WordPress 6.9 Beta 3 is available for download and testing!
This beta version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please don’t install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, you can evaluate Beta 3 on a test server and site.
WordPress 6.9 Beta 3 can be tested using any of the following methods:
| Plugin | Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream.) |
| Direct Download | Download the Beta 3 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website. |
| Command Line | Use this WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=6.9-beta3 |
| WordPress Playground | Use the 6.9 Beta 3 WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser. No setup is required – just click and go! |
The final release of WordPress 6.9 is scheduled for December 2, 2025, and the release schedule can be found here. Your help testing Beta and RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible. Thank you to everyone who helps with testing!
Please continue checking the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.9-related posts in the coming weeks for more information.
Find out what’s new in WordPress 6.9: Read the Beta 1 announcement for details and highlights.
How to test this release
Your help testing the WordPress 6.9 Beta 3 version is key to ensuring that everything in the release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally as important. This detailed guide provides a walk through on testing features in WordPress 6.9.
If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums, or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report. You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs.
Curious about testing releases in general? Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.
Beta 3 updates and highlights
WordPress 6.9 Beta 3 contains more than 80 updates and fixes since the Beta 2 release.
Each beta cycle focuses on bug fixes, and more are on the way with your testing! You can browse the technical details for all issues addressed since Beta 2 using these links:
- Gutenberg commits for 6.9 since October 28, 2025
- Closed Core Trac tickets for 6.9 since October 28, 2025
- Comparing commit changes in Core Trac for 6.9 since October 28, 2025
A Beta 3 haiku
Code is poetry,
and poetry is magic.
So code is magic.
Props to @akshayar , @jeffpaul, @krupajnanda, @mosescursor, and @westonruter for proofreading and review.