We’ve recently been testing WordPress 6.8 and are excited to share the upcoming changes with this release. Small tweaks make WordPress feel much smoother, while new features improve its performance and customization.
For example, this upcoming release comes with a major security update, including new password hashing using bcrypt. In terms of performance, speculative loading will significantly improve page load times.
There are also important enhancements for major parts of the block editor to improve the site editing experience for all users.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading as we explore these changes and show you how WordPress 6.8 will improve the WordPress experience.
ℹ️Note: You can try out the beta version on your computer or a staging environment using the WordPress Beta Tester plugin. Just remember that some features in the beta may not make it to the final release.
Here’s a quick overview of the changes coming in WordPress 6.8:
Speculative Loading for Improved Performance
Have you ever noticed how some websites load pages almost instantly? That’s often due to a technique called speculative loading.
In WordPress 6.8, this feature will be built right in, making sites feel faster.
So, what is speculative loading?
Imagine you’re reading a blog post and see a link that you might click next. WordPress anticipates this and starts loading that linked page in the background. Then, when you click, the page appears quickly, like magic 🪄.
This is achieved using the Speculation Rules API. It allows WordPress to set rules for which links to load ahead of time. For example, if you hover over a link, then WordPress takes that as a hint and begins preloading the page.
For developers, there are options to customize this behavior. You can adjust which links get preloaded and how early the process starts.
Style Book Accessibility in Classic Themes 🎨
We love how designing in WordPress has become more intuitive with the introduction of the Style Book. Initially available for block themes, WordPress 6.8 will extend this feature to classic themes as well (themes that don’t support the full site editor).
The Style Book offers a comprehensive overview of your site’s design elements, including colors, typography, and block styles. It’s like having a style guide built directly into your WordPress dashboard.
For classic themes that support it, you will be able to find the Style Book by going to Appearance » Design » Styles. This centralized location makes it easier to manage and preview design changes.
Additionally, site patterns will be relocated to Appearance » Design » Patterns. This brings all design-related settings into one place and makes the customization process much easier.
The Style Book enhances the editing experience by providing a clear and organized layout of your site’s design components. It allows you to see how different elements come together, making it easier to maintain a cohesive look and feel.
Enhanced Design and Editing Tools 🖌️
WordPress 6.8 will bring several updates that make designing and editing easier in WordPress. From better global styling options to improved block controls, these changes will help users build and manage content more efficiently.
Global Styles Panel in Site Editor Sidebar
The Styles panel in the full site editor will now offer more control over global design settings. Users can adjust typography, colors, and layouts in one central place, making site-wide changes simpler.
Set Image Blocks as Featured Images
WordPress 6.8 will let you set any image block as the featured image with just one click. This removes extra steps and makes featured images easier to manage.
ℹ️Note: Deleting the image block you used for the featured image will not remove or change the featured image.
Section Styles Selector in Toolbar
A new toolbar option will let users quickly switch between different section styles in zoom-out mode.
This makes it easier to experiment with layouts without digging through menus.
Success Notices for Image Editing with Undo Link
WordPress already comes with some basic image editing features like cropping, rotating, and more.
After editing an image, WordPress will now show a success message with an Undo button. This helps users quickly revert changes if needed.
Introducing the Query Total Block
This new block will let users display the total number of posts in a query loop.
It’s helpful for showing how many articles match a category or search.
Easily Set a Page as the Posts Page
Previously, you were only able to set a page as the homepage in the site editor.
Now, a new option in the page list view will let users assign any page as their blog posts page. This makes site setup faster and more flexible.
Refinements to the Query Loop Block ♾️
The Query Loop block is a powerful tool for dynamically displaying posts. In WordPress 6.8, it will receive a small but important improvement that gives users more control over their post listings.
Option to Ignore Sticky Posts
By default, sticky posts always appear at the top of a Query Loop. This can be useful, but sometimes you want to display posts strictly by date or category.
WordPress 6.8 introduces a new setting that lets users ignore sticky posts when setting up a Query Loop. This gives you more flexibility when designing post layouts.
If you’ve ever struggled with sticky posts disrupting your post order, this update will make it easier to control.
Improved Data Views
WordPress 6.8 brings enhancements to Data Views, making content management more intuitive and efficient.
Unified Layout Behavior
The Data Views will now offer consistent layouts across different views. For instance, you can now set it to show content previews in data views for pages.
Density Options in Table Layouts
Users will be able to adjust the density of table layouts in Data Views. This will allow for more control over how information is displayed.
Security Enhancements
WordPress 6.8 will introduce a major upgrade to password security. The way passwords are stored will be improved, making websites more resistant to attacks.
Transition to bcrypt for Password Hashing
Before this update, WordPress stored passwords using the Portable PHP Password Hashing Framework (phpass). This method relied on multiple rounds of MD5 hashing, which is now considered weak against modern attacks.
With WordPress 6.8, bcrypt will be the default algorithm for password hashing. Bcrypt is stronger because it uses a built-in “work factor”. This makes it harder for attackers to crack passwords, even with advanced hardware.
ℹ️Note: This change will automatically apply itself, and users don’t need to take any action. However, you may also wish to see our complete WordPress security guide to further strengthen your website.
Under the Hood Changes in WordPress 6.8
WordPress 6.8 also includes several behind-the-scenes updates to improve performance and make WordPress more accessible:
More Efficient Block Type Registration: A new function wp_register_block_types_from_metadata_collection() will allow plugins to register multiple block types with a single call. (Details)
Internationalization Improvements: WordPress will now properly localize PHPMailer error messages and ensure that plugin update emails are sent in the administrator’s language. (Details)
Accessibility Improvement: Redundant title attributes will be removed from different elements to improve screen reader compatibility and provide a better experience for visually impaired users. (#24766)
Block Hooks Enabled for Synced Patterns: Block Hooks will now be applied to synced patterns (i.e., core/block blocks). This will ensure consistent behavior across templates, template parts, patterns, navigation menus, and post content. (#62704)
Overall, WordPress 6.8 includes over 370 enhancements and 520 bug fixes for the editor, and more than 230 tickets have been resolved for WordPress 6.8 Core.
We hope this article helped you discover what’s coming in WordPress 6.8 and which new features you’d like to try out. We are particularly excited about the built-in speculative loading and improved design tools for WordPress users.
If you are exploring the upcoming WordPress release, then you may also be interested in learning how to fix common WordPress errors. Or maybe you would like to explore how you can get involved and contribute to WordPress.
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