What’s New in WordPress 6.8? (Features and Screenshots)

WordPress 6.8 is lastly right here 🥳, and we’ve been testing it for the reason that early beta. It’s the primary main launch of 2025 with a number of essential adjustments.

You’ll discover pace enhancements after the replace, due to the brand new speculative loading characteristic that makes pages really feel like they load earlier than you click on them.

This replace additionally introduces higher design instruments, stronger password safety, and a extra polished website editor.

We’ve explored all the brand new options, and on this information, we’ll stroll you thru what’s modified, with examples and screenshots alongside the best way.

ℹ️Essential: As all the time, please don’t overlook to create a complete WordPress backup earlier than updating to the brand new launch.

Here’s a fast record of what’s new in WordPress 6.8:

Pace Enhance with Speculative Loading 🚀

WordPress 6.8 now contains speculative loading, a intelligent approach that helps your website really feel quicker for guests.

It really works by quietly loading pages within the background earlier than somebody clicks a hyperlink. This fashion, the subsequent web page opens nearly immediately.

Consider it like setting the desk earlier than your visitor even walks into the room. By the point they sit down, every little thing’s already prepared.

That is powered by the Speculation Rules API. WordPress watches for indicators like hovering over a hyperlink and begins preloading that web page simply in case.

Builders can fine-tune how this works by setting guidelines, akin to selecting which hyperlinks get preloaded and when.

Model Ebook Now Works with Basic Themes 🎨

In WordPress 6.8, the Model Ebook is now out there for traditional themes that assist the Full Site Editor.

Beforehand, this characteristic was restricted to dam themes solely. Now extra customers can entry it, even when they haven’t switched to a block-based design.

The Model Ebook offers you a visible overview of how your blocks look, together with buttons, headings, varieties, and extra, multi functional place.

You’ll discover it by going to Look » Design » Kinds when utilizing a appropriate classic theme. This makes it simpler to preview and handle kinds without having to edit templates.

WordPress has additionally moved website patterns to Look » Design » Patterns. Grouping these settings collectively helps hold your workflow organized.

It’s a welcome improve when you’re utilizing a basic theme however nonetheless need entry to fashionable styling instruments.

New Design and Modifying Options in WordPress 6.8 🖌️

WordPress 6.8 introduces a number of updates that make customizing your website quicker and extra intuitive. Whether or not you’re adjusting world kinds or enhancing particular person blocks, these new options assist you work extra effectively.

Set Any Picture Block as a Featured Picture

With only one click on, now you can flip any picture block right into a featured picture.

This makes the method faster and avoids the necessity to enter put up settings. And don’t fear — deleting the picture block gained’t take away the featured picture out of your put up.

Swap Part Kinds from the Toolbar

In zoomed-out mode, the toolbar now enables you to swap between completely different part kinds on the fly.

That is nice for experimenting with layouts with out searching by means of menus or sidebars.

International Kinds Panel within the Website Editor

The Kinds panel contained in the Website Editor sidebar now makes it simpler to handle your website’s appear and feel.

You possibly can modify fonts, colours, spacing, and format multi functional place. It is a massive time-saver if you wish to update your site’s design with out digging by means of settings.

Picture Modifying Now Consists of an Undo Possibility

After enhancing a picture, like cropping or rotating, you’ll see a hit discover with an undo hyperlink.

This makes it simpler to roll again edits if one thing doesn’t look proper.

New Question Whole Block

A brand new block referred to as Question Whole enables you to show the overall variety of posts proven in a Question Loop.

It’s helpful for archive pages, class filters, or search outcomes the place customers wish to know what number of posts are being proven.

Shortly Set a Posts Web page from the Web page Listing

Within the Website Editor, now you can assign any web page as your weblog’s posts web page straight from the web page record view.

This small enchancment makes establishing your website’s construction rather more easy.

New Choice to Ignore Sticky Posts in Question Loops ♾️

For those who’ve ever been annoyed by sticky posts all the time exhibiting on the prime of a question loop, then WordPress 6.8 has a repair.

Now you can select to disregard sticky posts when making a customized put up format utilizing the Question Loop block.

