WordPress 6.5 is already available - what are the main additions?

WordPress 6.5 is already available. And, from what we can read via the documentation, it seems to have several improvements. In this article, we will see together what is new in WordPress version 6.5. The WordPress community continues to do everything possible to improve the user experience by offering an increasingly efficient solution.

A new version nicknamed Regina

The latest WordPress update, version 6.5, nicknamed “Regina”, brings its share of improvements and new features intended to enrich the experience of users and developers. Indeed, Released on April 2, 2024, this version marks a significant step forward in the evolution of the platform. Let's discover together the main additions of this update.

New for Users

The new version significantly improves user experience. Below are some key points to remember.

Advanced Font Management

In version 6.5 of WordPress, you can more easily customize the appearance of your site. There is now a new font management option.

How to access this option?

To access font management, you must follow the following steps:

• Click Edit Site from the page you want to edit
• Click on the design
• To the right of settings, you will see the styles option which allows you to make color adjustments, do writing…

Improved Review Tools

With WordPress 6.5, the review tools for templates and template parts are significantly improved. Now you can intuitively preview the revisions you make. A feature that was missing in previous versions. Indeed, you could see the revisions without previewing the rendering. This update makes managing changes much easier, allowing users to see what their adjustments will look like before publishing.

Drag and Drop Experience

The drag and drop experience has been significantly improved. Effectively, this makes adding and manipulating blocks in the editor more intuitive. This update provides increased fluidity and flexibility when designing pages and posts, making it easier to effortlessly personalize your content.

Improvements for Developers

There are also several improvements for developers.

Interactivity API

This new API offers expanded possibilities for user interaction.

The Interactivity API in WordPress 6.5 is a technical new feature which aims to enrich user interactions with content. It allows developers to create more dynamic and interactive web experiences. For this reason, it offers extensive possibilities for integrating advanced interactive features into themes and plugins.

This API opens the door to richer web applications. Among which we can cite:

• interactive forms,
• animations in response to user actions,
• and other interactive elements that make sites more engaging.

Links between Blocks and Custom Fields

It's now easier to associate blocks with custom fields.

The Block Links API in WordPress makes it simple to associate standard block attributes with custom fields. This allows you to use custom field values without having to create specific blocks.

This feature is powered by the Block Biding API, giving developers the ability to extend this capability to any dynamic content, even beyond custom fields. In a few lines of code, it is now possible to direct blocks to new data sources. Therefore, it makes content creation more flexible and dynamic.

Performance Improvements

With over 110 performance updates, the editor experience is faster and more efficient.

Performance improvements in WordPress 6.5 include simplified management of plugin dependencies. Indeed, Plugin authors can now use a new “Requires Plugins” header to list required plugins. This makes it easier to install and activate the necessary dependencies.

This update makes the editor experience faster and more efficient. There are over 110 performance improvements in total.

Accessibility and Inclusion

This release takes a big step forward in accessibility, with over 65 improvements made, making WordPress more accessible to all users.

Conclusion

WordPress 6.5 “Regina” is a major update that brings significant improvements for both users and developers. These new features aim to simplify the management of WordPress sites while offering more powerful and accessible tools.

To learn more about this update, check out the official WordPress 6.5 documentation .

Gilblas Ngunte Possi

Founder and Full-Stack Developer at Prositeweb.

My proficiency with modern tools and a keen analytical sense regarding information technology enable me to provide superior guidance in the development and implementation of your web solutions.