May 20, 2026
WordPress 7.0 - Louis Armstrong
The current major branch as of June 11, 2026. This release starts the next generation of WordPress core after the long 6.x cycle.
Checked June 11, 2026Current versionRelease timeline
WordPress Version History
WordPress Version History: Complete Release Timeline from 2003 to 2026
Use this page to check the current WordPress version, understand which releases changed everyday site work, and plan safer updates for live sites.
Current release
WordPress 7.0 is the current major release checked for this page.
First public release
WordPress 0.70 was released on May 27, 2003.
Use this page for
Release checks, update planning, compatibility reviews, and historical context.
Latest major release
WordPress 7.0
Louis Armstrong
Released May 20, 2026. Checked June 11, 2026.
Update planning matters more than the version number alone. Test compatibility, confirm backups, and update with a rollback path.
By Editorial Staff. Reviewed for accuracy by WPArena. Published . Updated .
Current release
What is the latest WordPress version?
The current major WordPress version checked for this page is WordPress 7.0, released on May 20, 2026. The first public WordPress release was WordPress 0.70 on May 27, 2003.
Latest
7.0
Current major release on WordPress.org.
First public build
0.70
Public release that started the WordPress timeline.
Release span
2003-2026
54 major releases tracked on this page.
Recent updates
Recent WordPress releases to know about
Major releases are milestones. Maintenance and security releases are the ones site owners usually see in dashboards between major upgrades.
May 20, 2026
WordPress 7.0
Current major release at the time this page was checked.
March 11, 2026
WordPress 6.9.4
Early-2026 maintenance release in the 6.9 branch.
March 10, 2026
WordPress 6.9.3
Fast-follow maintenance release after 6.9.2.
December 2, 2025
WordPress 6.9
Major release named for Gene Harris.
September 30, 2025
WordPress 6.8.3
Security release in the 6.8 branch.
July 15, 2025
WordPress 6.8.2
Maintenance release for WordPress 6.8 sites.
A-Z timeline
Complete major WordPress release timeline
This timeline lists the major WordPress releases from the first public build to the current 7.0 branch. Version names follow the WordPress tradition of honoring jazz musicians, starting with WordPress 1.0.
December 2, 2025
WordPress 6.9 - Gene Harris
A late-2025 major release followed by 6.9.1, 6.9.2, 6.9.3, and 6.9.4 maintenance updates in early 2026.
April 15, 2025
WordPress 6.8 - Cecil
Focused on steady editor, security, and performance refinement for modern WordPress sites.
November 12, 2024
WordPress 6.7 - Rollins
Introduced the Twenty Twenty-Five default theme and continued work on the site editing experience.
July 16, 2024
WordPress 6.6 - Dorsey
Improved design tooling, pattern management, style variations, and Data Views in the admin experience.
April 2, 2024
WordPress 6.5 - Regina
Brought the Font Library, Interactivity API, and Block Bindings API into everyday WordPress workflows.
November 7, 2023
WordPress 6.4 - Shirley
Shipped Twenty Twenty-Four and pushed block patterns deeper into the editing workflow.
August 8, 2023
WordPress 6.3 - Lionel
Made the Site Editor feel more complete, with better navigation, patterns, and the command palette.
March 29, 2023
WordPress 6.2 - Dolphy
Removed the beta label from the Site Editor and made block themes more practical for production sites.
November 1, 2022
WordPress 6.1 - Misha
Expanded style variations and shipped Twenty Twenty-Three as a flexible block theme foundation.
May 24, 2022
WordPress 6.0 - Arturo
Polished full site editing, patterns, writing flow, and block theme controls after the 5.9 jump.
January 25, 2022
WordPress 5.9 - Josephine
Introduced full site editing to mainstream WordPress and shipped the first default block theme, Twenty Twenty-Two.
July 20, 2021
WordPress 5.8 - Tatum
Moved widgets into blocks, added early template editing, and expanded WebP support.
March 9, 2021
WordPress 5.7 - Esperanza
Added an HTTP-to-HTTPS migration tool and continued the block editor cleanup work.
December 8, 2020
WordPress 5.6 - Simone
Introduced application passwords, Twenty Twenty-One, and more automatic update control.
August 11, 2020
WordPress 5.5 - Eckstine
Added native XML sitemaps, lazy loading for images, and built-in plugin/theme auto-updates.
March 31, 2020
WordPress 5.4 - Adderley
Improved block editor performance, navigation, embeds, and social blocks.
November 12, 2019
WordPress 5.3 - Kirk
Shipped Twenty Twenty, refined large-image handling, and folded in many block editor improvements.
May 7, 2019
WordPress 5.2 - Jaco
Made Site Health visible to everyday site owners and added fatal error protection.
February 21, 2019
WordPress 5.1 - Betty
Improved performance after 5.0 and laid more groundwork for Site Health checks.
December 6, 2018
WordPress 5.0 - Bebo
Replaced the classic editor as the default writing experience with the block editor, then known widely as Gutenberg.
November 15, 2017
WordPress 4.9 - Tipton
Improved Customizer workflows, scheduled design changes, and code-editing safeguards.
June 8, 2017
WordPress 4.8 - Evans
Added image, video, audio, and rich text widgets for a more flexible dashboard experience.
December 6, 2016
WordPress 4.7 - Vaughan
Shipped Twenty Seventeen, custom CSS in the Customizer, and REST API endpoints for posts, users, comments, terms, and settings.
August 16, 2016
WordPress 4.6 - Pepper
Used native system fonts in the admin, improved updates, and made editor recovery smoother.
April 12, 2016
WordPress 4.5 - Coleman
Added inline links, responsive preview controls, and faster image generation.
