WordPress 5.4 has been released and is the first major version. This new version includes many features, many of which revolve around the WordPress block editor. This version will greatly improve the way you create content on your website.
In this article, we will share what's new in WordPress 5.4 and the features you should try after updating your site.
New Features in WordPress 5.4
WordPress 5.4 is a major version, and unless you use managed WordPress hosting, you must manually initiate the update.
Important: Before starting the update, do not forget to create a fullWordPress Backup。
New and Improved Block Editor in WordPress 5.4
WordPress 5.4 focuses on improving the content editor. This includes new features, enhancements, and new blocks.
WordPress 5.4 displays the block editor in full-screen mode by default.
This change will be noticeable on new WordPress installations, or when accessing the WordPress admin area from a new device, browser, or incognito mode.
If you upgrade from WordPress 5.3 using the same browser and device you frequently use, the editor will open in the previous mode you enabled.
You can exit full-screen mode by clicking the editor settings and unchecking the „Fullscreen mode“ option.
New Blocks in WordPress 5.4
WordPress 5.4 brings two new blocks for you to use when writing content.
1. Social Icons Block
As the name suggests, the Social Icons block allows you to add social media icons in your posts and pages.
After that, you can click the Add button and select the social network you want to add. Then you can click the social network icon and provide a link to your profile.
The Social Icons block only allows you to add social media icons with links to your profile. It does not add social sharing buttons. For that, you still need a social media plugin with sharing functionality.
2. Buttons Block
WordPress 5.4 introduces the Buttons block, which will replace the Button block. As the name of the new block suggests, it allows you to add multiple buttons side by side.
You can choose a background or gradient color for each button, and choose from two different styles.
Improved Feature Blocks to Try in WordPress 5.4
Several blocks in WordPress 5.4 have been improved with new enhancements. Below are the most important changes that will greatly improve your writing experience.
WordPress 5.4 provides new color options for multiple blocks. This allows you to create more attractive layouts for your posts and pages.
Previously, users could only change the color of all text in a paragraph. With WordPress 5.4, you can now change the color of any text within a paragraph block.
You can also choose gradient text and background colors for the Cover block, and even set background and text colors for all blocks within a Group block.
If you regularly use the Columns block, you can also use color to separate columns from regular paragraphs.
Block Selection Tool
New buttons in the toolbar now make it easy to select blocks. This is a very useful tool, especially when you have blocks nested inside a Group block.
Simply click the selection tool and move your mouse over the block you want to select.
Previously, you had to manually upload and set the featured image. This did not match the drag-and-drop functionality of the content editor.
Now with WordPress 5.4, you can simply drag and drop an image onto the Featured Image section.
Better Mobile Toolbar for the Block Editor
Previously, if you had to edit a blog post on a mobile device, you may have noticed how the block settings toolbar moved around.
This made it very difficult to use the editor on mobile devices. WordPress 5.4 solves this problem with a fixed toolbar at the top.
Select Image Size in the Gallery Block
Previously, you could not select image sizes for images in the Gallery block. Now, you can directly choose the image size in the Gallery block settings.
Improved Latest Posts Block
Previously, the „Latest Posts“ block did not include featured images. You can now also select the size and alignment for the featured image. This makes the „Latest Posts“ block more attractive and practical.
You Can Now Embed TikTok Videos in WordPress
WordPress 5.4 includes embed support for TikTok videos. Basically, you can now add TikTok videos to WordPress posts and pages just like embedding YouTube videos.
Simply paste the video URL, and WordPress will automatically embed it.
Updated Privacy Tools in WordPress 5.4
WordPress 5.4 brings improvements to the built-in privacy tools. Now, personal data exports include session tokens, community event locations, and custom user meta.
Personal data exports are now available in two files: HTML and JSON. The HTML file includes a table of contents at the top for easy navigation.
Developer Changes in WordPress 5.4
WordPress 5.4 brings some improvements for developers. These enhancements mainly affect theme and plugin developers.
New hooks in WordPress 5.4 allow developers to add custom fields to navigation menu items. (Details)
Developers can now add keyboard shortcuts to the block editor. (Details)
WordPress 5.4 changes the HTML output of the Calendar widget. It moves the navigation links to
HTML elements after the <ul> element to generate valid HTML. (#39763)
The new function apply_shortcodes() is now available as an alias for the do_shortcode() function. (#37422)
Some unused customizer classes are now officially deprecated in WordPress 5.4. (#42364)
From the update, it can be seen that more is aimed at the Gutenberg editor. If you are using the Classic Editor, it will not affect you much.
Manual Update Method
If you are using a domestic server, automatic updates usually cannot succeed, so you can only update manually. You can refer to the tutorial below:
Automatic Update Failed_Several Methods to Manually Update WordPress Version