WordPress 6.5 is scheduled to be released in April 2024. And like every WordPress community member and WordPresser, we are excited about this release.
Want to know about WordPress 6.5 release date, new features, feature improvements, and bug fixes?
Read ahead and learn everything about the roadmap to WordPress 6.5.
Table of Contents
What is WordPress 6.5 Release Date?
WP 6.5 will be released on April 2, 2024 (rescheduled from March 26, 2024). Release Candidate 1 (RC1) for this release is already here. You can try this version by spinning a new WordPress instance in WordPress staging. Make sure to select your WordPress version as 6.5RC1.
What’s New in WordPress 6.5?
With the release of WordPress 6.5, users are in for an array of exciting features and enhancements that promise to elevate their website-building experience. From improved design control to streamlined management tools, WordPress 6.5 introduces a host of functionalities aimed at making website customization more intuitive and efficient.
So when you say what’s new, there are a lot of new things in this version of WordPress.
Font Library
With WordPress 6.5, users now have access to a Font Library, simplifying global font management. This means you can easily install, remove, and activate fonts across your site, regardless of the theme you’re using. Say goodbye to limited typography options!
Enhanced Pattern Customization
Building on synced patterns, WordPress 6.5 introduces pattern overrides, allowing users to maintain a consistent layout and style across patterns while customizing individual content within each instance. This feature gives you more control over your site’s design.
More Control with Section Specific Theme.json and Colorways
WordPress 6.5 offers section-specific theme.json, giving users granular control over specific parts of their site’s design. Colorways, a subset of this feature, provide curated styling options like colors and typography for group blocks, making design customization easier than ever.
Enhanced Classic Themes
Classic themes now support Appearance Tools previously available only in Block Themes or themes using theme.json. This means more design flexibility without being tied to specific theme formats, ensuring classic themes remain relevant in modern WordPress.
Streamlined Pattern Management
Internal code changes in WordPress 6.5 pave the way for classic themes to access the new Patterns experience provided by the Site Editor. Additionally, a link for Appearance > Patterns is added for classic themes, making patterns more accessible and visible as a feature.
Enhanced Site Editor Experience
WordPress 6.5 introduces new data views for templates, template parts, and patterns in the Site Editor. This visual representation and intuitive management system enhance the editing process and set the stage for future enhancements.
P.S. – Remember, WordPress templates are different from InstaWP templates. The latter are the ready-to-go-live sites (reusable WordPress instances) to make your development team more productive than ever! Learn more about InstaWP templates →
Rollback for Plugin and Theme Updates for Automatic Updates
Rollback capabilities are introduced for automatic updates to plugins, ensuring that an updated plugin causing PHP fatal errors during auto-update is captured and the previously installed version is restored, with an email notification sent to the site admin.
Empowering Developers with APIs
WordPress 6.5 introduces powerful APIs like the Interactivity API, enabling developers to add frontend interactivity to blocks without page loads.
- Interactivity API: The Interactivity API is introduced to allow developers to add frontend interactivity to blocks without page loads, enabling the creation of rich, interactive user experiences.
- Custom Fields API: The Custom Fields API aims to simplify the connection between block attributes and custom fields/metadata, expanding possibilities for dynamic content creation and management.
- Block Binding API: The Block Binding API connects block attributes to values obtained from different sources, expanding the capabilities of existing blocks without the need for creating new ones.
Feature Improvements in WordPress 6.5
In WordPress 6.5, several existing features are improved to enhance user experience, streamline site management, and provide more robust functionality. Some of the existing features that receive improvements in WordPress 6.5 include:
Block Editor Preferences: The Preferences panel within the block editor is updated to offer a more personalized editing experience, allowing users to adjust settings and preferences to better suit their workflow.
Link Control: Link control is improved with the addition of visual icons and better management options, making it easier to add, edit, and manage links within content.
List View Enhancements: Right-click access to block settings in the list view streamlines block management and editing, saving time and improving efficiency.
Revisions System: The revisions system is updated to include revisions for templates and template parts, with enhancements to style revisions for clearer comparison and management of changes.