This provides you higher management over the order of your posts, which is very helpful for class pages, weblog archives, or customized layouts.

It’s a small checkbox, however it might probably make a giant distinction in how your content material is displayed.

Extra Management Over Information Views 🪟

WordPress 6.8 brings useful enhancements to Information Views, making it simpler to handle content material within the admin space.

Now, layouts behave extra persistently throughout put up sorts. For instance, you may select to indicate content material previews within the grid view for pages.

You can too change the density of tables in record views.

Relying in your choice, this helps you see extra content material without delay or hold issues extra spacious.

These adjustments don’t leap out at first, however they actually clean out the expertise of managing your website.

Stronger Password Safety with bcrypt 🔒

WordPress password safety has been due for an improve, and it lastly arrived in 6.8.

WordPress now makes use of bcrypt for hashing passwords. It’s a lot more durable to crack and is extensively trusted by builders for good purpose.

Earlier than this, WordPress used a system referred to as phpass that relied on MD5 hashing. It labored, but it surely’s outdated, and a classy assault might compromise it.

Bcrypt provides what’s referred to as a “work issue.” Meaning it takes longer to course of every guess, which slows down assaults and retains your WordPress account protected.

For those who’re working a website, you don’t have to alter something. WordPress will deal with it for you quietly within the background.

It’s a type of updates you gained’t discover day after day, however we’re glad it’s lastly right here.

Miscellaneous Enhancements in WordPress 6.8

Alongside the large options, WordPress 6.8 contains a number of smaller enhancements that assist polish the general expertise:

• Labels throughout WordPress now persistently say “Add Merchandise” as a substitute of “Add New Merchandise” if you’re including one thing new. This small element helps create a extra predictable enhancing expertise. [#61219]
• The date format settings display screen now contains two additional choices to select from. These presets save time when you’re not comfy creating custom date formats. [#55685]
• Now you can embed Canva designs straight into your posts utilizing the oEmbed block. This makes it simpler to share visuals without having additional steps. [#58840]
• Focus kinds have been refined, hyperlink textual content is now clearer, and type controls are simpler for display screen reader customers to navigate. [Accessibility Overview]

Underneath the Hood Modifications in WordPress 6.8

WordPress 6.8 additionally brings a number of behind-the-scenes enhancements that builders and energy customers will respect. These adjustments enhance efficiency, consistency, and suppleness underneath the hood:

• A brand new operate referred to as wp_register_block_types_from_metadata_collection() permits a number of block sorts to be registered with a single name. This helps plugin builders streamline their code. [Read more]
• The Interactivity API now has official finest practices to information builders constructing dynamic block experiences. These suggestions assist hold frontend code clear and predictable. [Read more]
• A brand new REST API filter makes it potential to reveal menus publicly. This makes it simpler to tug navigation knowledge into headless or frontend apps. [Read more]
• WordPress now correctly localizes PHPMailer error messages and ensures plugin replace emails match the administrator’s language. These adjustments enhance the worldwide consumer expertise. [Read more]
• Redundant title attributes have been eliminated throughout core to enhance accessibility. This advantages display screen reader customers and makes interfaces cleaner. [#24766]
• Block Hooks now work with synced patterns. This creates constant block conduct throughout templates, put up content material, and navigation areas. [#62704]
• Website homeowners can now take away the “Disable the visible editor” checkbox from consumer profiles. That is useful if you wish to simplify the enhancing expertise or implement block enhancing. [#34681]
• New contextual courses have been added to the physique tag. They make it simpler to type completely different elements of a web site with customized CSS. [#19736]

Remaining Ideas on WordPress 6.8

We’ve been following WordPress 6.8 growth from planning to the discharge, and it’s nice to see so many considerate enhancements packed into this replace.

The brand new design instruments make it simpler to construct lovely web sites. Efficiency updates like speculative loading assist your website really feel quicker with out additional effort.

Even behind the scenes, adjustments like bcrypt password hashing and higher accessibility make an actual impression, particularly when you’re working a busy or rising website.

For those who haven’t up to date but, then we advocate doing so after backing up your website. And when you’re in, take a couple of minutes to discover the brand new options — they’re simple to overlook however enjoyable to make use of.

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