# WordPress 7.2: Planned New Features and Tests to Prepare

> WordPress 7.2 is expected in December 2026. Here is an overview of the announced new features and the tests to prepare before updating.

CMS Evolution

## WordPress 7.2: Planned New Features, Ipsum Theme, and Tests Before December

WordPress 7.2 is expected to conclude the CMS's major release cycle in 2026. Its roadmap combines editorial enhancements, new APIs, security, and the arrival of the Ipsum theme, but several elements remain to be confirmed.

![wordpress 7 2 ipsum features migration guide](https://sdx-development.com/media/News/wordpress-7-2-ipsum-features-migration-guide.webp?v=1790282192)

[Web Development](https://sdx-development.com/en/news/web-development)Published on 24 September 2026 at 22:40

**As of September 24, 2026, WordPress 7.2 is still in development. The first beta is expected between October 20 and 22, followed by a final release currently targeted for December 8 to 10.**

 

Key takeaway 

## A version to prepare for, not deploy yet

 

The roadmap published on September 18 announces the Ipsum theme, changes to the editor, new APIs, and several security initiatives. Their inclusion in the final version is not guaranteed, however: the immediate priority is to identify the site's dependencies and organize preproduction testing.

  

## What is the schedule for WordPress 7.2?

 

**WordPress 7.2 is expected to be the last major CMS release published in 2026.** Its schedule includes four betas, three Release Candidates, and then a final release in December. These dates may change depending on testing and decisions made by the team responsible for the release.

 

| Stage | Planned date |
| --- | --- |
| Beta 1 | October 20 to 22, 2026 |
| Beta 2 | October 27 to 29, 2026 |
| Beta 3 | November 3 to 5, 2026 |
| Beta 4 | November 10 to 12, 2026 |
| Release Candidate 1 | November 17 to 19, 2026 |
| Release Candidate 2 | November 24 to 26, 2026 |
| Release Candidate 3 | December 1 to 3, 2026 |
| Final version | December 8 to 10, 2026 |

 

Beta 1 will mark an important milestone: efforts should then focus primarily on testing and fixing issues rather than adding features. The first Dev Notes for developers will also begin to appear.

 

01 

### Late October

 

Start testing in an isolated environment as soon as the first beta is available and follow the initial technical notes.

 

02 

### November

 

Check extensions, themes, editorial workflows, and integrations throughout the beta and RC releases.

 

03 

### Early December

 

Validate critical components with a Release Candidate close to the version expected in production.

 

04 

### After release

 

Deploy only after a backup, preproduction validation, and rollback preparation.

 

## Ipsum, a new minimalist default theme

 

One of the most visible changes is expected to be the arrival of **Ipsum**, the theme proposed to accompany WordPress 7.2. Designed as a blank canvas focused on blogging, it should work immediately while remaining highly customizable in the Site Editor.

 

This choice breaks with the annual convention followed by Twenty Twenty-Two, Twenty Twenty-Three, Twenty Twenty-Four, and Twenty Twenty-Five. Future default themes could now receive their own names and evolve whenever a new design warrants it, rather than following the calendar alone.

 

Approach 

### A restrained foundation

 

Ipsum favors a minimalist presentation, several style variations, and templates intended to be transformed from the Site Editor.

 

Accessibility 

### A WCAG AA target

 

The initial presentation indicates that the proposed combinations target WCAG AA compliance. The technical review must nevertheless continue before release.

 

### A theme still in development

 

Ipsum's current appearance and behavior should not be considered final. Block themes and Full Site Editing now position the default theme as an adaptable design foundation rather than a fixed design.

 

Watch point 

## A roadmap is not a definitive list

 

WordPress specifies that the announced features are actively being developed, without guaranteeing that they will all be included in the final version. Every technical decision must therefore be reassessed based on the betas, Dev Notes, and Release Candidates.

 

## The editor is moving toward better-integrated collaboration

 

Notes, which allow users to comment directly on blocks, are expected to continue evolving. The roadmap mentions suggested changes that can be accepted or rejected, emoji reactions, and more direct access from the block toolbar.

 

For an editorial team, these mechanisms can attach comments to the relevant content and reduce some discussions held outside the CMS. They should not, however, be confused with simultaneous co-editing.

