WordPress 6.5 has been released. It was originally supposed to be released on March 26, 2024, but it was delayed until April 2, 2024, because they needed extra time to test and fix some problems with the new Font Library feature. It marks WordPress’s first major release of the year, which typically sees three significant releases annually.
This update comes with new features and enhancements designed to improve your website’s functionality and user experience. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these exciting updates and explore how they can benefit your website.
Stay tuned as we delve into the details of WordPress 6.5 and discover how these enhancements can elevate your website’s performance and leave a positive impression on your users. Let’s dive in and explore the latest offerings from WordPress!
Key Takeaways
- Upload or Install your favorite Google Fonts directly in WordPress for a unique website design.
- Explored to navigate the Site Editor more seamlessly with improved filtering, sorting, bulk edit, and layout options.
- Learned about the new design options, including group block improvements, aspect ratio control for cover blocks, box shadow support for image block and columns, and more.
- Discover how the style revision features offer transparent insights into modifications made to website designs.
- Furthermore, rename blocks directly from the list view and access block settings by right-clicking on the block.
Key Improvements in WordPress 6.5
Font Library
The font library allows you to upload your favorite Google fonts to enhance the appeal of your website. This feature not only makes your site look better but also helps in creating a more engaging experience for visitors. Plus, it eliminates the need for extra plugins to add Google fonts.
You’ll find this feature in the Typography section of the site editor. Click on “Manage Fonts” to upload or install the Google fonts of your choice. It’s a straightforward process that gives you full control over the fonts used on your website, allowing you to personalize it to match your style and branding.
Interactivity API
The new Interactivity API in WordPress 6.5 is like a magic wand for websites. It’s all about making your WordPress site more lively and engaging for visitors. Instead of reloading the whole page every time you do something, this API lets you make changes on the fly.
Let’s say you have an online shop and want your customers to have an incredible shopping experience. With this new API, you can do just that. Imagine your customers are looking at a pair of shoes on your website. With the Interactivity API, they can change the color of the shoes right there on the screen, and the picture of the shoes will change, too – all without having to click any buttons or wait for the page to reload.
So, the Interactivity API makes websites more exciting and quick. They also created a demo website to show how it works. Imagine all the cool things you can do with this magic update on your website!
Improvement in Pattern Duplication
In the latest update of WordPress 6.5, a handy new feature makes it much easier to duplicate patterns on your website. Now, when you want to duplicate a pattern, a helpful pop-up will appear with different options for you to choose from. The most significant change is that making a synced pattern is now really easy – you need to toggle the option on. To find this setting, all you have to do is click on the three vertical dots next to the pattern name and then select “duplicate.”
Updates in List View
The WordPress 6.5 version introduces several enhancements related to List View. Here’s a rundown of the updates that have been implemented.
Right Click to View Block Settings
In the list view of the website editor, you can now access block settings by simply right-clicking on any block. This is a change from before, where you had to click on the three dots next to the block name to open the settings. This enhancement makes it easier and quicker to customize and manage individual blocks on your website.
Rename Block
In the upcoming WordPress 6.5 version, you can rename blocks directly from the list view. When you’re looking at your blocks, click on the three dots or right-click on any block, and you’ll see the option to rename the block. It means you can quickly and conveniently organize and label your content exactly how you want it.
Optimized View of Site Editor
The Site Editor has been significantly improved with new and powerful ways to manage your website’s pages, patterns, templates, and template parts. These upgrades make navigating, filtering, and working with different parts of your site more accessible and flexible. You’ll find it simpler to explore and handle your site’s components efficiently.
Personalized Presentation
The updated library presentation allows you to pick various layouts and personalize how information is shown by toggling which fields are visible. You can easily access these settings by clicking the “View Options” button on the top right side panel.
For instance, if you only want to see the description and author information, you can select or deselect these fields from the label options in the View Settings. This way, you get to tailor the display to your specific preferences.
Filtering the Items
In the site editor, they’ve added a handy feature that lets you filter the items displayed. It means you can see only certain information instead of everything at once. For example, if you’re only interested in content created by specific authors, you can filter by their details.
Plus, they’ve included a search bar to find exactly what you’re looking for easily. And if your site has multiple authors, don’t worry – you can filter by author to further streamline your editing process. It’s all about giving you more control and smoothing your editing experience.
Sorting the Items
In the site editor, you have a menu named Sort by, where you can sort items in different ways. If you go to the View Options settings, you can choose to organize items based on the Author and Template. It makes it easier for you to find and work with specific elements of your website, whether you’re focusing on the people behind the content or the design structure itself.
Bulk Edit
The updated library now allows you to select multiple items at once for editing. It means you can easily make changes to several items simultaneously, saving you time and effort. If you want to delete multiple items together, you can do that, too.
For instance, if you’re rearranging patterns and want to remove a few, you can select them all and delete them in one go. Additionally, if you’ve made a selection but want to start over, there’s an option to reset your choices.
It’s important to note that you can’t delete locked patterns to maintain site integrity and prevent accidental deletion of essential elements. Overall, these enhancements make managing and editing your site more efficient and user-friendly.
Option to Change WordPress Site Icon
Changing the WordPress site icon is easy, even for beginners. If you’re using a block theme, you can do it by adding a site icon block. For those with classic themes, there’s the WordPress customizer tool.
