The most recent version of WordPress 6.8 just came out and is named “Cecil” in honor of the legendary pianist and jazz innovator Cecil Taylor. Known for his bold, energetic, and avant-garde style, Taylor pushed the boundaries of jazz music with a level of creativity and complexity that inspired generations of musicians. In a similar spirit, WordPress 6.8 aims to deliver powerful improvements while continuing to support freedom and flexibility for creators of all kinds.
WordPress typically releases three major updates each year—usually in the spring, summer, and fall. WordPress 6.8 is the final major release for 2025, so there won’t be another big update until sometime in early 2026. While smaller maintenance or security fixes might still happen, this is the last round of major improvements and new features for the year.
In this newest version, WordPress 6.8, while a lot of the updates focus on the block editor (Gutenberg), this article is all about the stuff that matters even if you never use Gutenberg.
Below, I’m breaking down what’s changed in this new version that can actually help your website load faster, stay more secure, and be easier for your visitors to use. No tech jargon—just the good stuff you might notice on the front end!
What’s New in WordPress 6.8
WordPress 6.8 (released April 15 2025) comes with some helpful updates that can improve your website’s speed, security, and ease of use—even if you don’t touch the block editor at all.
One small but noticeable change for Classic Editor users: the “Text” tab is now labeled “Code.” It still works the same way—it lets you view and edit the HTML of your post—but the new name better reflects what it does.
🚀 Faster Website Loading
WordPress now includes a new feature that starts loading pages before someone even clicks a link—based on where their mouse is hovering. This means when someone does click, your site can feel much faster.
🔐 Stronger Password Protection
WordPress is now using a newer, safer method to protect user passwords.
If you or someone else logs into your site, their password will be saved in a more secure way going forward—automatically, without you having to do anything.
🔏 Better Behind-the-Scenes Security
Other secret parts of your site—like password reset links or special login tools—are also now being protected with stronger encryption. This helps keep your site safer from hackers.
🧑💻 Classic Editor & Admin Changes in WordPress 6.8
- “Text” Tab Renamed to “Code”: In the Classic Editor, the “Text” tab has been renamed to “Code” to more accurately reflect its function of displaying and editing HTML code.
- Removal of “Disable the Visual Editor” Option: The option to disable the Visual Editor in user profiles has been removed. Previously, users could uncheck a box in their profile settings to use only the HTML editor. This change simplifies the editing experience and aligns with WordPress’s direction toward a more unified interface.
- Validation for Custom Menu Links: WordPress 6.8 adds improved validation for custom menu links in the Classic Menu area. This helps ensure that any links you add to your site’s navigation are correctly formatted, reducing the chance of broken or incorrect URLs.
These updates help streamline the editing experience and improve overall site reliability, for those using the Classic Editor.
🎨 Easier Style Previews (Classic Themes Only)
If your theme supports it, you might now see something called a “Style Book” that shows you how your fonts, buttons, and colors will look—all in one place. This can help when you’re customizing your site, especially if you’re using a theme that works with the WordPress Customizer.
🧭 Easier Menu Management
If you use WordPress menus (like for your site navigation), managing them is now a little easier. For example, it’s simpler to see what each menu is called and to clear color settings if you want to reset them.
♿ Accessibility Improvements
More than 100 small updates were made to make WordPress easier to use for people who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or prefer less animation. Even if you don’t need those features, they help make your site better for a wider range of visitors.
No New Default Theme in WordPress 6.8
There’s no new default theme included with WordPress 6.8. The most recent default theme is still Twenty Twenty-Five (which I don’t care for), that was released earlier this year. This update is more focused on improving speed, security, and user experience—so you don’t have to worry about learning a brand-new theme this time around.
Updating to WordPress 6.8
I usually recommend waiting a few days before updating to WordPress 6.8. Major updates like this one can sometimes cause unexpected issues with plugins or themes, especially if they haven’t been fully tested with the new version. Most plugin and theme developers work hard to prepare for these updates, but giving it a little time helps avoid any surprise hiccups.
Keep in mind, this is a major release—not just a small security patch. Depending on your web hosting setup, you might need to log in to your WordPress dashboard and manually run the update when you’re ready.
You can refer to the step-by-step guide & video on “How to Update WordPress to the Latest Version. It shows updating to one of the older releases, but the process is still the same.
