August 10, 2023
WordPress versions guide

WordPress is the most popular tool for website creation in the world. Over 40 percent of websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. Over 100 WordPress versions have been released in the last 19 years since it’s been on the market.

If you want to know more about them, just keep reading.

In this blog, we will cover:

So let’s begin.

What is the WordPress current version?

The WordPress current version is 6.4. It was released on November 7, 2023. WordPress version 6.4 introduces a new, versatile theme and a variety of "small but mighty" improvements.

This WordPress update blends focus on both site developers and content creators alike with features such as:

  • Upgraded site editor
  • Better pattern system
  • Workflow improvements
  • New design tools
  • Block hooks
  • Performance enhancements for site speed and UX
  • Twenty Twenty Four theme

Get managed WordPress from Nexcess

Power your site with the industry's most optimized WordPress hosting

What’s new in WordPress’ current version?

The latest WordPress is version 6.4. This current WordPress version provides extensive upgrades to design tools, performance enhancements, and an improved writing/editing experience.

New blocks and a streamlined site editor make it easier to edit your WordPress theme without having to write custom code.

FUN FACT: Core WordPress developers are big fans of jazz music. All major releases since version point 1.0 are named after musicians that developers admire. For example, WordPress version 6.4 was named after Shirley Horn.

A closer look at WordPress’ current version

Let’s do a short breakdown of WordPress version 6.4, the current WordPress version, below.

  • An updated site editor that allows you to customize navigation to suit your needs, including adding buttons.
  • An improved writing experience featuring List View, smarter list merging, better control over links, and an improved toolbar.
  • Custom categories and global sharing for patterns.
  • A updated command palette that enables expanded functionality and faster workflows.
  • New and enhanced features like Style Revisions, Lightbox, Image Preview, and the ability to rename groups.
  • Annotations for posts and pages can be added in the footnote block.
  • Block hooks that let you choose whether to add, remove, or customize auto-inserted blocks.
  • Faster performance and smoother user experience.
  • The flexible Twenty Twenty Four theme, boasting 35 templates and patterns.

To summarize, WordPress version 6.4 made website creation significantly easier.

Importance of using the latest WordPress version

Once you get started with site creation, you will notice that you can create countless types of WordPress websites. No matter what type of site you are running, it’s of huge importance that you always use the latest WordPress version.

Why?

The answer is pretty simple. WordPress is free to use and the fact that it’s so popular makes it a target for hackers. They can study the source code and find exploits in it which will let them proceed with their malicious intent.

Frequently updating your installation to the current WordPress version will make sure that overall security of your site is up to date, that all bugs are patched, and that you are not missing out on any new features that developers push out.

Why WordPress releases regularly

Just like we mentioned above, hackers look for holes in WordPress code. That is why developers have to stay on top of things all the time. In summary, a release of a minor WordPress version means that a bug or a glitch that could be exploited was patched.

Additionally, WordPress has a strong community and developers are listening to it. Releases of new versions often contain a feature that was requested by the WordPress users.

Making sure you’re on the current WordPress version ensures you’re up to date with security for your site and you have access to all the current features.

What version of WordPress do I have? How to check your WordPress version

You may be wondering, What version of WordPress do I have?

It’s simple and there are a few different ways to go about it, which we outline below.

Keep reading to learn how to check your WordPress version.

How to check your WordPress version through WordPress dashboard

By far, the easiest and most commonly used method to check your WordPress version is through the WordPress dashboard. All in all, you just need a few clicks for this method.

Simply login to your dashboard with WordPress admin credentials and navigate to your main dashboard and click on updates.

To check your WordPress version, login to your dashboard and click updates

Once you are there, you will see a screen that will look just like the one below.

You will see which WordPress version you have in your dashboard

As you can see, the WordPress version will be written in bold letters accordingly. If your installation is not up to date, you will have an option to update it.

How to check your WordPress version through your website frontend

The second way to find out which version you are using is to open your site in the browser and then right click and select View page source. After you do that, another tab will appear and you will see the code of your site, similar to the image below.

View page source to check which WordPress version you have

While you are on that screen, press Ctrl+f on your keyboard to open a search bar. Type the word “generator” in the search bar and you will see this.

Your WordPress version will be highlighted in the page source

Your WordPress version will be highlighted and you will be able to easily spot it.

How to check your WordPress version through your terminal

This is a bit advanced, but if your site is running on Managed WordPress, managed WooCommerce, cloud, or a dedicated server, you will have access to your terminal. You will need to use the SSH creds to access your server. If this is the environment that you are using and you are able to login to your server use this command. It will show you which WordPress core version is being used on the site.

You will need to be in the WordPress install directory in order to use WP-CLI;

cd public_html

Once you are logged in, run the following WP-CLI command:

wp core version

As a result, output will look like this:

6.4

In the hope that you’ll be able to find out your WordPress version more easily now, let’s check the version history of the latest releases.

Looking back on WordPress version history

WordPress is popular because its core is quite easy to work with. Additionally, it offers a huge variety of themes and plugins to extend the capability of your site.

