WordPress 7.0 Release Preparation: Dry Run, Code Freeze, and Testing
Test the WordPress 7.0 RC4 packages on your server stack, including IIS and older PHP/MySQL versions, before the 24‑hour code freeze ends.
Run the WordPress 7.0 RC4 packages on your server stack, test new installs, upgrades, multisite, plugin/theme installs, and report any issues to the core test channel.
Summary
WordPress 7.0 release preparation is underway, with the dry run concluding on May 19 2026 at 21:00 UTC and a mandatory 24‑hour code freeze now in effect. The release party is scheduled for May 20 2026 at 17:00 UTC in the #core Slack channel, and the release squad will handle any critical bugs that arise during the freeze by either restarting the release process or targeting the issue for 7.1. Testing is critical, and contributors are asked to run the WordPress 7.0 RC4 packages on a variety of server configurations, including IIS, older PHP and MySQL versions, and to verify new installs, upgrades, multisite/network setups, plugin/theme installs, and language changes. Detailed testing guidelines are available in the Help Test WordPress 7.0 post, and the release process includes steps for manual installs, WP‑CLI, and one‑click installers. The 24‑hour code freeze will prevent any source code changes in the 7.0 branch during the freeze period. If a critical bug is reported, the release squad will decide whether to restart the release cycle or defer the fix to 7.1.
Key changes
- Dry Run concluded May 19 2026 21:00 UTC
- 24‑hour code freeze now in effect for 7.0 branch
- Release party scheduled May 20 2026 17:00 UTC
- Critical bug handling: restart release or defer to 7.1
- Testing required on IIS and older PHP/MySQL
- Test new installs, upgrades, multisite, plugin/theme installs, language changes
- Use WordPress 7.0 RC4 packages for early testing
- Release process includes manual installs, WP‑CLI, one‑click installers