable pieces like synced patterns, template parts, or navigation. Block supports and design tools: 7.0 includes text line indent support, text column support, aspect ratios for wide and full images, dimension width and height support, and dimension presets, tools and controls. New blocks and design options at your fingertips 7.0 delivers a series of new and improved blocks and block features, a streamlined navigation workflow, and more versatile design options like video embeds as section backgrounds. Navigation Block: Navigation workflow is now more intuitive and clear, with improved editing and presentation. 7.0 introduces customizable navigation overlays as template parts, including mobile version overlays that can be hidden or revealed based on custom breakpoint settings. Heading Block: Heading levels are now available as block variations, giving more control over page hierarchy and design. New blocks: 7.0 makes building pages more diverse with new Breadcrumbs and Icons blocks. Cover block embedded videos: Video embeds can now be used as a background in the cover block, opening up opportunities for sleeker and more creative designs. The Grid block is now responsive-enabled allowing grid-based layouts to adapt more smoothly across screen sizes. The Gallery block now has lightbox support that lets the user click through and view each gallery image. Developer’s toolbox Working with WordPress on the backend is now more robust for developers, with new and enhanced API features that support flexibility and lay a foundation for future advancements. The Client Side Abilities API provides a client-side registry for WordPress capabilities that allows you to tap into new and innovative website options. WordPress 7.0 offers even more by introducing the Web Client AI API to Core, enabling access to generative AI models in one central interface. Web Client AI API: The new AI client and API acts as a command center for accessing and communicating with generative AI models, with providers remaining external to WordPress Core, and Abilities API integration. Abilities and Workflows API: With the new client side abilities package users have access to new and hybrid abilities, filter and search functionality for abilities, and an improved command palette and UI. Blocks and patterns created on the server: WordPress 7.0 boasts the ability for PHP-only blocks and patterns to be generated server-side and auto-registered with the Block API. DataForm: Introducing a new details layout, new controls (combobox, adaptiveSelect), and updated trigger for panel layout (dedicated edit button). Additionally, the initial iteration for validation is complete: all controls have support, and all layouts display error messages. DataViews: DataViews has a new activity layout, and a foundation has been laid to be able to register 3rd party types in future releases. CodeMirror update: CodeMirror has been updated to version 5.65.40, aiding more flexible extensibility and library options. Media processing in the browser WordPress 7.0 introduces Client-side media processing, leveraging the browser’s capabilities to handle tasks, like image resizing and compression, for smoother image processing. This enables the use of more advanced image formats and compression techniques, and reduces demand on the web server; providing a more efficient media handling process for both new and existing content, and supporting smoother media workflows. With so many options and enhancements in WordPress 7.0 Beta 1, this is still only the beginning. You can expect future releases to be even better. Just for you: a Beta 1 haiku: As sun kisses moon, Beta 1 ignites in bloom… Seven-oh lands soon. Props to @ellatrix, @jeffpaul, @annezazu, @chaion07, @zunaid321, @audrasjb, @mukesh27, @ankit-k-gupta, @oandregal, @westonruter, @karmatosed, @bph for reviewing and collaborating on this post! View the full article

Today, we are happy to announce our first WordPress-focused micro-credential, designed to help students build practical AI skills, earn a recognized credential, and connect more directly to job opportunities. The program, AI Leaders, is a workforce-oriented credential rooted in WordPress and open source contributions. Students are paid for their time, work on real WordPress projects, and gain hands-on experience applying AI in ways that are directly relevant to the WordPress ecosystem. This pilot represents a meaningful step forward in how the project supports learning, contribution, and career pathways. Beginning in March 2026, AI Leaders launches its first cohort of 80 students from Illinois and Louisiana, with University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) students given priority to apply before enrollment expands to the public. Enrollees begin with an orientation covering generative AI tools and AI literacy. From there, 40 participants are selected for the full course experience. Ultimately, the program leads to the AI Leader WordPress Micro-Credential and an opportunity to pursue living-wage job pathways. Learners who complete the course also earn $1,000 (USD). This pilot is the result of collaboration across several organizations, each playing a distinct role. The program is funded through the UIC Tech Solutions Open Source Fund, with support from the University of Illinois Chicago and Automattic. That funding supports program delivery, participant compensation, and the institutional infrastructure needed to run the pilot. Alongside that funding, the WordPress project and the WordPress Foundation will contribute to the development of the credential itself. This includes shaping the curriculum, grounding the work in real WordPress AI use cases, and ensuring alignment with