WordPress 6.0: New Features And Improvements

WordPress 6.0 will be released on May 24, 2022, with many new features and improvements.

This new version includes significant changes to the full site editing experience and a new way to build websites.

In this post, we’ll go over what’s new in WordPress 6.0 and which features you should try after updating your websites.

New and Improved Full Site Editing

In WordPress 5.9, a block-based theme editor was introduced as part of the new Full Site Editing experience.

WordPress 6.0 adds additional site-wide blocks, editable templates, and more patterns to the full site editing feature.

1. Switch Theme Styles Option

WordPress 6.0 includes a simple way to switch your entire theme style with a single click.

Click on the Style button in the top right corner and then switch to the Browse Styles tab to see available styles for your theme.

These styles are a WordPress theme feature dependent on the WordPress theme you’re using.

2. Edit More Theme Templates with WordPress 6.0

WordPress 6.0 adds the ability to edit more templates directly within the theme editor.

The following are some of the new archive templates that you can edit:

• Author
• Category
• Date
• Tag
• Other custom taxonomies

3. Export Themes

With the new Theme Editor (Full Site Editor), you can easily create your own templates, customize styles, and create attractive layouts. But what if you wanted to move them all to a different WordPress site?

With WordPress 6.0, you’ll be able to export your theme and all of your changes effortlessly and use them on another website.

New Blocks in Block Theme Editor

WordPress 6.0 will include several new blocks that you may use in your theme and templates.

1. Comment Query Loop

WordPress 6.0 replaces the Post Comments block with the new Comment Query Loop block.

It includes sub-blocks such as the comment author’s name, avatar, comment content, edit link, etc. You can change them individually to style your comments on your WordPress blog for a more engaging experience.

2. Read More Block

In WordPress 6.0, you can now add a Read More block to your post excerpts. This gives you extra styling options for making the Read More link more noticeable.

3. No Results in Query Loop

You can now include the No Results block when creating a Query Loop block.

However, the block will only appear if your chosen query does not return any results.

4. Post Author Biography

You can now use the new post author biography block alongside the Post Author and Avatar blocks.

5. Avatar

You can display a user’s avatar using the avatar block (profile photo). You can choose whether to show the avatar of a specific user or the author of the current post/page.

Block Editor Changes in WordPress 6.0

With WordPress 6.0, block editors will get some great new features that will make them even more useful for website owners. Some of the most major changes are listed below:

1. Block Locking in WordPress 6.0

You may now lock a block in WordPress 6.0 to prevent users from deleting it or changing its position.

One major drawback of the reusable blocks is that any changes made to them are saved. At present, block locking in WordPress 6.0 does not resolve this issue.

2. Easy Text Selection in Multiple Blocks

Previously, selecting text from several WordPress blocks was challenging for users.

WordPress 6.0 now makes it easier to choose the text and move the selection cursor more smoothly across the blocks.

3. Quick Shortcut to Add Internal Links

You may now add links easily by using two square brackets followed by the post or page’s title. It’s a lot faster than clicking a button.

4. Select Multiple Blocks in List View

With WordPress 6.0, you may now select multiple blocks in the list view. You may also use Shift+Click or Shift+Up+Down to select multiple adjacent blocks in the list view.

5. Border for Columns Block

You can add a border around the columns block to give it a more personalized, classy look.

6. Spacing for Gallery Images

It is now simple to adjust the space between individual images inside a gallery block.

Accessibility Improvements in WordPress 6.0

One of WordPress’ main goals is to make publishing more accessible to everyone. With each new WordPress release, the core software is improved to make it more accessible to all users.

Some of the more notable accessibility enhancements in WordPress 6.0 are listed below.

• The post title will be used as the ALT text for featured images if no other ALT text is provided.
• Better tabbing in blocks with placeholder elements.
• Search announcements in block search.
• Read description for blocks with a placeholder setup.
• Admin bar text labels will be readable by screen readers on smaller screens.
• More descriptive announcements for screen readers when a draft is saved.

For a detailed roundup, see accessibility improvements in WordPress 6.0.

Under the Hood Improvements in WordPress 6.0

WordPress 6.0 includes a lot of important changes for developers. A few of the developer changes are listed here.

• The Webfonts API will allow theme authors to manage local fonts more efficiently using PHP or themes.json.
• An API for preventing blocks from appearing on the Widgets screen.
• Make get_the_author_link pluggable.
• Improved sticky post query.
• New filter edit_custom_thumbnail_sizes to work with individual image sizes.

We hope this post helps you find new features and improvements in WordPress 6.0