WordPress 6.3

What's new in this version:

What’s inside:
- This momentous release opens new possibilities for the creative expression of designers, creators, and builders. Powerful tools and refined controls give users confidence and allow them to easily manage their sites.

Do everything in the Site Editor:
- WordPress 6.3 brings your content, templates, and patterns together in the Site Editor for the first time. Add pages, browse style variations, create synced patterns, and enjoy fine-tuned control over navigation menus. Spend less time switching across different site areas—so you can focus on what matters most. Creation to completion, all in one place.
- Image titled: "Do everything in the Site Editor"

Preview Block themes:
- Experience block themes before you switch and preview the Site Editor, with options to customize directly before committing to a new theme
- Image about previewing block themes titled Previewing Themes depicting "Previewing: Organizer"Preview a new block theme before you switch and commit

Create and sync patterns:
- Arrange blocks and save them to the ‘My Patterns’ section for use throughout your site. You can even specify whether to sync your patterns (previously referred to as “Reusable blocks”) so that one change applies to all parts of your site. Or, utilize patterns as a starting point with the ability to customize each instance.
- Image showing the new My Patterns section in the CMS.My patterns: All your patterns in one place

Work faster with the Command Palette:
- Switch to a specific template or open your editor preferences with a new tool that helps you quickly access expanded functionality. With simple keyboard shortcuts (?+k on Mac or Ctrl+k on Windows), clicking the sidebar search icon in Site View, or clicking the Title Bar, get where you need to go and do what you need to do in seconds.
- Image depicting the new Command PaletteGet to know the new Command Palette

Sharpen your designs with new tools:
- New design controls bring more versatility for fine-tuning, starting with the ability to customize your captions from the Styles interface without coding. You can manage your duotone filters in Styles for supported blocks and pick from the options provided by your theme or disable them entirely. The Cover block gets added settings for text color, layout controls, and border options, making this powerful block even more handy.
- Image representing the new design tools in the Site EditorNew design tools

Track design changes with Style revisions:
- With a new audit trail, you can now see how your site looked at a specific time. Visualize these revisions in a timeline and access a one-click option to restore prior styles.
- Image titled "Style Revisions"Style revisions: See your style revision history

Annotate with the Footnotes block:
- Footnotes add convenient annotations throughout your content. Now you can add and link footnotes for any paragraph.
- Image depicting the new Footnotes BlockAdd footnotes effortlessly with the new Footnotes Block

Show or hide content with the Details block:
- Use the Details block to avoid spoiling a surprise, create an interactive Q&A section, or hide a long paragraph under a heading
- Image depicting the new Details BlockDisplay or hide content with the new Details Block

Performance gets a boost:
- WordPress 6.3 has 170+ performance updates, including defer and async support for the Scripts API and fetchpriority support for images. These improvements, along with block template resolution, image lazy-loading, and the emoji loader, can dramatically improve your website’s perceived load time.

Accessibility remains a core focus:
- Incorporating more than 50 accessibility improvements across the platform, WordPress 6.3 is more accessible than ever. Improved labeling, optimized tab and arrow-key navigation, revised heading hierarchy, and new controls in the admin image editor allow those using assistive technologies to navigate more easily.

Other highlights:
Set aspect ratio on images:
- Specify your aspect ratios and ensure design integrity, especially when using images in patterns

Build your site distraction-free:
- Distraction-free designing is now available in the Site Editor

Rediscover the Top Toolbar:
- A revamped Top Toolbar offers parent selectors for nested blocks, options when selecting multiple blocks, and an interface embedded into the title bar with new functionality in mind

List View improvements:
- Drag and drop to every content layer and delete any block you would like in the updated List View

Build templates with Patterns:
- Create unique patterns to jumpstart template creation with a new modal enabling access to pattern selection

Changes in PHP support:
- Support for PHP 5 is discontinued. The new minimum supported version of PHP is 7.0.0.

Failed update safeguards:
- WordPress will now auto-restore the previously installed version of plugins or themes if something goes wrong during a failed manual update