- WordPress 6.2 beta 1 was released as planned on the 7th of February and it is going to be the first major release of WordPress in 2023.
- WordPress is preparing the way for future improvements, like more content editing and expanded plugin options.
- One of the main advantages of the new release is the new distraction-free mode, which provides a more focused writing experience by concealing superfluous interface from the editor.
WordPress 6.2 Beta 1 was released on the 7th of February, just as planned. WordPress 6.2 will be the first major release of 2023 and is in the early planning stages. In seven weeks, the next major release of WordPress will roll out the nine latest Gutenberg plugin releases, which include 292 improvements and 354 bug fixes.
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database with supported HTTPS that allows you to publish content easily on the web. It’s used by more than 60 million websites and blogs, ranging from small personal blogs to large companies and organizations. Gutenberg is WordPress’s “block editor”, which lets users have full site editing support. WordPress has been focusing on improving the block editor since last year’s update, WordPress 6.1 “Misha”.
What’s new?
WordPress 6.2 authors have provided a complete testing guide with videos, screenshots, and information on what features should do and how they may be tested. WordPress 6.2 Beta comes with many quality-of-life changes such as site and block editing improvements, writing, editing experience tweaks, easier ways to navigate and manage sites, and much more.
Site Editor
The Site Editor has been revamped with the introduction of Browse Mode in WordPress 6.2. This new method of working with the Site Editor offers a more straightforward navigation experience. With this new feature, WordPress lays the groundwork for future advancements like content editing, expanded plugin options, and menu administration.
With the release of WordPress 6.2, the beta label in the Site Editor was finally removed. The “beta” label will no longer appear when you open the Site Editor via Appearance > Editor. Although the title has been removed, the version will keep receiving fixes and updates.
Writing
One of the release’s primary benefits is the new distraction-free mode, offering a more easy-to-focus writing experience by hiding extraneous interface from the editor.
Navigation
WordPress 6.2 also brings significant improvements to the Navigation experience. The new Navigation Block UI includes an editable view in the block settings sidebar and inline editing for menu items.
Managing and customizing
Divide Block Settings into two categories: “Settings” and “Styles”. This modification makes it easier to manage and customize blocks with several controls, such as the Group and Navigation blocks.
The Style Book’s purpose is to make it easier to create consistent designs, to assist users in immediately grasping the impacts of changes, and to allow for more flexibility to suit their preferences. This is a significant change for block theme authors.
Some more of the highlights of the upcoming WordPress 6.2 release include:
- Block settings with split controls for Styles and Settings.
- Improved Pattern insertion.
- A new Style Book for previewing block styles.
- Custom CSS for specific blocks.
- Openverse integration with the WordPress media library.
After a few more beta releases, the first candidate is set to be released on March 7th, with the final release scheduled for March 28, 2023. The WordPress 6.2 development cycle can be followed more closely here.
Test out WordPress 6.2 Beta
You can get the WordPress 6.2 Beta by going to the download page or clicking here directly. If you find any issues, share them on the WordPress.org alpha/beta forums, or if you are more technically savvy, on Core Trac.
Installation
- Upload to your plugins folder, usually wp-content/plugins/
- Activate the plugin on the plugin page.
- Navigate to Tools > Beta Testing to configure the plugin.
- Under Multisite, navigate to Settings > Beta Testing to configure the plugin.
- Visit Dashboard > Upgrade (Or Tools > Upgrade in versions before 3.0) and update to the latest Beta Release.