open source values and public benefit. Visit the AI Leaders site to learn more and apply. Start Your Application This is the first WordPress Foundation-backed micro-credential, and it is intentionally being run as a pilot. We are exploring how the Foundation could support additional credentials over time, across different skill areas and partners, while maintaining clear governance, openness, and alignment with the WordPress project. It represents a step toward a future where WordPress contributors can more easily translate their skills into credentials, careers, and long-term opportunities. WordPress offers a wide range of educational opportunities for people at every stage, from first steps to advanced contribution. Explore workshops, lesson plans, and community-created resources designed to help you build practical skills while connecting with others who are learning and contributing at WordPress.org/education/. View the full article

WordPress 6.9.1 is now available! This minor release includes fixes for 49 bugs throughout Core and the Block Editor, addressing issues affecting multiple areas of WordPress including the block editor, mail, and classic themes. For a full list of bug fixes, please refer to the release candidate announcement. WordPress 6.9.1 is a short-cycle maintenance release. The next major version of WordPress will be 7.0; it is scheduled for release on 9 April 2026 at WordCamp Asia. If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically. You can download WordPress 6.9.1 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 Aki Hamano. WordPress 6.9.1 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver maintenance fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community. Aaron Jorbin, Aaron Robertshaw, acmoifr, Adam Silverstein, Adil Öztaşer, Aki Hamano, Alexander Bigga, amanandhishoe, Andrew Serong, Bernie Reiter, brumack, David Arenas, David Baumwald, Deepak Gupta, Deepak Prajapati, Dennis Snell, digitalblanket, Ella Van Durpe, Fabian Kaegy, George Mamadashvili, Hit Bhalodia, iflairwebtechnologies, Isabel Brison, Jaydeep Das, Jb Audras, Jeff Golenski, Jeffrey Paul, jhtjards, Joe Dolson, John Blackbourn, Jon Surrell, Jonathan Desrosiers, Jorge Costa, Justin Tadlock, Karthick, Kirtikumar Solanki, Lena Morita, luisherranz, Madhavi Shah, Manuel Camargo, Maud Royer, Mehraz Morshed, Monarobase, mrwweb, Mukesh Panchal, Muryam Sultana, mydesign78, Narendra Sishodiya, Nik Tsekouras, Ninos, Noruzzaman, Olga Gleckler, Ophelia Rose, Ov3rfly, Ozgur Sar, Paragon Initiative Enterprises, Pascal Birchler, Pavel Vybíral, Peter Wilson, pmbs, Presskopp, r1k0, ramonopoly, Riad Benguella, Ricardo S., Rolly Bueno, Sarah Norris, Scott Reilly, Sergey Biryukov, Shazzad Hossain Khan, siliconforks, Soyeb Salar, spielers, Stephen Bernhardt, studio_m, Takashi Irie, Takashi Kitajima, threadi, Tobias Bäthge, Tomoki Shimomura, Umesh Singh, Vania, Weston Ruter, WFMattR, wolf45, zoe20 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. Props to @audrasjb, @davidbaumwald, @westonruter, @jeffpaul, @presskopp for proofreading. View the full article

Faster Way For AI Agents To Test AI code agents are getting better at writing WordPress plugins and themes, but testing can still be the slow part. WordPress contributor Brandon Payton has published wp-playground, a new AI agent skill designed to run WordPress via the Playground CLI, giving agents a fast, repeatable way to run WordPress and verify their work as they iterate. “AI agents work better when they have a clear feedback loop. That’s why I made the wp-playground skill. It gives agents an easy way to test WordPress code and makes building and experimenting with WordPress a lot more accessible.” — Brandon Payton, WordPress Contributor What the Playground skill does When launched, the skill starts WordPress and detects where the current code should live inside a WordPress install. For example, it can mount a plugin into wp-content/plugins or a theme into wp-content/themes by recognizing common file signatures (such as plugin headers or a theme’s style.css). This helps agents move from “generated code” to “running site” with fewer manual steps. Install and try it today. Find more information on this GitHub link: WordPress AI Agent Skills Early results and testing workflow In testing, agents were able to start WordPress, build playful plugins, and validate behavior in a tight feedback loop. Once Playground was running, the agent alternated between tools such as curl and Playwright to interact with WordPress, verify results, apply fixes when needed, and then re-verify with Playground. Faster startup and smoother iteration Helper scripts handle startup and shutdown, so an agent doesn’t waste time guessing when WordPress is ready. Using helper scripts reduced the “ready to test” moment from roughly a minute to a few seconds on the author’s machine. The Playground CLI can also log in automatically for easier WP-Admin access during testing. Install and try it now For those who want to try it in Claude Code, Codex, or another AI agent, installation requires Node.js and npm and looks like this: # Run this in a project directory to install the skills for that project npx openskills install WordPress/agent-skills # Make skills available to non-Claude agents npx openskills sync A new repo for WordPress agent skills This release also comes with a new home for this kind of work: https://github.com/WordPress/agent-skills. It’s an early step in exploring how AI agents can collaborate with WordPress tooling, and contributions from the community are welcome. Future additions being explored include persistent Playground sites based on the current directory, running commands against an existing Playground instance (including wp-cli), and Blueprint generation. View the full article

