This beta release is intended for testing and development only. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, use a test environment or local site to explore the new features.
How to Test WordPress 7.2 Beta 1
You can test WordPress 7.2 Beta 1 in any of the following ways:
| WordPress Beta Tester Plugin | Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream. |
| Direct Download | Download the Beta 1 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website. |
| Command Line (WP-CLI) | Use this WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.2-beta1 |
| WordPress Playground | Use a 7.2 Beta 1 WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser. No setup required-just click and go! |
The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.2 is December 8, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Thank you to everyone who contributes by testing!
Editing Experience
Responsive Design Controls
Building on the responsive design improvements introduced in WordPress 7.1, WordPress 7.2 expands viewport-specific styling to additional design tools and blocks. Creators gain more granular control over how layouts and visual settings adapt across screen sizes, including responsive Gallery settings for columns, image cropping, and aspect ratios.
Learn more: GitHub #80388, #82003
Improved Global Styles and Design Tools
WordPress 7.2 makes site-wide styling easier to manage with a new Customized filter for finding blocks with modified styles and inherited Global Styles values displayed directly in block inspector controls. Expanded design tools and support for styling form elements provide additional flexibility when creating a consistent visual identity across a site.
Learn more: GitHub #82520, #76525, #34198, #84657
Text Shadow Support
WordPress 7.2 introduces new text shadow controls, giving creators more ways to add depth and emphasis to their content. Text shadows can be customized through block settings and defined as presets in theme.json, making it easier to maintain consistent typography across a site.
Learn more: GitHub #73320, GitHub #79584, Trac #65869
Easier Navigation Management
Improvements to the Site Editor make managing navigation links more intuitive. Creators can add, organize, and edit navigation items directly from the editor sidebar, making it easier to maintain site menus without interrupting their editing workflow.
Learn more: GitHub #77069
Better Collaboration with Notes
WordPress 7.2 introduces Emoji reactions on notes and a new toolbar icon that makes Notes easier to access and manage. Notes move to the editor canvas, bringing conversations directly into the margin. Users can now keep Notes and the block settings sidebar open simultaneously, making it easier to review feedback while editing content.
A new minimized Notes mode reduces visual clutter, while improvements to positioning and display create a smoother, more consistent collaboration experience.
Learn more: GitHub #79970, GitHub #83786, GitHub #80015, Trac #64638
Faster, More Efficient Media Uploads
WordPress 7.2 expands client-side media processing to the Media Library, allowing images to be resized, compressed, and converted directly in the browser before being uploaded. This can improve upload performance, reduce server resource usage, and provide better support for modern image formats, particularly on hosting environments with limited image-processing capabilities.
Learn more: Trac #65661, GitHub #12585
New “On This Day” Dashboard Widget
WordPress 7.2 introduces a new On This Day dashboard widget that helps users rediscover content published on the same date in previous years. By highlighting posts from the site’s history, the widget makes it easier to revisit past content, celebrate milestones, and find opportunities to refresh or reshare older posts.
Learn more: Trac #65116
Block Editor Usability Improvements
WordPress 7.2 includes a collection of smaller improvements aimed at reducing friction in everyday editing. These changes include clearer error messages, more helpful feedback when something goes wrong, and refinements to common editor interactions, making the editing experience more predictable and approachable.
Learn more: GitHub #81453, #82496, #84656, #84649
A More Consistent WordPress Admin
WordPress 7.2 continues modernizing the administration experience by replacing legacy Dashicons in the admin bar and sidebar with icons from the WordPress icon library. The updated icons bring greater visual consistency between the traditional WordPress dashboard and newer editing interfaces.
Learn more: GitHub #12270
An Updated Block Settings Experience
A new DataForm-powered inspector introduces a refreshed approach to managing block settings in the editor. Built on the DataForm component system, this work aims to provide more consistent controls and a more extensible foundation for future block editing improvements.
Learn more: GitHub Gutenberg · Call for Testing
Faster WordPress Administration
WordPress 7.2 improves admin performance by modernizing how scripts and stylesheets are loaded. Instead of combining assets into large files, WordPress now loads them individually for better browser caching. A new prefetching mechanism also anticipates which admin screen users are likely to visit next, loading its resources in advance to make navigation between the dashboard, post lists, and editor faster.
Learn more: Trac #57548
For Developers
New Secrets API
WordPress 7.2 introduces a Secrets API, providing developers with a standardized, secure way to store sensitive credentials such as API keys and authentication tokens. The API supports encryption at rest, credential rotation, and customizable storage providers, helping plugins and integrations manage sensitive information more securely.
Random Content Redirects
WordPress 7.2 adds support for random content redirects, allowing visitors to discover a randomly selected post through a dedicated URL. This provides a simple way to encourage content exploration and help readers rediscover older posts.
Learn more: Trac #64498
More Powerful APIs for Developers
WordPress 7.2 expands the Abilities API with new capabilities for accessing and querying WordPress data, providing a more consistent foundation for integrations, automation, and AI-powered tools. (Trac #66268, #64605, #64657)
Enhancements to the Interactivity API introduce new ways to render trusted HTML and manage reactive navigation, giving developers more flexibility when building dynamic, interactive blocks. (Trac #66246, Gutenberg PR #83092)
Additional improvements to the HTML API, block supports, and responsive design tools provide more reliable markup processing and greater control over how custom blocks are styled and displayed across devices. (Trac #65824, #66150, #65869)
How important is your testing?
Testing for issues is a critical part of developing any software, and it’s a meaningful way for anyone to contribute – whether or not you have experience. Details on what to test in WordPress 7.2 are available here.
If you encounter an issue, please share it in the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums. If you are comfortable submitting a reproducible bug report, you can do so via WordPress Trac. You can also check your issue against this list of known bugs.
Curious about testing releases in general and how to get started? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.
WordPress 7.2 will include new features that were previously only available in the Gutenberg plugin. Learn more about Gutenberg updates since WordPress 7.1 in the What’s New in Gutenberg posts for versions 23.7, 23.8, 23.9, 24.0, 24.1, 24.2, and 24.3.
What’s new in WordPress 7.2?
With so much in progress for WordPress 7.2 Beta 1, this is still only the beginning; expect continued refinement with each Beta and RC release ahead of the final release on December 8, 2026
Just for you: a Beta 1 haiku:
Ipsum takes the stage
Secrets bloom, designs take shape
New blocks come alive
Props to @audrasjb, @annezazu, @adamsilverstein, @westonruter, @markoserb, @im3dabasia1, @jorbin, and @noruzzaman for proofreading and review.
