WordPress 5.9: Here’s What’s New

WordPress recently rolled out WordPress 5.9 on 25th January 2022.

Besides being the first major release of 2022, it’s also one of the biggest releases since Gutenberg.

With features such as block and intrinsic web design, navigation menus, and an interface for theme .json—this latest release packs a punch!

In this blog post, we’ll give you a sneak peek into WordPress 5.9 and the features and updates it has introduced. Let’s get started!

Top Features of WordPress 5.9

The following features have been rolled out in WordPress 5.9:

Full Site Editing

Prior to the release, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, the marketing lead for the new release, had stated that “the main goal for 2021 is getting full site editing to all WordPress users.”

With the full site editing feature, you can control both the page content and the global pieces of your website at the same time.

This means you can change your header or footer design while you are working on the page content. With changes in the Gutenberg editor, creating web pages has become comparatively easier for all users.

Enhanced Lazy Loading Images Performance

The previous versions of WordPress themes came with the feature of lazy loading images. It allows the images and iframe that are not required at the moment, to load with delay.

In the 5.9 version, there are several improvements in WordPress Core’s lazy-loading images features.

While testing on 50 most popular themes, it was discovered that adding it to the first image or iframe element led to an average improvement in the LCP (Largest Contextual Paint) Core Web Vitals score by an average of 7%.

Global Styles Interface

WordPress has introduced new tools in its 5.9 version to enable users to change design elements like typography, spacing, and colors to the entire site at once.

New Default Theme: Twenty Twenty-Two

Generally, WordPress releases a new theme every year and names it after the upcoming year. Hence, WordPress 5.9 came with Twenty-Twenty-Two as the new theme for the upcoming year.

Design’s lead Kjell Reigstad described Twenty Twenty-Two theme as, “Like the birds, Twenty Twenty-Two is designed to be light and resilient, with a hint of playfulness. Its color palette is drawn from nature, and layout elements sit gently on the page.”

The new theme has enabled users to use a variety of color palettes, page templates, headers, and footers for endless customizations.

More Responsive Block Options

WordPress 5.9 has introduced more responsive block options for intrinsic web design. This feature allows blocks to compose, wrap, stack, and organize themselves to fit into different spaces and screens.

The introduction of this feature addresses the challenges faced by pattern and theme builders that arose because of the unavailability of responsive tools.

Other Updates

Besides the features mentioned above, some of the other updates in WordPress 5.9 are:

• Improved Navigation Block & Design Tools for Block Editor
• Styles Graphic Interface for Theme.json
• Login Screen in Different Languages
• Active Embeds for Pinterest
• Improved PHP8 Support
• An Update to jQuery 3

It also includes the features to enhance web development and design, including bug fixes and new compatibility tools.

The Final Note

These features in the WordPress 5.9 will transform the CMS for an enhanced user experience.

What’s more, WordPress has plans to focus majorly on customization over the upcoming year to take WordPress 5.9 to the next level. So, with all the excitement around the version, are you ready to explore WordPress 5.9 for your business?

Want to Build Your Website on the Latest Version of WordPress? Contact Us!