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

We’ve precocious been testing WordPress 6.8 and are excited to stock nan upcoming changes pinch this release. Small tweaks make WordPress consciousness overmuch smoother, while caller features amended its capacity and customization.

For example, this upcoming merchandise comes pinch a awesome information update, including caller password hashing utilizing bcrypt. In position of performance, speculative loading will importantly amended page load times.

There are besides important enhancements for awesome parts of nan artifact editor to amended nan tract editing acquisition for each users.

Ready to study more? Keep reference arsenic we research these changes and show you really WordPress 6.8 will amended nan WordPress experience.

ℹ️Note: You tin effort retired nan beta type connected your machine aliases a staging environment utilizing nan WordPress Beta Tester plugin. Just retrieve that immoderate features successful nan beta whitethorn not make it to nan last release.

Here’s a speedy overview of nan changes coming successful WordPress 6.8:

Speculative Loading for Improved Performance

Have you ever noticed really immoderate websites load pages almost instantly? That’s often owed to a method called speculative loading.

In WordPress 6.8, this characteristic will beryllium built correct in, making sites consciousness faster.

So, what is speculative loading?

Imagine you’re reference a blog station and spot a nexus that you mightiness click next. WordPress anticipates this and starts loading that linked page successful nan background. Then, erstwhile you click, nan page appears quickly, for illustration magic 🪄.

This is achieved utilizing nan Speculation Rules API. It allows WordPress to group rules for which links to load up of time. For example, if you hover complete a link, past WordPress takes that arsenic a hint and originates preloading nan page.

For developers, location are options to customize this behavior. You tin set which links get preloaded and really early nan process starts.

Style Book Accessibility successful Classic Themes 🎨

We emotion really designing successful WordPress has go much intuitive pinch nan preamble of nan Style Book. Initially disposable for block themes, WordPress 6.8 will widen this characteristic to classical themes arsenic good (themes that don’t support nan afloat tract editor).

The Style Book offers a broad overview of your site’s creation elements, including colors, typography, and artifact styles. It’s for illustration having a style guideline built straight into your WordPress dashboard.

For classical themes that support it, you will beryllium capable to find nan Style Book by going to Appearance » Design » Styles. This centralized location makes it easier to negociate and preview creation changes.

Additionally, tract patterns will beryllium relocated to Appearance » Design » Patterns. This brings each design-related settings into 1 spot and makes nan customization process overmuch easier.

The Style Book enhances nan editing acquisition by providing a clear and organized layout of your site’s creation components. It allows you to spot really different elements travel together, making it easier to support a cohesive look and feel.

Enhanced Design and Editing Tools 🖌️

WordPress 6.8 will bring respective updates that make designing and editing easier successful WordPress. From amended world styling options to improved artifact controls, these changes will thief users build and negociate contented much efficiently.

Global Styles Panel successful Site Editor Sidebar

The Styles sheet successful nan full tract editor will now connection much power complete world creation settings. Users tin set typography, colors, and layouts successful 1 cardinal place, making site-wide changes simpler.

Set Image Blocks arsenic Featured Images

WordPress 6.8 will fto you group immoderate image artifact arsenic nan featured image pinch conscionable 1 click. This removes other steps and makes featured images easier to manage.

ℹ️Note: Deleting nan image artifact you utilized for nan featured image will not region aliases alteration nan featured image.

Section Styles Selector successful Toolbar

A caller toolbar action will fto users quickly move betwixt different conception styles successful zoom-out mode.

This makes it easier to research pinch layouts without digging done menus.

Success Notices for Image Editing pinch Undo Link

WordPress already comes pinch immoderate basic image editing features for illustration cropping, rotating, and more.

After editing an image, WordPress will now show a occurrence connection pinch an Undo button. This helps users quickly revert changes if needed.

Introducing nan Query Total Block

This caller artifact will fto users show nan full number of posts successful a query loop.

It’s adjuvant for showing really galore articles lucifer a class aliases search.