WordCamp Asia is back in 2026, this time in Mumbai, India, and it’s building on a year that showed just how ambitious and connected the WordPress community has become. Now is the time to get involved. Get your ticket, explore sponsorship opportunities, and help spread the word. Get Your Event Pass Become a Sponsor About WordCamp Asia In 2025, more than 1,400 attendees from 71 countries gathered in person, with nearly 15,000 more joining online for WordCamp Asia 2025. With notable guests like WordPress Co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Gutenberg Lead Architect Matías Ventura, and a diverse lineup of speakers and panelists from across the ecosystem, WordCamp Asia 2025 brought together a community actively shaping the future of the open web. It’s the people. It’s the friendships and the stories. Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Cofounder WordCamp isn’t just about sessions and schedules. It’s about connection. It’s about learning directly from people who are building, scaling, and sustaining WordPress in the real world. It’s about sharing ideas, debating the future of the open web, and leaving with renewed energy for the work ahead. And in 2026, that spirit returns stronger than ever. Tickets for WordCamp Asia 2026 are on sale now, and this is the moment to secure your spot. WordCamps are intentionally priced to remain accessible, and early ticket sales help organizers plan an inclusive, high-quality experience for everyone. Join 3,000+ Web Professionals April 9 – 11, 2026 | Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, India Get Your Event Pass WordCamp Asia is also made possible by the organizations that step up to support it. Sponsorship plays a critical role in keeping the event accessible, supporting contributors and volunteers, and ensuring the experience reflects the values of the WordPress project. For sponsors, WordCamp Asia 2026 offers a rare opportunity to connect with a highly engaged, global audience in a setting built on trust, collaboration, and shared purpose. Sponsorship packages are designed to support a wide range of organizations, from local companies to global businesses building products and services on WordPress. Beyond visibility, sponsors become part of the story—helping sustain the ecosystem and invest directly in the community that makes WordPress possible. If your company is interested in becoming a sponsor or you would like to know more, please reach out. Become a Sponsor At every level, WordCamp Asia is powered by people. Organizers, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees all contribute to an experience that reflects WordPress’s shared values of openness and collaboration. It’s a place where new voices are welcomed, long-time contributors reconnect, and ideas move from conversation to action. WordCamp Asia 2026 is more than an event—it’s a moment to come together, reflect on where we are, and help shape what comes next. Whether you’re attending for the first time, returning for another year, or supporting the event as a sponsor, your involvement helps strengthen the WordPress ecosystem and the global community behind it. We’ll see you in Mumbai. View the full article

Over the past few weeks, a new space has taken shape on WordPress.org for students who want to learn, build, and contribute. WordPress Education programs bring together initiatives that help students enter the WordPress ecosystem through clear, accessible entry points that lead to real-world practice. With hands-on initiatives and supportive communities, participants can grow new skills and take their first steps as contributors. Across campuses and communities worldwide, learners publish real projects, build practical experience, and gain confidence as part of open source creation. CC0 licensed photo by Virendra Kumar Yadav from the WordPress Photo Directory. A clearer path into the WordPress ecosystem WordPress Education is designed to help students turn knowledge into practice, discover their strengths, and understand how their contributions can make a real impact through three core programs: WordPress Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and WordPress Student Clubs. Through hands-on campus events, such as WordPress Campus Connect, on-campus groups like WordPress Student Clubs, and a practice-based program called WordPress Credits, participants can gain practical experience, publish real-world projects, and build confidence as contributors to a global culture of open-source creation. At its heart, these WordPress education programs are about three simple ideas: Learn. Build. Connect. This update brings WordPress education programs together in one place, with an easy way to explore initiatives, understand how they work, and take the next step. You will find: A home for WordPress Education programs and updates Clear “how to get involved” paths for students, educators, mentors, organizers, and sponsors Stories, highlights, and examples of real projects created through the programs Links to the Education Handbook for program guidelines and resources Want to learn more about WordPress education opportunities? Visit The Portal You can also view more information from the WordPress Community Education Programs Handbook. Learn how this serves as a central guide and resource for all community-driven educational initiatives. WordPress Campus Connect WordPress Campus Connect is a growing global learning initiative that brings hands-on WordPress learning directly to the students on their campus. The organizers can come from within educational institutions or from the local communities