 

### No real-time collaboration in the roadmap

 

Real-time collaborative editing is deliberately not planned for the WordPress 7.2 roadmap. Architectural choices still need to be addressed alongside the development of this version.

 

### An inspector rebuilt around DataForm

 

WordPress is working to rebuild the post and page settings panel around DataForm. The featured image, excerpt, status, date, author, template, and options added by extensions should gradually be represented using this shared foundation.

 

The goal is to provide a more consistent interface, particularly between the inspector and quick editing in the Site Editor. For plugin developers, however, this change may reveal fragile integrations.

 

> An extension built on a public API generally withstands changes to the administration better than one targeting the DOM or internal CSS classes directly.

 

### Affected plugins should start testing

 

On September 17, WordPress issued a specific call to developers. Most major extension APIs should continue to work, but the former ` PluginPostExcerpt ` location is deprecated and is not currently being ported to the new inspector. The recommended migration path is ` PluginDocumentSettingPanel `.

 

As of September 23, filters related to the media selector and featured image had also been integrated into the development branch, with inclusion announced for Gutenberg 24.1. SEO, editorial, and content management extensions are particularly affected.

 

## New foundations for extensions

 

The initiative is not limited to how the administration is presented. A **Fields API** is targeted for WordPress 7.2 so that extensions can register their fields and display them in different interfaces without rebuilding each screen separately.

 

The Site Editor should also become extensible. WordPress is preparing a foundation that will allow plugins to register their own screens and settings through server-side configuration. Extensions related to SEO, structured content, design, or global settings could therefore integrate more effectively with native interfaces.

 

Fields API 

### Share fields across interfaces

 

The goal is to reduce the amount of custom code required and improve consistency across different administration interfaces.

 

Site Editor 

### Support plugin screens

 

Complex extensions could fit more naturally into the Site Editor instead of systematically building their own page.

 

We will have to wait for the beta and Dev Notes to learn which APIs are actually stabilized. Developments that use internal functions or depend on the current HTML structure will need to be reviewed carefully.

 

## Responsive styles, forms, blocks, and media

 

WordPress 7.2 is expected to extend the responsive capabilities introduced in WordPress 7.1. The roadmap plans to expand the controls available across responsive states and provide a public API so third-party blocks can use the same mechanisms.

 

The display of inherited styles should also become clearer. When a color is defined globally for paragraphs, the editor should better show this value and distinguish it from a setting applied to a single block.

 

### Customizable forms in Global Styles

 

The interface should make it easier to customize buttons, text fields, selection lists, labels, and certain interactive states. Some support already exists in ` theme.json `, but the goal is to make these options accessible without directly editing that file or adding CSS.

 

### Two blocks to watch

 

The Table of Contents block, which has long been experimental, should stabilize with server-side dynamic rendering to maintain consistency between the editor and the public site. A new Description List block should produce the semantic ` dl `, ` dt `, and ` dd ` elements, particularly suited to glossaries, definitions, and technical sheets.

 

### Media management continues to evolve

 

WordPress is continuing work on image processing in the browser, expanding supported formats, and improving performance. The media selector should make it easier to navigate large media libraries, while galleries should gain new sorting options.

 

The media editor should also better track the relationships between an original image and its cropped variations. These changes will be especially worth observing on editorial sites with many assets.

 

### Performance must be measured on representative sites

 

The roadmap mentions replacing the concatenation of certain scripts and stylesheets with ` prefetch ` mechanisms, as well as improvements related to responsive images. No universal performance gain can nevertheless be inferred from this work.

 

Results will still depend on the theme, extensions, hosting, cache, images, database, third-party scripts, and server configuration. Comparisons should be conducted after stabilization under reproducible conditions.

 

## Security: important directions, but still provisional

 

A **Secrets API** is proposed to provide a common mechanism for storing API keys and other sensitive information, with WP-CLI support. Its complete graphical interface would be planned for a later version.

 

WordPress is also exploring a “sudo mode,” meaning a new authentication step before certain sensitive administrative actions. This initiative is still in its early stages and should not be announced as confirmed for December.

 

Secrets API 

### Standardize sensitive data

 

The proposal aims to prevent every extension from developing its own mechanism for storing external credentials or API keys.

 

Reauthentication 

### Protect privileged actions

 

The “sudo mode” principle is to request additional confirmation before certain particularly sensitive operations.

