The release candidate for WordPress 4.7 is now available.

RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.7 on Tuesday, December 6, but we need your help to get there. If you haven’t tested 4.7 yet, now is the time! To test WordPress 4.7, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip).

WordPress 4.7 is a jam-packed release, with a number of features focused on getting a theme set up for the first time. Highlights include a new default theme, video headers, custom CSS, customizer edit shortcuts, PDF thumbnail previews, user admin languages, REST API content endpoints, post type templates, and more.

We’ve made quite a few refinements since releasing Beta 4 a week ago, including usability and accessibility enhancements for video headers, media and page template support in starter content, and polishing of how custom CSS can be migrated to and extended by plugins and themes. The REST API endpoints saw a number of bugfixes and notably now have anonymous comment off by default.

Not sure where to start with testing? Try setting up a fresh site on a new installation with Twenty Seventeen (hint: head into customizing your site before touching any pages or widgets) and taking notes on what you enjoyed and what got you stuck. For more details about what’s new in version 4.7, check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, and Beta 4 blog posts.

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.7 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.7. If you find compatibility problems please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release – we work hard to avoid breaking things. An in-depth field guide to developer-focused changes is coming soon on the core development blog.

Do you speak a language other than English? Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages! And if you haven’t yet done so, now is a great time to take the Annual WordPress Survey and send it on to your friends.

Happy testing! And now for another Rami Abraham haiku break.

Select your language
Then let your users choose theirs
get_user_locale()

Theme authors rejoice
Any option may employ
Selective refresh

Custom header video
Make sure to add_theme_support
Bling above the fold

A new template dawns
A hierarchy member
Post-type templates live

PDF updates
Pack a parade of polish
Prettier previews

Template Post Type: New
Template Post Type: And Useful
Template Post Type: Thing

Let lists live lively
Laud wp_list_sort()
Less laconic lists

WordPress News

The release candidate for WordPress 4.6 is now available.

We’ve made a few refinements since releasing Beta 4 a week ago. RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.6 on Tuesday, August 16, but we need your help to get there.

If you haven’t tested 4.6 yet, now is the time!

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.6, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip).

For more information about what’s new in version 4.6, check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, and Beta 4 blog posts.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.6 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.6. If you find compatibility problems please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release – we never want to break things.

Be sure to read the in-depth field guide, a post with all the developer-focused changes that take place under the hood.

Do you speak a language other than English? Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!

Happy testing!

Der Sommer ist da,
Zeit für ein neues Release.
Bald ist es soweit.

WordPress News

The release candidate for WordPress 4.5 is now available.

We’ve made 49 changes since releasing Beta 4 a week ago. RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.5 on Tuesday, April 12, but we need your help to get there.

If you haven’t tested 4.5 yet, now is the time!

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.5, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip).

For more information about what’s new in version 4.5, check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, and Beta 4 blog posts.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.5 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.5 before next week. If you find compatibility problems, we never want to break things, so please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release.

Be sure to follow along the core development blog, where we’ll continue to post notes for developers for 4.5.

Free as in Freedom
It is WordPress 4.5
Also free as in beer

WordPress News

The release candidate for WordPress 4.4 is now available.

RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.4 on Tuesday, December 8, but we need your help to get there.

If you haven’t tested 4.4 yet, now is the time!

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.4 RC1, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip).

For more information about what’s new in version 4.4, check out the Beta blog post.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.4 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.4 before next week. If you find compatibility problems, we never want to break things, so please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release.

Be sure to follow along the core development blog, where we’ll continue to post notes for developers for 4.4.

Tickets are all closed
Help test the latest changes
New WordPress for All

WordPress News

The release candidate for WordPress 4.3 is now available.

We’ve made more than 100 changes since releasing Beta 4 a week ago. RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.3 on Tuesday, August 18, but we need your help to get there.

If you haven’t tested 4.3 yet, now is the time!

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.3 RC1, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip).

For more information about what’s new in version 4.3, check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, and Beta 4 blog posts.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.3 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.3 before next week. If you find compatibility problems, we never want to break things, so please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release.

Be sure to follow along the core development blog, where we’ll continue to post notes for developers for 4.3.

