WordPress 7.0, “Armstrong,” shipped on May 20, 2026. It’s a big release on paper. Here’s what actually matters if WordPress runs your business website.
An AI client in core
WordPress now includes a provider-agnostic AI client and a Connectors screen for linking external AI models. Nothing leaves your site until someone configures and enables a connection. Decide who is allowed to do that, and what content can be sent, before anyone flips the switch.
A refreshed admin
The dashboard gets a new color scheme, smoother transitions and a command palette you can open with Ctrl+K or ⌘K. You can now compare revisions visually before restoring one, which editors will love.
Editor and block changes
- Show or hide blocks by device, with custom breakpoints, no CSS required.
- New Breadcrumbs, Icons and standalone Heading blocks, plus a redesigned Gallery with a lightbox.
- A navigation overlay you can build with blocks and patterns.
- Custom CSS per block, right in the editor sidebar.
- Font management for block, hybrid and classic themes.
For developers
Simple blocks can now be registered from PHP alone, the Interactivity API gains a watch() function, and a new boot package helps build custom Site Editor pages. Real-time collaboration was previewed in beta but didn’t make the final release.
The PHP floor moved
WordPress 7.0 drops support for PHP 7.2 and 7.3. The minimum is now PHP 7.4, and PHP 8.3 or newer is recommended. If your host is still on an old version, fix that first.
Before you update
- Test on staging first, especially sites built with page builders like WPBakery.
- Take a full backup, files and database.
- Check that custom admin screens still look right with the new styles.
- Agree on an AI connector policy before anyone enables one.