 

### Application passwords are also affected

 

Possible initiatives include better detection of HTTPS or local environments, notifications when an application password is added, additional protections based on certain roles, and work on the SameSite attribute of cookies.

 

### No generative assistant announced in Core

 

The presence of an artificial intelligence section in the roadmap does not mean that a generative assistant will be integrated into WordPress 7.2. Features must first demonstrate adoption and usefulness in the AI plugin before possible integration into Core.

 

The experiments mentioned include “abilities,” the MCP adapter, WebMCP, agent permissions, embeddings, semantic search, and streaming. This work is not guaranteed to be included in WordPress 7.2.

 

## What should you test before updating to WordPress 7.2?

 

A major version should be evaluated on a representative copy of the site. Business workflows, roles, critical extensions, and external integrations matter more than a simple visual check of the homepage.

 

## Compatibility checklist

 
1. **Test plugins that add panels, fields, or settings to the editor.**
2. **Check the theme and styles on desktop, tablet, and smartphone.**
3. **Verify forms, navigation, typography, and inherited styles.**
4. **Review developments that extend or manipulate the Site Editor.**
5. **Replay workflows with different roles and external application accounts.**
6. **Compare media, performance, and logs before and after the upgrade.**

 

### Editorial extensions and custom development

 

SEO, workflow, publishing, field management, and Custom Post Type extensions should be checked with DataForm. WordPress already provides a testing protocol with Gutenberg 24.0 or a more recent development version.

 

### Block themes and ` theme.json ` configurations

 

Global Styles, responsive states, and local settings can interact with existing customizations. Tests should cover the main pages and reusable components, not just one template.

 

### Roles, media, and performance

 

A successful workflow with an administrator account does not guarantee that it will work for an editor, author, custom role, or external integration. For image-heavy sites, also compare page weight, Core Web Vitals, generated variants, lazy loading, administration load time, and media library navigation.

 

## How should you prepare for the migration?

 

Preparation can begin before the first beta by inventorying the WordPress and PHP versions, the active theme and any child theme, extensions, custom code, external integrations, CRON tasks, cache, and available backups.

 

This is also the right time to remove unused extensions and check that essential components are still maintained.

 

01 

### Before Beta 1

 

Document dependencies, verify backups, and clean up the existing installation.

 

02 

### During the betas

 

Install WordPress 7.2 only in development or preproduction, follow the Dev Notes, and analyze PHP and JavaScript errors.

 

03 

### During the RCs

 

Replay critical scenarios and check that the vendors of essential extensions and themes announce compatibility.

 

04 

### After release

 

Plan a verified backup, a rollback strategy, and a monitoring window after deployment.

 

## Should you wait for WordPress 7.2 to start a project?

 

There is no need to postpone creating or redesigning a site until December. If production deployment is planned around that time, however, it is sensible to include WordPress 7.2 in the validation schedule.

 

Choosing maintained extensions, using public APIs, developing the theme properly, maintaining a faithful preproduction environment, and following a reproducible update procedure remain the best safeguards against future CMS changes.

 

## Key takeaways

 

WordPress 7.2 looks more like a maturation step for the editor and its technical foundations than a version built around a single spectacular feature. Ipsum will probably be its most visible new feature, but DataForm, plugin APIs, Site Editor extensibility, and security work may have a greater impact on professional projects.

 

The most cautious strategy is to follow the version's stabilization, read the Dev Notes, and prepare representative tests. The roadmap should not be treated as the definitive list of what will ship in December.

 

Official sources View references

 

[Make WordPress Core — Roadmap to 7.2](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/09/18/roadmap-to-7-2/)

 

[Make WordPress Core — WordPress 7.2](https://make.wordpress.org/core/7-2/)

 

[Make WordPress Core — Introducing Ipsum, the new default theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/09/16/introducing-ipsum-the-new-default-theme/)

 

[Make WordPress Core — Call for testing: DataForm editor inspector](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/09/17/call-for-testing-dataform-editor-inspector/)

WEB DEVELOPMENT

## Prepare your web application for future changes.

PHP migration, CMS update or framework evolution: identify compatibility points and validate essential user journeys before going live.

- Dependencies checked for compatibility
- Essential user journeys tested in pre-production
- Go-live with rollback capability

[Prepare your changes](https://sdx-development.com/en/contact)[View our expertise](https://sdx-development.com/en/services)

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