We are excited to share the upcoming changes in WordPress 6.8, which we have been testing recently. This new release brings several enhancements that make WordPress feel smoother, along with new features that improve its performance and customization capabilities.

This release includes a major security update, featuring new password hashing using bcrypt, as well as performance improvements through speculative loading, which will significantly enhance page load times.

Furthermore, there are significant enhancements to major parts of the block editor, aimed at improving the site editing experience for all users.

If you’re ready to learn more about these changes and how WordPress 6.8 will enhance the overall WordPress experience, keep reading.

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? This is often due to a technique called speculative loading, which will be built into WordPress 6.8, 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.

This is achieved using the Speculation Rules API, which allows WordPress to set rules for which links to load ahead of time. For example, if you hover over a link, WordPress takes that as a hint and begins preloading the page.

Developers can customize this behavior by adjusting 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.

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, bringing all design-related settings into one place and making 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, 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.

Global Styles Panel in Site Editor Sidebar

The Styles panel in the full site editor will now offer more control over global design settings, 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, removing extra steps and making featured images easier to manage.

Section Styles Selector in Toolbar

A new toolbar option will let users quickly switch between different section styles in zoom-out mode, making it easier to experiment with layouts without digging through menus.

Success Notices for Image Editing with Undo Link

After editing an image, WordPress will now show a success message with an Undo button, helping 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, which is 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, making 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 an 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, giving 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, allowing for more control over how information is displayed.

Security Enhancements

WordPress 6.8 will introduce a major upgrade to password security, 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), which is now considered weak against modern attacks.

With WordPress 6.8, bcrypt will be the default algorithm for password hashing, providing stronger security.

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), ensuring 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.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.