WordPress 6.9 is now available which includes a number of collaboration changes, performance enhancements and a new Abilities API for integration AI tools into WordPress. There are also over 250 bugs that were fixed in this release.

The WordPress 6.9 field guide goes through all the changes: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/11/25/wordpress-6-9-field-guide/ but there are a few I wanted to note:

1. Optimized Performance – Something we all want to see and can benefit from. I recommend you do a before and after Google Page Speed test to see the differences or even look at the number of queries that are used before and after on any given page using something like Query Monitor
2. Accessibility Updates – Again – a nice benefit for all of us. WordPress 6.9 contains “extensive accessibility improvements” which are very much appreciated.
3. Notes – Site editors can now write notes to each other while creating content to allow for better collaboration and change tracking with content.

You can read more by looking at the release notes: https://wordpress.org/documentation/wordpress-version/version-6.9/

You can also see a complete list of changes: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=closed&resolution=fixed&milestone=6.9&order=priority

If you have not done so already – download the update or simply use your existing installation of WordPress to update your site. Either way – this is an excellent time to make a backup copy of your site(s) before upgrading.