By . Published on April 4, 2023

WordPress 6.2 New Features Announcement

Dear WordPress Community,

We are excited to share with you the recent changes and updates that WordPress has made to their interface as part of WordPress Version 6.2 These changes are relatively minor but they do improve the overall user experience and it’s always helpful to stay up to date with the most recent version of WordPress.

Sidebar Icon

When editing a page or post, the ‘gear’ icon that controls the right-side settings panel in the Block editor has been replaced with a ‘sidebar’ icon. 

The ‘gear’ icon that controls the right-side settings panel in the Block editor has been replaced with a ‘sidebar’ icon

New Distraction-free Mode

The 3 dots menu on the top-right corner of the screen has been updated to display the options of Spotlight mode, Fullscreen mode, and now, Distraction-free mode. Before this update, the options in this menu were limited to Spotlight mode and Fullscreen mode only. In Distraction-free mode, surrounding visual elements such as the toolbar, the word count, and even the borders around the writing area will fade away to leave you with nothing but your page/post content. As WordPress says, “It hides everything that can get in the way of your writing, and helps you stay focused.”

The new Distraction-free mode, hides surrounding visual elements such as the toolbar, the word count, and even the borders around the writing area to help you focus on page/post content.

Settings and Styles

Some settings within the Block editor’s right sidebar are now split between two categories, “Settings” and “Styles.” In the Group block, for example, it’s now more clear where you can look to change the appearance of the block.

Some settings within the Block editor’s right sidebar are now split between two categories, “Settings” and “Styles.” Highlighted here are the icons for Settings and Styles.
Some settings within the Block editor’s right sidebar are now split between two categories, “Settings” and “Styles.” Highlighted here is the Styles panel within the Group block.

Stock Image Library

Lastly, WordPress has added their own stock image library directly to the media inserter. To access this library, click the blue “+” icon located in the upper left corner of your screen, then click the “Media” tab that’s next to Blocks and Patterns. Next, select the “Openverse” menu item. From within the Openverse, you can search for any image in their library and insert it into your page or post. While I recommend using Bates photography rather than stock photography, I still wanted to bring attention to this new feature.

To access the new stock image library within WordPress, first click the blue “+” icon highlighted here.
WordPress has added their own “Operverse” stock image library directly to the media inserter.

Next Steps

If you have any questions or concerns about this update or WordPress in general, or if you would like to schedule an individual WordPress training, you can reach us at webteam@bates.edu.

Categories: blog