WordPress is a familiar name for billions of netizens worldwide. It is arguably the best content management system, powering millions of websites globally. Therefore, it is essential for all to know about previous WordPress versions.
WordPress users and fans have upgraded to the latest version: WordPress 6.5. This blog post will thoroughly discuss WordPress history and releases.
WordPress History and Current Scenario
As you know, WordPress was launched by British and American Developers Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg in May 2003. Here are the other critical milestones regarding WordPress history and present scenario mentioned below:
- WordPress 1.0 (2004): The first version of WordPress, known as Davis, was launched. The release concentrated on elements like customization, formatting, and commenting.
- Themes (2005): WordPress introduced the concept of Themes to enhance website’ designs.
- Rich Editing and Widgets (2006): Users started utilizing several innovative options, such as rich editing, widgets, and administration tools.
- Custom Post Types (2010): WordPress introduced custom post types for users’ convenience.
- Responsive Admin (2013): WordPress made the lives of its users easier by making the admin area user-centric due to the increased mobile usage.
- Rest API (2015): Rest API helped users differentiate between the front and back end and enabled them to use more impactful features.
- Gutenberg (2018): Gutenberg, a user-friendly block-based editor, was launched.
- WordPress 6.4 (2023): The latest version, WordPress 6.4, Shirley, was released in October 2023.
- WordPress 6.5 (2024): WordPress 6.5, Regina, was released in April 2024.
- WordPress 6.6 (2024): WordPress 6.6 will be released on July 16, 2024.
- WordPress 6.7 (2024): WordPress 6.7 will be released in November 2024.
Why Does WordPress Release Updates Frequently?
The leading content management system releases updates throughout the year to facilitate the WordPress community, including developers, followers, and users.
These WordPress updates often comprise helpful information regarding various issues and vulnerabilities related to current WordPress versions. Hence, WordPress users and fans get the latest updates and insights about the notable open-source platform by following such updates.
Besides, all these WordPress updates focus on several crucial factors like security improvements, user experience, performance, and more.
WordPress Updates Types
WordPress has divided its updates into two key categories: major and minor. As the name suggests, major WordPress updates focus on significant changes and enhancements.
On the other hand, minor WordPress updates concentrate on small tasks like bug fixes, tweaks, etc.
What Do You Know About Major WordPress Versions?
Major WordPress version highlights significant changes, improvements, and updates in the core software. Major WordPress versions are released 3 to 4 months after the previous version. Moreover, users can experience a beta version to test the expected features and improvements before the actual release.
The WordPress community has a special place for jazz music, so all key releases are named accordingly, paying tribute to jazz musicians.
What Do You Know About Minor WordPress Versions?
Minor WordPress versions contain minor enhancements and bug fixes and are released yearly. Depending on bug fixes and minor improvements, minor versions are frequently released.