Drei Monate Arbeit
Endlich das Ziel vor Augen
Bald hab ich Urlaub!

WordPress News

The release candidate for WordPress 4.2 is now available.

We’ve made more than 140 changes since releasing Beta 4 a week and a half ago. RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.2 on Wednesday, April 22, but we need your help to get there.

If you haven’t tested 4.2 yet, now is the time! (Please though, not on your live site unless you’re adventurous.)

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.2 RC1, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip).

For more information about what’s new in version 4.2, check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, and Beta 4 blog posts.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.2 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.2 before next week. If you find compatibility problems, we never want to break things, so please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release.

Be sure to follow along the core development blog, where we’ll continue to post notes for developers for 4.2.

Im-Press-ive saving
Achievement unlocked: RC
Release here we come

WordPress News

The first release candidate for WordPress 4.0 is now available!

In RC 1, we’ve made refinements to what we’ve been working on for this release. Check out the Beta 1 announcement post for more details on those features. We hope to ship WordPress 4.0 next week, but we need your help to get there. If you haven’t tested 4.0 yet, there’s no time like the present. (Please, not on a production site, unless you’re adventurous.)

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.0 RC1, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the release candidate here (zip). If you’d like to learn more about what’s new in WordPress 4.0, visit the awesome About screen in your dashboard ( → About in the toolbar).

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.0 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.0 before next week. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post any issues to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release. You also may want to give your plugin an icon, which we launched last week and will appear in the dashboard along with banners.

It is almost time
For the 4.0 release
And its awesomeness

WordPress News

The release candidate for WordPress 4.1 is now available.

We’ve made a lot of refinements over the last few weeks. RC means we think we’re done, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible we’ve missed something. We hope to ship WordPress 4.1 on Tuesday, December 16, but we need your help to get there. If you haven’t tested 4.1 yet, now is the time! (Please though, not on your live site unless you’re adventurous.)

Think you’ve found a bug? Please post to the Alpha/Beta support forum. If any known issues come up, you’ll be able to find them here.

To test WordPress 4.1 RC1, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin or you can download the release candidate here (zip). If you’d like to learn more about what’s new in WordPress 4.1, visit the About screen in your dashboard ( → About in the toolbar) or check out the beta announcement.

Developers, please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 4.1 and update your plugin’s Tested up to version in the readme to 4.1 before next week. If you find compatibility problems, we never want to break things, so please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release.

Be sure to follow along the core development blog, where we’ll continue to post notes for developers for 4.1. (For example: if you’ve written a child theme for Twenty Fifteen, some of the new pagination functions have been renamed for clarity.)

Testing four point one
Why are we up at this hour?
Code is poetry

WordPress News

The next release candidate for WordPress 4.1 is now available for testing.

Seventy changes have gone in since the first release candidate. With no known issues left, we plan to release 4.1 tomorrow, December 18.

To test, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the release candidate here (zip). If you’d like to learn more about what’s new in WordPress 4.1, visit the updated About screen in your dashboard ( → About in the toolbar) and also check out the Beta 1 post.

Plugin authors: Remember to test your plugins against 4.1, and if they’re compatible, make sure they are marked as tested up to 4.1. Be sure to follow along the core development blog; we’ve been posting notes for developers for 4.1 as always.

WordPress News

The second release candidate for WordPress 3.9 is now available for testing.

If you haven’t tested 3.9 yet, you’re running out of time! We made about five dozen changes since the first release candidate, and those changes are all helpfully summarized in our weekly post on the development blog. Probably the biggest fixes are to live widget previews and the new theme browser, along with some extra TinyMCE compatibility and some RTL fixes.

Plugin authors: Could you test your plugins against 3.9, and if they’re compatible, make sure they are marked as tested up to 3.9? It only takes a few minutes and this really helps make launch easier. Be sure to follow along the core development blog; we’ve been posting notes for developers for 3.9. (For example: HTML5, symlinks, MySQL, Plupload.)

To test WordPress 3.9 RC2, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the release candidate here (zip). If you’d like to learn more about what’s new in WordPress 3.9, visit the nearly complete About screen in your dashboard ( → About in the toolbar) and also check out the Beta 1 post.

This is for testing,
so not recommended for
production sites—yet.

WordPress News