Performance Improvements: Various performance improvements are made across different components of WordPress, ensuring a faster and more responsive user experience.
Navigation Block Customization: The ability to fully customize the navigation block’s mobile overlay is introduced, allowing users to customize colors, spacing, and layout options for a distinct menu experience across devices.
Bug Fixes in WordPress 6.5
Bug fixes are like repairs for problems in computer programs, such as WordPress. They’re like fixing little mistakes that make things not work as they should.
When you update to WordPress 6.5, it will have fixes for about 41 different issues that were causing trouble. These fixes help make WordPress work better and smoother for everyone who uses it. So, updating to the new version can make your experience with WordPress better and more reliable.
1. Font Library
— InstaWP | 1-click WordPress Websites (@insta_wp) February 27, 2024
The Font Library is one of those fantastic things that is well worth the wait. It's easily extensible, allowing you to add Google Fonts or Local Fonts from your own custom typography collections. pic.twitter.com/wpj05jndAv
Should you Care about PHP Version with WordPress Upgrade?
PHP compatibility is about making sure that WordPress works well with different versions of PHP, which is the language that powers many websites, including WordPress. It’s like making sure that your favorite game works on the latest gaming console without any glitches. So yes, it matters.
Which PHP Version can be used with a WordPress 6.5 Site?
With WordPress 6.5, they’re making sure it works nicely with the newer versions of PHP, like PHP 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2. This means that if you’re using one of these newer PHP versions, WordPress should run smoothly without any problems. There should also be no issue when you’re using PHP 8.3, as per the official sources, but it’s not declared yet.
Rest assured, PHP compatibility fixes in WordPress 6.5 ensure that your website runs smoothly on the latest versions of PHP.
Considerations When Migrating to WordPress 6.5
WordPress 6.5 introduces several changes and new features, making it essential for website owners and developers to carefully plan their migration or upgrade process. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind:
Review Compatibility: Before upgrading to WordPress 6.5, review the compatibility of your themes, plugins, and custom code. Some older themes or plugins may not be fully compatible with the new features introduced in WordPress 6.5, potentially causing issues on your site.
Test in a Sandbox Environment: Always test your website with WordPress 6.5 in a sandbox or WordPress staging before making changes to your live site. This allows you to identify any compatibility issues, conflicts, or bugs without impacting your visitors’ experience.
Backup Your Site: Before proceeding with the upgrade, make sure to back up your WordPress site and database. This ensures that you have a restore point in case anything goes wrong during the migration process.
Check Theme and Plugin Support: Verify that your themes and plugins are compatible with WordPress 6.5. Check with the developers or the official repositories for updates or compatibility patches. Using outdated or unsupported themes and plugins can lead to security vulnerabilities and performance issues.
Stay Informed: Stay updated with the latest news and announcements from the WordPress community regarding WordPress 6.5. Follow official WordPress blogs, forums, and social media channels to learn about any potential issues or best practices for migrating to the new version.
Consider Performance: WordPress 6.5 may introduce performance improvements or changes in how certain features function. Monitor your site’s performance after the upgrade to ensure that it continues to load quickly and efficiently for your visitors.
Plan for Rollback: In case you encounter major issues or compatibility issues after upgrading to WordPress 6.5, have a rollback plan in place. This may involve reverting to a previous version of WordPress or restoring from a backup.
Utilize Migration Tools: Consider using migration tools or services that streamline the upgrade process to WordPress 6.5. These tools can help automate tasks such as theme and plugin compatibility checks, database migrations, and content transfers. Want to go ahead with it right now? Try InstaWP’s WordPress migration tool.
By considering these factors and taking necessary precautions, you can ensure a smooth and successful migration to WordPress 6.5, allowing you to take advantage of its new features and improvements while minimizing the risk of disruption to your website.
Beta Testing WordPress 6.5 with InstaWP
InstaWP offers a convenient solution for testing your website with WordPress 6.5 in a controlled environment. Follow these steps to leverage InstaWP for testing purposes:
Create a Staging Environment: Start by installing and setting up InstaWP on your local machine or a development server. Once installed, launch InstaWP and create a staging environment for your WordPress site.
