Every year millions of users worldwide look forward to what their favourite platform, WordPress, will bring. The latest version, available from 2 December 2025, is named "Gene" — inspired by American jazz pianist Gene Harris. WordPress 6.9 is the only major release of the year, following a change to an annual release cycle. This gives users fewer site updates throughout the year and allows the team to focus on the most important improvements.
In this article we introduce the new features available in WordPress 6.9 "Gene":
- Admin block for team collaboration notes;
- Extended editing and design functions;
- Block visibility (hide blocks in the final view);
- Template and theme improvements;
- New blocks and expanded block functions;
- Command palette accessible everywhere in the admin panel;
- Block border improvements and custom social icons;
- AI integrated into the platform core;
- Speed optimisations.
1. Admin Block for Team Collaboration Notes
Building a website is like writing code that an entire team sometimes works on together. This requires constant communication among developers. With the introduction of block-level notes, the WordPress team has addressed this inconvenience directly. The feature works similarly to a Google Docs document — every block created in the project has an option for leaving a note. Once a note is added, an indicator appears in the block's menu showing that a comment has been left by a user. The notes panel is organised like a chat window, showing the name and avatar of the user who left the note. This allows every developer on the site to comment on a block or leave a task for the next person to work on the project. Comments can also be viewed from the page editing screen through a dedicated button that shows all comments left for the individual blocks on a given page.
2. Extended Editing and Design Functions
As editing tools have evolved, working with them has become increasingly complex, often leading users to configure dozens of parameters for a single block. The WordPress development team is focusing on simplifying the editor and block work as much as possible. The option for more design control will remain, but many blocks will now have pre-configured ready-made appearances that will not require much adjustment. This will speed up site building by saving a series of additional settings and complex actions.
3. Block Visibility (Hide Blocks in the Final View)
One of the main new features in WordPress 6.9 is the ability to hide blocks that you do not want site visitors to see, while still seeing them yourself in the editor. This means you no longer need to delete a block — you can simply make it invisible to visitors. When hidden, the block will not appear in the editor's preview pane or on the live site, but it will remain in the block list. When you select it, you will see the button to make it visible again. The block and all its settings are preserved and can be restored at any time.
4. Template and Theme Improvements
A common issue previously was that custom templates would disappear when switching themes — creating a template, switching to another theme, then switching back would cause the custom template to be lost. This is now resolved: regardless of how many times the theme is changed, custom templates are preserved. Additionally, a created template can be used with any theme.
5. New Blocks and Expanded Block Functions
Accordion Block
This block offers the option of structuring blocks in an "Accordion" style. Many users previously tried to imitate this pattern, so the developers have now made it a native option. Clicking the plus will open additional blocks such as a list or other block type.
Reading Time Block
When users open a page, the Reading Time block automatically calculates and displays the estimated reading time for the content, helping visitors decide whether to engage with an article.
Math Functions Block
A new block that allows the display of mathematical formulas and expressions directly in content, useful for educational and technical sites.
Extended Block Functionalities
Existing blocks have also received enhancements including improved styling options, better responsive controls and more granular design settings accessible directly from the block toolbar.
6. Command Palette Accessible Everywhere in the Admin Panel
The Command Palette (previously accessible only in the editor) is now available throughout the entire WordPress admin panel. This allows faster navigation and execution of actions from any admin screen without needing to navigate through menus.
7. Block Border Improvements and Custom Social Icons
Custom Border Presets
WordPress 6.9 allows users to create and save custom border style presets, making it easier to apply consistent design elements across multiple blocks without repeating manual configuration.
Custom Social Icons
The Social Icons block now supports custom icons, allowing users to add icons for any platform — not just the pre-defined set — giving greater flexibility for non-standard social networks or custom branded links.
8. AI Integrated Into the Platform Core
WordPress 6.9 introduces native AI capabilities integrated directly into the core platform. This includes AI-powered writing assistance and content suggestions within the editor, reducing the need for third-party AI plugins while ensuring tighter integration with the WordPress editing experience.
9. Speed Optimisations
- Template output buffering: Improves how page templates are rendered, reducing memory usage and improving response times;
- Faster classic theme loading: Classic themes now load more efficiently through optimised enqueueing and template loading logic;
- Fewer blocks requiring rendering: Improvements to block rendering mean fewer server-side render calls, reducing load;
- Server performance improvements: Various backend optimisations improve overall server response;
- Database query optimisation: Reduced and more efficient database queries throughout the platform.
Conclusion
WordPress 6.9 "Gene" lives up to its status as the sole major release of the year by delivering meaningful improvements across collaboration, editing, performance and extensibility. Whether you manage content as part of a team, build sites for clients or simply run your own blog, there is something valuable in this release for everyone.