December 8, 2015
WordPress 4.4 - Clifford
Introduced responsive images and the REST API infrastructure that later made headless WordPress common.
August 18, 2015
WordPress 4.3 - Billie
Moved menus into the Customizer, added site icons, and pushed stronger password behavior.
April 23, 2015
WordPress 4.2 - Powell
Improved character support, including emoji, and cleaned up plugin installation.
December 18, 2014
WordPress 4.1 - Dinah
Added Twenty Fifteen and a cleaner writing mode for long-form publishing.
September 4, 2014
WordPress 4.0 - Benny
Brought a stronger media grid, better embed previews, and smoother plugin discovery.
April 16, 2014
WordPress 3.9 - Smith
Improved the visual editor, media handling, galleries, and widget previews.
December 12, 2013
WordPress 3.8 - Parker
Gave the WordPress admin its modern responsive design and introduced Twenty Fourteen.
October 24, 2013
WordPress 3.7 - Basie
Added automatic background updates for maintenance and security releases.
August 1, 2013
WordPress 3.6 - Oscar
Improved revisions, autosaves, post locking, and native audio/video support.
December 11, 2012
WordPress 3.5 - Elvin
Introduced the media manager and the Twenty Twelve default theme.
June 13, 2012
WordPress 3.4 - Green
Made theme previews and the early Customizer part of normal WordPress management.
December 12, 2011
WordPress 3.3 - Sonny
Improved the uploader, navigation, admin pointers, and tablet support.
July 4, 2011
WordPress 3.2 - Gershwin
Made the admin faster, introduced distraction-free writing, and raised old browser/server expectations.
February 23, 2011
WordPress 3.1 - Reinhardt
Added the admin bar, post formats, editor link tools, and archive improvements.
June 17, 2010
WordPress 3.0 - Thelonious
A landmark release: custom post types, custom menus, multisite networking, and the Twenty Ten theme.
December 18, 2009
WordPress 2.9 - Carmen
Added image editing, post trash, easier embeds, and batch plugin updates.
June 10, 2009
WordPress 2.8 - Baker
Improved widgets, theme and plugin browsing, and admin speed for site owners.
December 10, 2008
WordPress 2.7 - Coltrane
Introduced the modern left-side admin navigation, automatic core upgrades, threaded comments, and quick editing.
July 15, 2008
WordPress 2.6 - Tyner
Added post revisions, Press This, theme previews, and better publishing control.
March 29, 2008
WordPress 2.5 - Brecker
Redesigned the dashboard, improved media handling, and renamed Blogroll to Links in the admin.
September 24, 2007
WordPress 2.3 - Dexter
Added native tags, update notifications, and database changes that made upgrading important for site owners.
May 16, 2007
WordPress 2.2 - Getz
Moved widgets into core and improved Atom feed support.
January 22, 2007
WordPress 2.1 - Ella
Added autosave, privacy options, spell checking, and a cleaner editing workflow.
December 26, 2005
WordPress 2.0 - Duke
Brought a redesigned admin, user roles, rich editing, and image uploading into the core experience.
February 17, 2005
WordPress 1.5 - Strayhorn
Introduced themes, pages, and template improvements that shaped WordPress as a full website platform.
May 22, 2004
WordPress 1.2 - Mingus
Added plugin architecture, turning WordPress into a platform that site owners could extend.
January 3, 2004
WordPress 1.0 - Davis
The first named major release, with friendlier permalinks, multiple categories, and installation improvements.
May 27, 2003
WordPress 0.70 - First public release
The public starting point of WordPress, forked from b2/cafelog and built around simple publishing.
Milestones
How the WordPress release story changed
A version number is useful only when it tells you what changed for publishers, developers, clients, and maintainers.
2003-2005: Publishing foundation
WordPress moved from a forked blogging tool into a themeable publishing platform with plugins, pages, and friendlier permalinks.
2007-2013: Admin and update maturity
Tags, widgets, automatic updates, revisions, media management, and the modern admin made WordPress safer to run at scale.
2014-2018: API and editor shift
Responsive images, REST endpoints, stronger customization tools, and the block editor changed how WordPress sites were built.
2019-2026: Block-site platform
Site editing, block themes, patterns, design tools, and performance work made WordPress a broader site-building platform.
Check your site
How to check your installed WordPress version
Use the dashboard first. If you manage sites for clients or teams, confirm the version in more than one place before planning a major update.
1
Open Dashboard > Updates and read the installed WordPress version.
2
Check the At a Glance dashboard panel for the current core version.
3
For managed hosting, compare the dashboard version with the host control panel.
4
For command-line maintenance, use WP-CLI only when you have server access and a backup.
Update safely
Before updating WordPress on a live site
The right update plan depends on site risk. A small brochure site and a revenue-critical WooCommerce site should not use the same release process.
Confirm the current installed version in Dashboard > Updates.
Back up the database, uploads, theme, plugins, and configuration files.
Check PHP, database, theme, and plugin compatibility before a major update.
Run the update on staging first when the site handles revenue, memberships, or client work.
Update plugins and themes before or alongside the core release when compatibility notes require it.
Clear cache and test login, forms, checkout, editor screens, search, and key templates after updating.
Official sources
Where this page checks release information
Related WPArena guides
Useful next reads
FAQ
WordPress version questions
What is the latest WordPress version?
The latest major WordPress version checked for this guide is WordPress 7.0, released on May 20, 2026.
Where can I check my installed WordPress version?
Open the WordPress dashboard and go to Dashboard > Updates, or check the At a Glance panel on the dashboard home screen.
Should every site update to a new major version immediately?
Not always. Test important sites first, confirm plugin and theme compatibility, then update with a rollback plan.
What was the first public WordPress release?
The first public WordPress release was WordPress 0.70 on May 27, 2003.