6 key changes in WordPress 6.8
On April 15, 2025, WordPress released its first and final major update of the year with WordPress 6.8. This is a departure from having three major updates in a year which has been the norm for many years.
Think of WordPress 6.8 as a polishing-up release. Many of its changes are subtle to the eye or under the hood, where parts of the underlying code will be changed. Much of this is to standardize code, making plugins and themes easier to create going forward. And since the Gutenberg project is now over five years old, some of that codebase has been updated.
Still, as with all major releases, you can expect improved features, performance and accessibility improvements, bug fixes, and security upgrades, such as a more secure way to log into your WordPress admin.
In this article, we will demonstrate some of the new features and UI improvements coming in WordPress 6.8 using the default Twenty Twenty-Five theme.
Changes to the Site Editor
WordPress 6.8 gives us a clearer view of the direction for the future of the WordPress Admin. The Site Editor continues to evolve gradually in appearance and with regards to its features.
Block themes now have a more uniform look with universal functionality. This is particularly the case with the Design section, which now looks the same as the Pages, Templates, and Patterns sections.
Global Styles are also now positioned in the middle as an extension of the sidebar, allowing users to change their style easily and see the changes live on the preview screen to the right. Just like the Global Styles panel in the past, this panel also provides access to the Style Book, where you can adjust your colors, typeface, image, and other block styling preferences.
