Welcome to WordPress 6.9

For organisations running content-heavy or business-critical websites, these changes translate into faster performance, smoother editorial workflows, and a platform that is better prepared for what comes next. Below, we explore the most notable updates and what they mean in practice.

Built-in collaboration tools

WordPress 6.9 introduces inline commenting directly on individual blocks within the editor. Much like commenting in Google Docs or Figma, teams can leave feedback, reply to threads and resolve comments without leaving the CMS.

This brings much-needed clarity to editorial workflows. Content teams, stakeholders and reviewers can collaborate in context, reducing reliance on email, Slack or external review tools and speeding up approval cycles.

Smarter editing and design controls

Several refinements in 6.9 make the editing experience feel more intuitive and predictable:

• Improved drag and drop – Reordering blocks now includes clearer handles and live visual feedback, making layout changes easier to understand and less error-prone.
• Fit text to container – Paragraph and Heading blocks can automatically scale text to fit their container. This is particularly useful for hero areas, banners and lead messaging where consistency matters.
• Hide blocks on the frontend – A simple visibility toggle allows blocks to be hidden from the live site while remaining visible in the editor. This makes it easier to draft, experiment and stage content without publishing it prematurely.

New and enhanced native blocks

At Yellow Peach, we design and build custom blocks tailored to each website, rather than relying on WordPress’s native block library. That said, it’s still useful to track what’s new in core. These blocks are available to any site using native blocks, and they also give a clear indication of where the WordPress editing experience is heading.

WordPress 6.9 expands the core block library with several additions aimed at richer content and stronger editorial control, without the need for additional plugins:

• Accordion block – Ideal for FAQs, policy content and collapsible sections.
• Time to read block – Displays an estimated reading time, helping to set expectations for longer articles and news posts.
• Word count block – Surfaces the total word count of a page or post, useful for editorial standards, governance and consistency.
• Math block – Supports LaTeX and MathML for accessible mathematical notation, opening the door for academic, scientific and technical publishing.
• Terms query block – Allows dynamic listing of categories, tags or custom taxonomies, offering greater control over archive-style layouts.

Command Palette, everywhere

The Command Palette, a powerful keyboard-driven tool, is no longer limited to the Site Editor but available across the entire WordPress admin area. Now you can trigger it from any dashboard screen with Ctrl/Cmd + K to instantly access settings, posts, tools, plugins, and more, drastically improving productivity and efficiency.

Faster Performance & Accessibility

The Command Palette has been expanded beyond the Site Editor and is now available across the entire WordPress admin interface. Using Ctrl or Cmd + K, users can quickly search for posts, settings, tools and actions from anywhere in the dashboard.

For editors and power users working across large sites, this significantly improves day-to-day efficiency and makes navigating complex admin areas far quicker.

Performance and accessibility improvements

WordPress 6.9 includes a range of under-the-hood performance optimisations that improve both backend responsiveness and frontend load times. Enhancements to how styles are loaded, alongside better handling of non-critical scripts, contribute to improved performance metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint. For content-heavy or high-traffic sites, these changes help deliver a faster, more consistent experience for users and editors alike.

Accessibility has also seen meaningful progress in this release. With more than 70 fixes and refinements, WordPress 6.9 improves screen reader behaviour, focus handling, autocomplete support and overall usability. These updates further strengthen WordPress’s position as a solid choice for accessibility-led and compliance-driven projects, while making day-to-day content management more inclusive for a wider range of users.

Developer-Friendly Upgrades

WordPress 6.9 also delivers meaningful improvements for developers building more advanced or integrated platforms:

• Abilities API – A new standardised registry for defining and exposing capabilities across PHP, REST APIs and future AI or LLM integrations. This lays important groundwork for automation and intelligent tooling.
• Enhanced APIs – Improvements to DataViews, DataForms and the Interactivity API provide greater control over data presentation, form behaviour and interactive experiences. These are particularly valuable for custom dashboards, complex workflows and dynamic content interfaces.

Final Overview

WordPress 6.9 continues to move the platform forward in practical, considered ways. With improved collaboration tools, refined editing controls, performance and accessibility enhancements, and forward-looking developer APIs, this release reinforces WordPress’s position as a flexible, enterprise-ready CMS.