WordPress 6.3 Beta 4 is ready for download and testing.

This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, you should evaluate Beta 4 on a test server and site. 

Get an overview of the 6.3 release cycle, check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.3-related posts, and review the new features in WordPress 6.3. Also, save the date for a live product demo scheduled for Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 16:00 UTC (Zoom link). This will be a great opportunity to join the WordPress community to celebrate the accomplishments of 6.3 and this final chapter of Phase 2.

Beta 4 highlights

Thanks to the many WordPress beta testers, this release contains 40+ (Editor) and 60+ (Trac) updates since the Beta 3 release. Excellent work, team!

Notable updates for this beta release include:

• Discontinuing support for PHP 5.
• 4 tickets closed regarding fetchpriority and lazy-loading features related to performance (58680, 58635, 58704, 58681.)

Browse the technical details for issues addressed since Beta 3 using these queries:

• GitHub commits for 6.3
• Closed Trac tickets since July 3

Test the new features in WordPress 6.3

Testing for issues is a critical part of developing any software, and it’s a meaningful way for anyone to contribute—whether you have experience or not. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is too. 

• Encountered an issue? Please report it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can file one on WordPress Trac. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.
• New to testing? This detailed guide is a great place to start if you’ve never tested a beta release.
• Want to know more about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on the Making WordPress Slack.

Vulnerability bounty doubles during the Beta/RC phases

The monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled between the Beta 1 release and the final release candidate (RC). Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the HackerOne page and in the security white paper.

Get WordPress 6.3 Beta 4

You can test WordPress 6.3 Beta 4 in three ways:

• Option 1: Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
• Option 2: Direct download the Beta 4 version (zip).
• Option 3: Use the following WP-CLI command:
  wp core update --version=6.3-beta4

The current target for the final release is August 8, 2023, about four weeks away. Your help testing this version ensures everything in this release is the best.

A Beta 4 Haiku

Beta ships, once more
Up next week, an RC1
6, 3, out the door

Thank you to the contributors who collaborated on this post: @DanSoschin, @Meher, @eidolonnight, and @JPantani.