Select PHP Version: During the setup process, you’ll have the option to choose the PHP version for your WordPress site. Select PHP 6.5 as the desired version to test compatibility with WordPress 6.5.
Install WordPress 6.5: After configuring the PHP version, proceed to install WordPress 6.5 on your staging environment using InstaWP. The platform will automatically set up a fresh WordPress instance with the selected PHP version.
Test Compatibility of Various Themes and Plugins: Once WordPress 6.5 is installed in staging environment, thoroughly test the compatibility of various themes and plugins with the new version. Check for any issues, bugs, or conflicts with themes, plugins, and custom code.
Make Necessary Adjustments: Based on your testing results, make any necessary adjustments to your themes, plugins, or custom code to ensure compatibility with WordPress 6.5. Update outdated components, apply compatibility patches, or seek assistance from developers if needed. You can create staging of your live site to ensure everything.
Risks of using an Older WordPress Version for your Website
Using too old a WordPress version poses significant risks to the security, performance, and functionality of a website. A few of these are enlisted below:
Security Vulnerabilities
Older versions of WordPress may have known security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. Without regular security updates, websites running on outdated versions are at a higher risk of being compromised, leading to data breaches, malware infections, and other security issues.
Compatibility Issues
As web technologies evolve, older versions of WordPress may become incompatible with newer themes, plugins, and server configurations. This can result in functionality issues, broken layouts, and other compatibility problems that affect the user experience and performance of the website.
Lack of New Features
Newer versions of WordPress often introduce new features, improvements, and enhancements that enhance usability, design flexibility, and overall website functionality. By using an old version, website owners miss out on these benefits and may struggle to keep up with competitors who leverage the latest WordPress features.
Performance Degradation
Outdated WordPress installations may suffer from performance degradation due to inefficient code, outdated libraries, and compatibility issues with modern web technologies. This can lead to slower page loading times, reduced search engine rankings, and a poor user experience for visitors.
Legal and Compliance Risks
Depending on the nature of the website and its content, using an outdated version of WordPress may result in non-compliance with legal requirements and industry regulations. For example, websites handling sensitive personal data may be subject to data protection laws that require regular security updates and safeguards.
Considering the above, it’s essential for website owners to regularly update their WordPress installations to ensure they benefit from the latest features, security patches, and improvements provided by the WordPress community. Before you do that, make sure you test the update in a WordPress staging environment.
Final Word
Now that you know about the exciting roadmap to WordPress 6.5, it’s time to get ready for this big release. Make sure to update your WordPress website(s) to this latest version after thoroughly reviewing it in staging so that there are no consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is WordPress 6.5?
WordPress 6.5 is the latest version of the popular website-building platform, offering enhanced features, improved performance, and better security.
Why should I upgrade to WordPress 6.5?
Upgrading to WordPress 6.5 ensures access to new features, bug fixes, and security patches, enhancing your website’s functionality and protection.
Is it easy to migrate my site to WordPress 6.5?
Yes, migrating to WordPress 6.5 is straightforward and typically involves a few simple steps, including backup, update, and compatibility checks. You can use InstaWP to test WordPress 6.5 in staging before you upgrade your site’s version.
Will my existing plugins and themes work with WordPress 6.5?
In most cases, plugins and theme developers try to update their products as per the latest WordPress version. So, they should be compatible with WordPress 6.5. However, it’s not always the case. So, it’s advisable to check for updates and compatibility before upgrading.
What are the benefits of using PHP 8.3 with WordPress 6.5?
PHP 8.3 offers improved performance, security, and compatibility, enhancing the overall stability and efficiency of your WordPress site using the latest version, e.g., WordPress 6.5.
Can I revert to an older version if I encounter issues with WordPress 6.5?
Yes, you can revert to a previous version of WordPress if necessary, but it’s recommended to troubleshoot and resolve issues before downgrading.
