WordPress 5.8 Beta 3

WordPress 5.8 Beta 3 is now available for testing!

This software is still in development, so it is not recommended to run this version on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with it.

You can test the WordPress 5.8 Beta 3 in three ways:

• Install/activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (select the Bleeding edge channel and the Beta/RC Only stream).
• Direct download the beta version here (zip).
• Using WP-CLI to test: wp core update --version=5.8-beta3

The current target for the final release is July 20, 2021. That’s just four weeks away, so we need your help to make the final release is as good as it can be.

Some Highlights

Since Beta 2, 38 bugs have been fixed. Here is a summary of some of the included changes:

• Block Editor: Move caching to endpoint for unique responses. (#53435)
• Bundled Themes: Improve display of blocks in widget areas. (#53422)
• Coding Standards: Bring some consistency to HTML formatting in wp-admin/comment.php. (#52627)
• Editor: Include Cover block in the list of block types registered using metadata files. (#53440)
• Editor: Include Cover block in the list of block types registered using metadata files. (#53440)
• Media: Add new functions to return the previous/next attachment links. (#45708)
• Media: Improve upload page media item layout on smaller screens. (#51754)
• Media: Update total attachment count when media added or removed. (#53171)
• REST API: Decode single and double quote entities in widget names and descriptions. (#53407)
• Twenty Nineteen: Update margins on full- and wide-aligned blocks in the editor. (#53428)
• Widgets: Add editor styles to the widgets block editor. (#53344)

How You Can Help

Watch the Make WordPress Core blog for 5.8-related developer notes in the coming weeks, which will break down these and other changes in greater detail.

So far, contributors have fixed 254 tickets in WordPress 5.8, including 91 new features and enhancements, and more bug fixes are on the way.

Do some testing!

Testing for bugs is a vital part of polishing the release during the beta stage and a great way to contribute.

If you think you’ve found a bug, please post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. We would love to hear from you! If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, file one on WordPress Trac. That’s also where you can find a list of known bugs.

Props to @jeffpaul @desrosj @hellofromtonya @pbiron for reviews and final edits!

Esperanza first.
Want to know the next jazzer?
Then please test beta.