But here’s the exciting update: WordPress 6.5 will make it even simpler. You’ll go to your WordPress Dashboard ➝ Settings ➝ General. You’ll find the option right there to add your site icon easily. It’s all about making things simpler for you!
New View of Site Update Alert Message
When you make changes to your website and update them, you’ll notice a new alert message. Before, it only showed that the changes were updated. But now, it also includes a link to view your site on the front end. It means you can see exactly how your site looks without clicking a separate button to preview the changes. It’s a convenient way to check your updates and ensure everything looks right quickly.
Improves Links
The upcoming WordPress 6.5 update shows a handy improvement in how links are handled. Previously, when you added a link to some text on your website, the window would close, and you had to click the link again to edit the link.
But now, things are more accessible! When you add a link, a display pops up right away, allowing you to quickly edit how you want the link to behave without any extra steps. It streamlines the process and makes managing links smoother and more intuitive for users.
Enhancements in Distraction Free Mode
In WordPress 6.5, the distraction-free mode has a minor change. Now, the top toolbar only appears when you hover over the top of the screen. It means it stays hidden, giving you a clean and uncluttered view of your content.
Once you move your cursor away from the top, the toolbar automatically disappears, minimizing distractions and allowing you to focus solely on your creative work.
Preference Tab
When you go to the editor preference tab, you’ll notice two new options: “Appearance” and “Accessibility” tabs. The “Appearance” tab lets you customize how the editor looks, while the “Accessibility” tab helps you adjust settings for easier use, especially if you have specific needs like buttons and labels. These new options give you more control over how you interact with the editor, making creating and editing your website more accessible and comfortable.
Enhancements in Style Revision
The style revision feature will briefly explain the changes you made on a specific page of your website. It means that when you make edits to the design or appearance of your site, a short description will be provided to help you understand what was modified.
It makes it easier to track the adjustments you’ve made and allows for more transparent communication between team members if multiple people are working on the site. Overall, it simplifies the editing process and ensures everyone involved is aware of the changes.
When you make changes on the site editor, you not only get a clear description of the revisions but also see a timestamp. This new feature enhances your experience by showing exactly when each change was made. This way, you can easily track and manage your edits, making the website editing process more organized and user-friendly.
AVIF Support
WordPress 6.5 now supports the AVIF image format, known for its advanced compression algorithm that maintains high image quality while reducing file size. This means your website can load faster with smaller image files.
Users can easily upload AVIF images to the WordPress media library, just like any other format. However, please note that AVIF support requires PHP version 8.1 or earlier.
Improvements in Group Block
When you’re working with a group block on your website, adjusting the background image gets better. You can now control the size and repetition of the background image. This means you have more options to make your website look exactly the way you want it to. This enhancement gives you more flexibility and creative freedom to design your site just as you envision it.
Add Aspect Ratio to Cover Block
When using the Cover Block in the editor, you’ll notice a handy new feature – the Aspect Ratio control. This feature allows you to effortlessly customize the size of your cover block design, giving you the flexibility to create visually appealing layouts tailored to your preferences.
Support of Box Shadow to Blocks
In WordPress 6.4, only button blocks could use the shadow support feature to add shadows to their design. However, with the upcoming WordPress 6.5 update, this feature will also extended to include columns and image blocks. This means users will have more flexibility in enhancing the visual appeal of their website elements by adding shadows to these blocks, making them stand out and adding depth to their design.
Gallery Block Update
When you use the Gallery block, you will see that gallery images look the same every time, in the same order. In the latest version of WordPress, they have added a new feature called Randomize. When you allow this feature, your gallery images will display randomly whenever your page is loaded.
Social Block Update
The icon for Patreon in the social block on WordPress 6.5 has been updated.
FAQs on WordPress 6.5 Release
When will WordPress 6.5 be officially released?
WordPress 6.5 is scheduled for official release on April 2, 2024, with the current version being in the Release Candidate (RC) stage.
How can I test the upcoming WordPress 6.5 RC3?
There are a few ways you can do it:
- You can install the “WordPress Beta Tester” plugin on your WordPress site. Then, in the plugin settings, choose the “Bleeding Edge” and “Beta/RC Only” streams.
- You can download the RC3 version of WordPress manually from the official WordPress website. Then, install it on a test server.
- If you don’t want to set up a separate test site, you can use the 6.5 RC3 WordPress Playground. It’s an online platform where you can test WordPress without needing your own server setup.
How can I update my WordPress site to version 6.5?
To update your WordPress site to version 6.5, navigate to your WordPress Dashboard ➝ Updates, and click on the “Update Now” button. Ensure you have a backup of your site before proceeding with the update.
Are there any precautions I should take before updating to WordPress 6.5?
Before updating to WordPress 6.5, it’s essential to back up your site, including both files and the database. Additionally, deactivate any plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme to avoid conflicts during the update process.
Where can I find the WordPress 6.5 schedule and Development Cycle?
You can find the development cycle and schedule by clicking this link. Here, you will see all the important dates related to the WordPress 6.5 release.
Conclusion
In summary, the WordPress 6.5 update comes with lots of cool changes. It introduces new features, improves the site editor’s appearance, and makes things easier for users. You can now rename blocks easily and add Google fonts, which makes your website look nicer. These updates make building and running sites more straightforward and more fun. So, get ready to check out and enjoy all the cool updates in WordPress 6.5!