to help deliver WordPress programming and create the future stewards of WordPress. Learn more: https://wordpress.org/education/campus-connect/ WordPress Credits WordPress Credits is a contribution-based program by the WordPress Foundation that connects higher education students with the global WordPress community. Educational institutions partner with the WordPress Foundation to offer students credits toward their degrees for contributing 150 hours to the WordPress project. Learn more: https://wordpress.org/education/credits/ WordPress Student Clubs WordPress Student Clubs empower students to build on-campus WordPress communities that keep learning going throughout the year. In the spirit of our local community meetups, these groups operate as on-campus equivalents, keeping students engaged and connected with their local WordPress communities. Learn more: https://wordpress.org/education/student-clubs/ Support This Growing Movement Help spread the word, and let friends, students, and others know how they can contribute to this growing effort, including a widely expanding translation effort. WordPress Education has already been translated into 10 new languages. WordPress Education is powered by people who believe in open learning and the power of collaboration. View the full article

WordPress Playground had a busy year in 2025, with updates that make it more capable for day-to-day development, plugin previews, and learning environments. The project’s latest year-in-review highlights progress across performance, compatibility, database support, and tooling, expanding what can be done in a WordPress environment that runs in the browser and through the command line. From faster load times to broader plugin support, the throughline is clear: Playground is moving beyond quick demos and into workflows that help developers and educators test, iterate, and share WordPress experiences more easily. Try Playground Now Key Takeaways Plugin previews are more reliable: 99% of the top 1,000 plugins can be installed and activated successfully, making demos and evaluations more trustworthy. Everything is faster: A performance upgrade reduced average response time by 42%, and further optimizations improved overall “time to first useful click.” Database tools work in browser: Improved database compatibility enabled tools like phpMyAdmin to be used directly on playground.wordpress.net. More practical tooling for real work: Testing configurations and previewing changes can happen in one place, without a complete local environment first. New visual gallery of blueprints: A new visual gallery of blueprints provides excellent starting points for various types of sites. Global adoption: Playground was used 1.4 million times globally, with growing documentation translations and community contributions. Reliable Plugin Previews and Experimentation A headline update from 2025 is the focus on compatibility. In testing with the top 1,000 plugins from the WordPress plugin directory, 99% installed and activated successfully. That matters because it raises confidence in what Playground is best known for: letting people try things quickly, without a complex setup, and with fewer surprises. This highlighted that Playground is increasingly useful as a general-purpose PHP sandbox. Alongside WordPress, it can support standard PHP tools and projects, which makes it easier to explore how WordPress fits into broader development workflows and to share reproducible environments with others. If you try something new and unexpected in Playground, the update encourages you to share what you learn in the #playground Slack channel, so the community can build a clearer picture of what works well today and what is improving next. Faster Load Times Speed was a central theme in 2025. A recent year-in-review report revealed a 42% reduction in average response time, and this is not just a single change. A series of improvements make Playground feel quicker in the moments people notice most, such as loading WordPress, opening wp-admin, and switching between tasks. Several behind-the-scenes updates were described in plain terms as “less waiting”: checks happen earlier, parts of the experience load in a smarter order, and more content is reused from cache, so repeat actions are snappier. For people using Playground to review a plugin, validate a bug fix, or teach a class, these improvements mean the same thing: faster feedback loops, with fewer pauses that break concentration. Better Tooling and Compatibility In 2025, Playground also became more “toolbox-like” in the browser. The update highlighted features that reduce context switching, such as editing files on the page, building and testing starter configurations (Blueprints) in a dedicated editor, and launching database tools such as phpMyAdmin and Adminer with a single click. On the database side, a significant compatibility upgrade was introduced to improve support for more complex database behavior. The practical outcome is that more WordPress sites and plugins behave as expected in Playground, and more developer tools can run inside the environment. Blueprints also advanced in ways that benefit both builders and sharers. The updates focus on making starter setups easier to create, browse, and reuse, especially when a demo requires content, media, or a specific configuration that should launch consistently. One of the clearest ways to see that progress is the WordPress Blueprints Gallery, a community library of ready-to-launch WordPress environments. From practical “building block” examples (such as starting with a specific login role) to demos that automatically install themes and plugins, to richer setups that generate posts and