{"id":19373,"date":"2025-11-25T15:33:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/?p=19373"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:33:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:33:11","slug":"wordpress-6-9-release-candidate-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2025\/11\/wordpress-6-9-release-candidate-3\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress 6.9 Release Candidate 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third Release Candidate (\u201cRC3\u201d) for WordPress 6.9 is ready for download and testing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This version of the WordPress software is under development<\/strong>. <strong>Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites.<\/strong> Instead, it\u2019s recommended that you evaluate RC3 on a test server and site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for release, testing remains crucial to ensure that everything in WordPress 6.9 is the highest quality possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can test WordPress 6.9 RC3 in four ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Plugin<\/strong><\/td><td>Install and activate the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-beta-tester\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-beta-tester\/\">WordPress Beta Tester<\/a> plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the \u201cBleeding edge\u201d channel and \u201cBeta\/RC Only\u201d stream.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Direct Download<\/strong><\/td><td>Download the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/wordpress-6.9-beta2.zip\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/wordpress-6.9-RC3.zip\">RC3 version (zip)<\/a>. and install it on a WordPress website.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Command Line<\/strong><\/td><td>Use this <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/cli\/\">WP-CLI<\/a> command: <br><code>wp core update --version=6.9-RC3<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>WordPress Playground<\/strong><\/td><td>Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/playground.wordpress.net\/?php=8.0&amp;wp=beta&amp;networking=no&amp;language=&amp;multisite=no&amp;random=y4q1rn85xn\">6.9 WordPress Playground instance<\/a> to test the software directly in your browser.&nbsp; No setup is required \u2013 just click and go!&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scheduled final release date for WordPress 6.9 is <strong>December 2, 2025<\/strong>. The full <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/6-9\/\">release schedule can be found here<\/a>. Your help testing RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please continue checking the <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/\">Make WordPress Core blog<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/tag\/6-9\/\">6.9-related posts<\/a> in the coming weeks for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s in WordPress 6.9 RC3?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to look deeper into the details and technical notes for this release? Take a look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/2025\/11\/25\/wordpress-6-9-field-guide\">WordPress 6.9 Field Guide<\/a>. For technical information related to issues addressed since <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2025\/11\/wordpress-6-9-release-candidate-2\">RC2<\/a>, you can browse the following links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/WordPress\/gutenberg\/commits\/wp\/6.9?since=2025-11-18&amp;until=2025-11-25\">Gutenberg commits for 6.9<\/a> since November 18<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/core.trac.wordpress.org\/query?status=closed&amp;changetime=11%2F18%2F2025..11%2F24%2F2025&amp;milestone=6.9&amp;group=component&amp;col=id&amp;col=summary&amp;col=milestone&amp;col=changetime&amp;col=type&amp;order=id\">Closed WordPress Core Trac tickets<\/a> since November 18<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How you can contribute<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress is open source software made possible by a passionate community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can get involved with the world\u2019s most popular open source web platform, regardless of your technical expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get involved in testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Testing for issues is crucial to the development of any software. It\u2019s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your help testing the WordPress 6.9 RC3 prerelease is key to ensuring that the final release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/test\/2025\/10\/21\/help-test-wordpress-6-9\/\">detailed guide<\/a> will walk you through testing features in WordPress 6.9. For those new to testing, follow <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/test\/handbook\/get-setup-for-testing\/\">this general testing guide<\/a> for more details on getting set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you encounter an issue, please report it to the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/support\/forum\/alphabeta\/\">Alpha\/Beta\/RC area<\/a> of the support forums or directly to <a href=\"https:\/\/core.trac.wordpress.org\/newticket\">WordPress Trac<\/a> if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of <a href=\"https:\/\/core.trac.wordpress.org\/tickets\/major\">known bugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curious about testing releases in general?&nbsp; Follow along with the <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/test\/\">testing initiatives in Make Core<\/a> and join the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.slack.com\/messages\/core-test\/\">#core-test channel<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.slack.com\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/chat\/\">Making WordPress Slack<\/a>..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Update your theme or plugin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For plugin and theme authors, your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for all users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks for continuing to test your themes and plugins with the WordPress 6.9 prereleases. If you haven\u2019t yet, please conclude your testing and update the <em>\u201cTested up to\u201d<\/em> version in your theme and plugin <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-org\/how-your-readme-txt-works\/\">readme files<\/a> to <code>6.9<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you find compatibility issues, please post detailed information in the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/support\/forum\/alphabeta\/\">support forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Test on your hosting platforms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Web hosts provide vital infrastructure for supporting WordPress and its users. Testing on hosting systems helps inform the development process while ensuring that WordPress and hosting platforms are fully compatible, free of errors, optimized for the best possible user experience, and that updates roll out to customer sites without issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to test WordPress on your hosting system? <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/hosting\/test-results-getting-started\/\">Get started with configuring distributed hosting tests here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help translate WordPress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you speak a language other than English? \u00bfEspa\u00f1ol? Fran\u00e7ais? \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439? \u65e5\u672c\u8a9e? \u0939\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u0940? \u09ac\u09be\u0982\u09b2\u09be? \u092e\u0930\u093e\u0920\u0940? \u0c95\u0ca8\u0ccd\u0ca8\u0ca1?&nbsp;You can <a href=\"https:\/\/translate.wordpress.org\/projects\/wp\/dev\/\">help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An RC3 haiku<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Some folks make money,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>some folks make time to travel,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and we Make WordPress.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Props to <\/em><a href='https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/akshayar\/' class='mention'><span class='mentions-prefix'>@<\/span>akshayar<\/a>, <a href='https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/davidbaumwald\/' class='mention'><span class='mentions-prefix'>@<\/span>davidbaumwald<\/a>, <a href='https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/westonruter\/' class='mention'><span class='mentions-prefix'>@<\/span>westonruter<\/a>, <a href='https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/ellatrix\/' class='mention'><span class='mentions-prefix'>@<\/span>ellatrix<\/a>, <a href='https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/mobarak\/' class='mention'><span class='mentions-prefix'>@<\/span>mobarak<\/a> <em>and<\/em> <a href='https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/tacoverdo\/' class='mention'><span class='mentions-prefix'>@<\/span>tacoverdo<\/a> <em>for proofreading and review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The third Release Candidate (\u201cRC3\u201d) for WordPress 6.9 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it\u2019s recommended that you evaluate RC3 on a test server and site. Reaching this phase [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16694622,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[5,10,14],"tags":[620,184,560,409],"class_list":["post-19373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-development","category-general","category-releases","tag-6-9-2","tag-development","tag-release-candidates","tag-releases","mentions-akshayar","mentions-davidbaumwald","mentions-ellatrix","mentions-mobarak","mentions-tacoverdo","mentions-westonruter"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pZhYe-52t","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16694622"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19373"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19391,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19373\/revisions\/19391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}