Below you can find a short breakdown of WordPress version history and the key features in these WordPress versions.

WordPress versions comparison

WordPress VersionRelease DateKey Features
WordPress 6.4.2December 6, 2023Maintenance and security release
WordPress 6.4.1November 9, 2023Maintenance release
WordPress 6.4November 7, 2023Improved site editor, block hooks, ability to categorize patterns, improved design and writing experience, enhanced Command Palette, Lightbox, Twenty Twenty Four theme
WordPress 6.3August 8, 2023Streamlined site editor, block theme previews, easier pattern creation and syncing, new command palette, enhanced design tools, style revisions, new footnotes block, new details block, and enhanced performance
WordPress 6.2 March 29, 2023New, stable site editor, scaled block settings, color coded labels for templates and reusable blocks, improved navigation experience, new style book, custom CSS support for specific blocks or whole site, Openverse integration, widgets now become template parts when switching from classic to block theme
WordPress 6.1.1November 15, 2022Maintenance release
WordPress 6.1 (WordPress latest version)November 1, 2022Full site editing, expanded templates, and patterns extended to all post types, table of contents block, improved existing blocks, Twenty Twenty Three theme, performance improvements, improved accessibility, new functions, and hooks to improve the development experience
WordPress 6.0.3October 17, 2022Security release
WordPress 6.0.2August 30, 2022Security and maintenance release, 12 fixes for core, 5 bug fixes for block editor
WordPress 6.0.1July 12, 2022Maintenance release, improved editor experience, 11 fixes for core, 18 bug fixes for block editor
WordPress 6.0 (major release)May 24, 2022 New Webfonts API, improved editor performance, extensive bug fixes, new design tools, expanded block editor functionality
WordPress 5.9.5October 17, 2022Security release
WordPress 5.9January 25, 2022Full site editing, site-wide blocks, navigation blocks, enhanced lazy loading, Twenty Twenty-Two theme, performance improvements
WordPress 5.8.6October 17, 2022Security release
WordPress 5.8 (major release)July 20, 2021Improved functionality, power, and support for blocks, new blocks and patterns, improved template editing, improved list view, improved design features like suggested patterns and duotone filters, Global Styles and Global Settings APIs, IE11 support dropped
WordPress 5.7.8October 17, 2022Security release
WordPress 5.7.2May 12, 2021Security update which patched vulnerability in PHP mailer
WordPress 5.7.1April 14, 2021Security update which fixed 26 bugs in total, data exposure vulnerability within REST API patched, PHP 8 vulnerability within media library patched
WordPress 5.7 (major WordPress release)March 9, 2021Font size adjustment, reusable blocks, buttons block, drag-and-drop inserter, one click switch between HTTP and HTTPS, lazy loading for iFrames, simpler color palette, social icons block, New Robots API
WordPress 5.6.4May 12, 2021Same date and same features as release 5.7.2
WordPress 5.6.3April 14, 2021Same date and same features as release 5.7.1
WordPress 5.6.2February 22, 2021Small maintenance update which fixed user reported issues discovered in version 5.6.1
WordPress 5.6.1February 3, 2021Maintenance release
WordPress 5.6 (major WordPress release)December 8, 2020 Improved video captioning, improved layout flexibility, better control over auto updates, built in patterns for block creation, additional support for PHP 8, updates for jQuery which affected 5.5 installations as well

Nexcess makes WordPress better

WordPress is great, but you need a great host too.

Fully managed WordPress hosting from Nexcess brings out the best in your site. With several premium tools at your disposal, such as Qubely Pro or TinyPNG, your site will be visually stunning.

At the same time, Solid Security Pro will make sure your site is secure.

Automatic image compression, a built-in content delivery network (CDN), and advanced WordPress caching features make your site load at a hyper speed. 

And just in case something goes amiss, Nexcess’ WordPress experts are there for you 24/7.

WordPress version FAQs

What is the current version of WordPress?

The current WordPress version is 6.4 and was released on November 7, 2023.

How do I know my WordPress version?

You can check your WordPress dashboard to find your WordPress version. You can also find it in the front end of your WordPress website. WordPress versions update all the time. You should be checking regularly that you’re using the latest version of WordPress.

What is the latest WordPress version 2023?

Version 6.4 is the latest major WordPress release. It was released on November 7, 2023. This update introduced an upgraded site editor, workflow improvements, and new design tools.

What versions of WordPress are there?

There are hundreds of versions of WordPress if you count every maintenance or security version. But major releases go from 1.0, 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, and all the way to the latest major WordPress version, 6.4.

This blog was originally published in July 2021. It has since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Dean Conally
Dean Conally

I am Linux enthusiast and console gamer, dog lover, and amateur photograph. Always looking for knowledge to expand my expertise, thus tackling new technologies and solutions one day at the time.

We use cookies to understand how you interact with our site, to personalize and streamline your experience, and to tailor advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies and accept our Privacy Policy.