On August 8th, Matías Ventura, the lead architect behind the WordPress Gutenberg Project, unveiled WordPress 6.3 - “Lionel”. The name refers to the iconic Lionel Hampton, a prolific Jazz pianist, vibraphonist, and percussionist who achieved fame in collaboration with Jazz greats like Quincy Jones and Charles Mingus.

WordPress 6.3 is the final release in phase 2 of the Gutenberg project. As such, its priority is to fine-tune customization options and polish the AI supporting them. Developers will enjoy more control, added functionalities, and improved efficiency when designing their websites.

One of the primary changes introduced by WordPress 6.3 is the ability to edit content, patterns, and templates directly in the Site Editor. This significantly improves the efficiency of developers’ workflows, streamlining the process between designing templates and creating content.

In addition, users can now experiment with block themes before switching to the Site Editor. Developers will also have the option to customize their themes directly in the editor before committing to their final decision.

WordPress 6.3 also offers numerous features tailored to efficiency and ease-of-use. The Cover block now allows users to manipulate text color, layouts, and borders. The Footnote block enables designers to add notes to any paragraph they choose. The command palette makes it considerably easier for users to navigate to pages, create new content, and toggle preferences.

In short, WordPress 6.3 is full of useful features, many of which designers will be using for years to come. You can find out more about the technicalities of the release by visiting the WordPress 6.3 Field Guide, and 6.3-related developer notes.