Snapshot of WordPress Versions [Popular Releases]
This section will focus on the last two major versions of WordPress, WordPress 5.0 and WordPress 6.0. Here are these two versions explained below:
| Version | Musician | Release Date | Latest Release | Notable Changes Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | Bebo Valdés | December 6, 2018 | 5.0.14 | New Block Editor, New Default Theme: Twenty Nineteen |
| 5.1 | Betty Carter | February 21, 2019 | 5.1.11 | Improved editor, Site health, Multisite metadata, New JS build processes |
| 5.2 | Jaco Pastorius | May 7, 2019 | 5.2.13 | Innovative dashboard icons, PHP error protection, Plugin compatibility checks, New body tag hook, Accessibility Updates |
| 5.3 | Rahsaan Roland Kirk | November 12, 2019 | 5.3.10 | Block Editor improvements, engaging design tools, attractive Default Theme: Twenty Twenty, Admin Email verification, PHP 7.4 Compatibility |
| 5.4 | Nat Adderley | March 31, 2020 | 5.4.9 | New blocks, Clearer block navigation, Ability to add custom fields to menu items |
| 5.5 | Billy Eckstine | August 11, 2020 | 5.5.8 | Lazy loading, New sitemap, New block patterns, Inline image editing, Auto-updates for Plugins and Themes |
| 5.6 | Nina Simone | December 8, 2020 | 5.6.7 | Higher layout flexibility, latest Default Theme: Twenty Twenty-One, REST API authentication with Application Passwords, Built-in patterns, PHP 8 Support |
| 5.7 | Esperanza Spalding | March 9, 2021 | 5.7.5 | New color palette, One-click switch from HTTP to HTTPS, New Robots API, Block Editor changes |
| 5.8 | Art Tatum | July 20, 2021 | 5.8.3 | Widgets management with blocks, Page structure overview, Image styling and colorization, WebP support |
| 5.9 | Joséphine Baker | January 25, 2022 | N/A | Full site editing, New Default Theme: Twenty Twenty-Two, Personal paintbox, Improved block controls, Theme.json for child themes |
| 6.0 | Arturo O’Farrill | May 24, 2022 | 6.0.3 | Improvements in full site editing, Improved template browsing experience, Web Fonts API, Enhanced navigation blocks, Alternative Global Styles, New hooks |
| 6.1 | Mikhail “Misha” Alperin | November 1, 2022 | 6.1.1 | Flexible typography and spacing, Streamlined block editing, Enhanced block types, Improved block editor features, New building tools, Twenty Twenty-Three theme improvements, Developer-focused changes |
| 6.2 | Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. | March 29, 2023 | 6.2.2 | Enhanced template preview, Block control division, Distraction-free mode, Color-coded labels, improved menu navigation, Simplified block pattern insertion |
| 6.3 | Lionel Hampton | August 8, 2023 | 6.3.2 | Site Editor Integration, Block Theme Previews, My Patterns, Command Palette, New Design Controls, Style Revisions, Footnotes Block, Details Block, Performance Improvements, Accessibility Enhancements |
| 6.4 | Shirley Horn | November 7, 2023 | 6.4.3 | Block organization, Toolbar positioning, Image block enhancements, Twenty-Twenty Four Theme, Background image support, Query Loop Pagination, Block Hooks, PHP version upgrade, Object caching improvements, Template loading enhancements, New admin notice functions |
| 6.5 | Regina Carter | April 02, 2024 | 6.5.2 | The Interactivity API, Blocks and Custom Fields, Design Tools, Classic Themes, Performance-Related Updates, Improved Plugin Experience |
| 6.6 | To be Decided | July 16, 2024 | 6.6 Beta 1 | All Blocks, Style Variations, A New Publish Flow, CSS Specificity, Classic Themes Updates, Negative Margin Values, Rollback Auto-Updates |
| 6.7 | To be Decided | November, 202 | N/A | Coming Soon |
What is the Future of WordPress in 2024 and Beyond?
The future of WordPress looks promising. The open-source content management system launched its latest version, WordPress 6.5, in April 2024. Likewise, in October 2023, WordPress released its version 6.4, Shirley.
WordPress users have installed the newest version, 6.5, in massive numbers worldwide. Over 22% of all sites use the latest WordPress version, WordPress 6.5.
This means the installation of WordPress 6.5 will increase over time as more and more WordPress fans update their websites to the latest version to gain the desired benefits, such as higher SERP rankings, better user experience, and more.
The latest version offers various impactful features to users, including The Font Library, Design Tools, Classic Themes, and Interactivity API.
Unsurprisingly, WordPress 6.6 is already in the pipeline. The possible release date of the upcoming version is July 16, 2024.
NOTE: Users can also expect to use WordPress 6.7 during the last few months of 2024.
Wrapping Up: WordPress Version – History & Current Scenario
We hope you liked our blog post, which explains WordPress versions, their history and evolution, and major and minor releases in detail. In the last two decades, the online blogging platform has undoubtedly evolved into a massive content management system suitable for different types of websites worldwide.
As the platform will continue to thrive in the future, more and more businesses will benefit from it with both hands.