featured images via WP-CLI, the gallery demonstrates how quickly an idea can become a fully functional site that you can browse and share. Examples: For anyone who wants to experience the power of WordPress without the setup, the gallery serves as a strong reminder of what Playground makes possible: shareable, repeatable site experiences that work the same way every time — ideal for demos, workshops, testing, and “try it now” links. Clear adoption signals back all of this. The review reports 1.4 million uses globally, documentation translations in multiple languages, and growing integration across the plugin directory through Playground-powered previews. It also points to a steady increase in community contribution, from documentation and support to talks and real-world workflows built on top of Playground. A huge thank you to everyone who tried Playground over the past year, whether you launched a quick demo, tested a change, taught a workshop, or helped make the documentation more accessible in your language. And if there’s anything that would make Playground even more helpful for your day-to-day work, the project actively welcomes ideas and feature requests via the WordPress Playground GitHub issues tracker. Looking Ahead As we closed out 2025 and now look forward to 2026, we can see several forward-looking initiatives, including work on MySQL binary protocol support (to enhance broader compatibility with MySQL tools) and continued exploration of debugging enhancements, such as expanded XDebug access. For anyone who last tried Playground as a quick demo environment, 2025’s updates suggested a shift in direction: Playground is increasingly positioned as a practical layer for testing, teaching, previewing, and reviewing WordPress, both in the browser and in local workflows. View the full article

Become a driving force behind WordPress innovation by joining the Global Community Sponsorship Program: a comprehensive initiative that supports the events and people powering our open source mission. As a Global Sponsor, your organization gains meaningful visibility across the international WordPress ecosystem while helping to fund events that foster growth, collaboration, and community. Why Choose Global Sponsorship? Instead of managing multiple individual sponsorships, this streamlined program consolidates your efforts into one efficient and impactful partnership. Efficiency and Simplified Administration Skip the complexity of coordinating invoice payments with numerous volunteer teams. Our centralized approach saves time and resources. In 2026, sponsors will benefit from: A dedicated Slack channel for direct communication with the WordPress Community Support team and Community Program Managers Monthly updates listing upcoming WordPress events, their current planning stages, and scheduled dates Expanded Reach and Impact Your sponsorship amplifies your presence worldwide, ensuring consistent visibility across global WordPress community events. Stability and Reliability Your commitment strengthens locally organized events by providing predictable funding that supports venues, logistics, and growth. Flexible Branding Options Adapt across your portfolio—Global Sponsors can represent different brands at different events (subject to approval and advance notice). Program Benefits Global LeaderRegional PowerhouseCommunity Builder Best for: Established brands seeking global reach and year-round visibility.Companies aiming for regional dominance and strong brand recognition.Organizations supporting the next generation of WordPress education.Sponsorship payable in full or through quarterly installments$180,000$110,000$60,000Top tier sponsorship benefits at all local WordCamp events (excludes flagships) with priority access to claim a sponsor table at in-person WordPress eventsOption to feature multiple brands across eventsDedicated sponsor landing pageComplimentary WordPress event tickets for your teamRecognition across all WordPress eventsSponsor Spotlight post on WordPress.org/news featuring highlights from recent WordCampsQuarterlyAnnuallyInclusion of your company logo in signage and materials for WordPress Campus Connect eventsAll signage & materials for the year (digital and printed)Signage & materials for 5 events per year (printed only)All signage & materials for the year (digital and printed)Opportunity to be featured in an exclusive digital binder for WordPress Campus Connect event organizersPriority placement (logos & text)Feature listing (text only)Feature listing (text only)Regular recognition in monthly education buzz report How Sponsorship Funds Are Used Global Sponsorship funds directly support: Local WordPress events worldwide (venue rental, catering, A/V, and more) Meetup.com license fees for over 671 WordPress Meetup groups globally Administrative costs like insurance, banking, and annual financial audits that ensure transparent operations Your partnership helps sustain the community that powers more than 43% of the web. Together, we can keep the WordPress project thriving and expanding for years to come. If your company is interested in joining the Global Sponsorship program or you would like to know more, please reach out. Contact WordPress Community Support Please see Rules for Sponsor Materials for more details about terms of sponsorship. Please also see our sample sponsorship agreement. If you’d like to go one step further, please consider donating directly to the WordPress Foundation. We operate lean—every dollar goes toward keeping WordPress free, supporting education, and funding the community that makes the web a better place. In short, your donation helps us keep the lights on and the mission alive. View the full article