WordPress 6.5 – What’s New In WordPress Core?

Edit: For information on the latest WordPress release, 6.9, head to our post on it here.

WordPress 6.5, named ‘Regina” was released on April 2nd.

So what does this latest core update entail? In this post, we will take a look at some of the key changes and improvements that 6.5 brings to the table. This is not an extensive deep dive, but rather just a brief overview of the most interesting updates.

Performance

As with virtually every release, 6.5 brings a raft of performance improvements. In their official post on the WordPress website, they site over 110 performance enhancements for the post and site editor. This includes impressive improvements to load time (2 times faster than 6.4) and input processing speed (up to 5 times faster than 6.4).

Major improvements come from a combination of many factors, including:

• A new localisation system with better performance ‘performant translations’.
• Performance improvements for registering block variations with callbacks.
• AVIF image support.

Management Updates

• A new font library that allows you to add and manage fonts across your website.
• A more comprehensive overview of revisions.
• Better link creation and management.
• Smoother drag and drop.
• New data views and organisation for pages, templates, template parts and patterns.

Usability & Accessibility

As we have come to expect, 6.5 brings further improvements to WordPress Core’s accessibility. This is always positive to see. This includes much-needed improvements to admin features for users of assistive screen reader technology and those who rely on keyboard navigation.

Other changes include:

• Improvements to the positioning of elements.
• Changes to contrast for focus states in the editor.

Site Editing & Blocks

One big change is the introduction of the Interactivity API. This will allow developers to create interactive elements in blocks without the potential to hamper performance that comes with 3rd party options.

Creating fast, interactive content is a staple for providing a good user experience in modern web design. So this is a great addition to 6.5 for the block editor.

Other updates and additions include:

• The ability to link blocks to dynamic content such as custom fields.
• A simpler way to manage plugin dependencies.
• A better design experience for those using classic themes, with the addition of tools.

For our clients, your websites will be updated to 6.5 shortly, after full testing on the staging version of your website, to ensure there are no issues or conflicts.

If you’d like to learn more about our WordPress & WooCommerce Support & Maintenance plans, drop us an email or give James a call.

Our plans provide a holistic solution to your website’s performance, reliability and security, and are inclusive of premium tools and services.