WordPress version 6.3, released on August 8, 2023, adds several features, enhancements and new functionality, improving the interface, navigation and usability. WordPress 6.3 makes it even easier for users to create amazing websites, design layouts and manage content, all within the same interface, and with little to no code required.
Named for American jazz musician Lionel Hampton, version 6.3 is the second major update of 2023, and the final major release in Phase 2 of the WordPress road map.
Updated Site Editor
The Site Editor in version 6.3 has been significantly improved, and includes many new features and enhancements aimed at making the WordPress experience even more seamless and straightforward. Version 6.3 brings content, templates, and patterns together in the Site Editor. For the first time, you can add pages, browse styles, create patterns, and enjoy fine-tuned control over your navigation menus, all without leaving the Site Editor.
Updated Site Editor navigation sidebar
The version 6.3 Site Editor features an updated navigation sidebar, including menus for Navigation, Styles, Pages, Templates, and Patterns:
- In the Navigation menu, you can view, rearrange, and even delete items in the navigation block.
- In the Styles menu, you can browse through various styles, previewing how they will look without leaving the Site Editor. There are also buttons to open both the style book and the global styles panel.
- The Pages menu lists all of the pages on your site (including drafts), and you can click to edit a page via the Site Editor. You can edit the content, style, and layout of existing pages, access page details, create new pages, and more, all without leaving the editor interface. You can effortlessly switch between the page editor and the template editor, allowing you to apply changes to just one page, or to apply changes to a template and all pages using that template.
- The Templates menu hasn’t changed much from previous versions, still displaying all available templates and allowing you to create a new template, but there are a couple of new things with version 6.3. When you create a new template, you can then apply that template to any pages that you choose, right from within the Site Editor. You can also select block patterns to use in your template.
- Previously called the Library, the Patterns menu replaces the previous Template Parts menu. You can now create templates and custom block patterns, managing them alongside your theme’s patterns. When you create a new pattern, you can define if the pattern will be synced or not synced throughout your site, so that when you make changes to one instance of a synced pattern, those changes will be applied wherever that pattern appears on your site. Custom block patterns are saved to My patterns, which will then appear at the top of the Patterns menu.
Preview and switch block themes via the Site Editor
In previous versions, you could preview a prospective new theme via the Theme Customizer. In version 6.3, you can now preview and experience prospective block themes before you implement one right in the Site Editor. You can also edit the theme, try different styles and colours, and test any changes before actually committing to the theme. In order to actually save the previewed changes, you will have to activate the theme. NOTE: Classic themes that don’t support the Site Editor will still use the Theme Customizer for theme previews.
Command Palette tool
The new Command Palette tool allows you to use keyboard shortcuts to run frequently used actions, saving time and effort.
New design controls
Version 6.3 introduces new design controls, bringing more versatility for customization:
- You can customize your captions from the Styles panel without any coding.
- You can manage (or even disable) your duotone filters for supported blocks, picking from options provided by your theme, and you can now set a duotone filter globally from the Site Editor’s Style menu.
- The Cover block has been enhanced, adding settings for layout controls, border options, and text design. You can now seamlessly transform the Cover block into a media & text block (and vice versa), with all design customization automatically transferred to the updated block.
Style revisions timeline
A really great feature of WordPress has been the ability to review multiple revisions and revert your page or post content to a certain point in history. In version 6.3, the Style menu in the Site Editor features a revision history, allowing users to see how their site looked at a previous point in time and to restore the site to that point. Style revisions are presented in a timeline, and can be previewed and restored as needed.
Two new blocks in the Block Editor
The version 6.3 Block Editor introduces two new block types, a Footnotes block and a Details block:
- With the new Footnotes block, you can now annotate content easily, adding footnotes to a paragraph, heading or list. This block is very useful in longer posts or articles, automatically adding, removing, and reordering your footnotes as you edit your text.
- The new Details block allows you to show or hide content (including paragraphs, images, media, blocks added by plugins, and more) as needed, such as when you want to hide a long paragraph under a heading, create an interactive FAQ section, or to reveal surprise content to the user at a specific time. The Details block includes two options, summary and hidden content, with the content hidden by default, but can be shown when you adjust the setting in the block settings sidebar.
Cover Block enhancements
In version 6.3, users can choose the layout for the Cover block. The updated block also includes a couple of new design features that make it easier to use, unlocking more possibilities for customization. First is the support of the text color design tool, allowing users to change the color for all inner blocks just by changing the text color on the Cover block. You can now also set a duotone filter globally from the Style panel in the Site Editor.
Set your image aspect ratios
You can now specify aspect ratios for the images on your site, saving time spent cropping and resizing images and instead choosing an image aspect ratio that looks good across various devices.
Quick switch to template editing
In version 6.3, when you are editing a page via the Site Editor, you can quickly switch to editing the site template with just a few clicks. On the page settings panel, there is a Template drop-down, where you can see the template that is in use and edit it as needed.
Distraction-free editing mode
Distraction-free editing mode was introduced in the page and post editor in version 6.2, designed to help users keep focused while editing content. Taking this concept further, version 6.3 introduces distraction-free editing mode in the Site Editor. Distraction-free mode can be enabled via the options panel in the Site Editor. Once it has been enabled, the sidebars and toolbars disappear, cleaning up the interface, reducing distractions, and allowing you to focus entirely on your content edits.
Enhanced performance
Version 6.3 includes 170+ performance updates which dramatically improve your website’s load time. Version 6.3 also includes block template resolution, image lazy-loading, and an emoji loader which also improves load times.
Accessibility improvements
With more than 50 accessibility improvements, WordPress 6.3 is the most accessible version ever. With improved labeling, optimized tab and arrow-key navigation, revised heading hierarchy, and new controls in the admin image editor, users utilizing assistive technologies can navigate WordPress more easily.
Other highlights
Version 6.3 includes various other new features, enhancements, and improvements, including enhanced link control, better padding and margin tools, and an improved top toolbar. The List View has been improved with drag and drop features, and the editor’s loading state has been improved so that the user can’t interact with the editor until it is fully loaded (combatting a very annoying issue from previous versions). Among various improvements and enhancements for developers are the addition of a Command Palette API and improved caching.
As always, WordPress 6.3 continues the path towards seamless, low-code, time-saving website creation, enhancing and improving the user and developer experiences. Version 6.3 is available via your WordPress dashboard and on the WordPress website.
Have questions or need help with WordPress 6.3? Contact us anytime, we are happy to help.