Easily Set a Page arsenic nan Posts Page

Previously, you were only capable to group a page arsenic nan homepage successful nan tract editor.

Now, a caller action successful nan page database position will fto users delegate immoderate page arsenic their blog posts page. This makes tract setup faster and much flexible.

Refinements to nan Query Loop Block ♾️

The Query Loop artifact is simply a powerful instrumentality for dynamically displaying posts. In WordPress 6.8, it will person a mini but important betterment that gives users much power complete their station listings.

Option to Ignore Sticky Posts

By default, sticky posts ever look astatine nan apical of a Query Loop. This tin beryllium useful, but sometimes you want to show posts strictly by day aliases category.

WordPress 6.8 introduces a caller mounting that lets users ignore sticky posts erstwhile mounting up a Query Loop. This gives you much elasticity erstwhile designing station layouts.

If you’ve ever struggled pinch sticky posts disrupting your station order, this update will make it easier to control.

Improved Data Views

WordPress 6.8 brings enhancements to Data Views, making contented guidance much intuitive and efficient.

Unified Layout Behavior

The Data Views will now connection accordant layouts crossed different views. For instance, you tin now group it to show contented previews successful information views for pages.

Density Options successful Table Layouts

Users will beryllium capable to set nan density of array layouts successful Data Views. This will let for much power complete really accusation is displayed.

Security Enhancements

WordPress 6.8 will present a awesome upgrade to password security. The measurement passwords are stored will beryllium improved, making websites much resistant to attacks.

Transition to bcrypt for Password Hashing

Before this update, WordPress stored passwords utilizing nan Portable PHP Password Hashing Framework (phpass). This method relied connected aggregate rounds of MD5 hashing, which is now considered anemic against modern attacks.

With WordPress 6.8, bcrypt will beryllium nan default algorithm for password hashing. Bcrypt is stronger because it uses a built-in “work factor”. This makes it harder for attackers to ace passwords, moreover pinch precocious hardware.

ℹ️Note: This alteration will automatically use itself, and users don’t request to return immoderate action. However, you whitethorn besides wish to spot our complete WordPress information guide to further fortify your website.

Under nan Hood Changes successful WordPress 6.8

WordPress 6.8 besides includes respective behind-the-scenes updates to amended capacity and make WordPress much accessible:

• More Efficient Block Type Registration: A caller usability wp_register_block_types_from_metadata_collection() will let plugins to registry aggregate artifact types pinch a azygous call. (Details)
• Internationalization Improvements: WordPress will now decently localize PHPMailer correction messages and guarantee that plugin update emails are sent successful nan administrator’s language. (Details)
• Accessibility Improvement: Redundant title attributes will beryllium removed from different elements to amended surface scholar compatibility and supply a amended acquisition for visually impaired users. (#24766)
• Block Hooks Enabled for Synced Patterns: Block Hooks will now beryllium applied to synced patterns (i.e., core/block blocks). This will guarantee accordant behaviour crossed templates, template parts, patterns, navigation menus, and station content. (#62704)

Overall, WordPress 6.8 includes complete 370 enhancements and 520 bug fixes for nan editor, and much than 230 tickets person been resolved for WordPress 6.8 Core.

We dream this article helped you observe what’s coming successful WordPress 6.8 and which caller features you’d for illustration to effort out. We are peculiarly excited astir nan built-in speculative loading and improved creation devices for WordPress users.

If you are exploring nan upcoming WordPress release, past you whitethorn besides beryllium willing successful learning how to hole communal WordPress errors. Or possibly you would for illustration to research really you tin get progressive and lend to WordPress.

If you liked this article, past please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You tin besides find america on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: Our contented is reader-supported. This intends if you click connected immoderate of our links, past we whitethorn gain a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and really you tin support us. Here's our editorial process.

About nan Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff astatine WPBeginner is simply a squad of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi pinch complete 16 years of acquisition successful WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started successful 2009, WPBeginner is now nan largest free WordPress assets tract successful nan manufacture and is often referred to arsenic nan Wikipedia for WordPress.