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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWordPress major releases typically move through planning, development, beta testing, release candidates (RCs), and launch. The process usually takes about four months, but the schedule can vary. Beta builds invite broad testing while feature work winds down; RCs are potential final versions focused on finding and fixing regressions. Both are prereleases, so test them on a separate site—not a production or mission-critical website.
What are the stages of a WordPress release?
The WordPress Core handbook describes a typical major-release cycle from initial scoping through launch. Contributors set a schedule and organize teams, develop planned work, widen testing through betas, and then issue release candidates before publishing the final version. A minor release often follows to improve existing features or functionality.
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1. Planning and team leads
Contributors discuss the next release, identify feature leads, and choose a target date. The release schedule is planned by working backward from that date. The handbook describes roughly four-month spacing—often April, August, and December—as a useful cadence, not a fixed calendar. See the WordPress Core release-cycle overview and its major-release guidance.
2. Development
Feature leads assemble teams and coordinate work to move planned changes forward. The exact work and schedule vary by release.
3. Beta testing
Beta builds make the evolving release available to a broader group for testing. Testers report bugs, and new enhancements or feature requests stop being committed for the remainder of that release cycle. The emphasis shifts from adding features to finding issues in the work already included.
4. Release candidates
An RC is a build the release squad considers a potential final version, but it still needs community testing. A hard string freeze begins at this stage, and work focuses on regressions introduced during the current cycle. More than one RC may be published as bugs are reported and fixed. After RC1, a release branch can be created so work on the next release can begin.
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5. Launch and follow-up
Once the final version is released, it becomes available through WordPress Admin. A minor release often follows; the WordPress release-cycle handbook notes that these commonly improve existing features and functionality.
How do beta and RC releases differ?
| Stage | What testing is for | What work is in focus | Production use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beta | Broad testing by contributors and users to uncover bugs | New enhancements and feature requests stop being committed for the rest of the release | Prerelease; test away from production |
| Release candidate | Final community testing of a build considered a potential final version | String freeze; fixes focus on regressions from the current cycle | Prerelease; test away from production |
In practical terms, beta is for broad bug discovery after feature work has stopped; an RC is a later, more release-focused check of whether the code is ready to ship. Neither label means the software is safe for a live site.
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How long does a WordPress major release take?
The handbook says a release cycle usually lasts around four months from the initial scoping meeting to launch. That is a typical duration, not a promise or a fixed release schedule. Dates announced for a particular version can change.
The 2026 release archive offers a dated example: WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 was listed on July 15, and RC1 followed on August 5. The RC1 announcement scheduled the final release for August 19, 2026; that was the announced target at the time, not a guarantee. The archive also lists WordPress 7.0’s launch on May 20, 2026, followed by 7.0.1, a maintenance release, on July 9 and 7.0.2, a security release, on July 17. These entries show that maintenance and security updates can arrive between major versions. See the WordPress.org release archive and the WordPress 7.1 RC1 announcement.
What did the 7.1 prerelease updates include?
WordPress.org’s 2026 announcements reported these release-specific update and fix counts:
| Announcement | Updates and fixes since | Editor | Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress 7.1 Beta 4, July 29, 2026 | More than 114 since Beta 3 | 51 | 63 |
| WordPress 7.1 RC1, August 5, 2026 | More than 145 since Beta 4 | 57 | 88 |
These are snapshots of work between specific prereleases, not typical counts for every WordPress cycle and not a measure of software quality. See the WordPress 7.1 Beta 4 announcement and the RC1 announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you install a beta or RC on your live site?
No. WordPress.org’s RC1 announcement says the software is still under development and explicitly warns against installing, running, or testing it on production or mission-critical websites. Use a test server and site so that problems do not affect visitors or essential services.
Ways to test a prerelease
The WordPress 7.1 RC1 announcement lists these testing routes:
- Install the WordPress Beta Tester plugin.
- Download the prerelease directly.
- Use WP-CLI.
- Test with WordPress Playground.
These routes are listed for the 7.1 RC1 announcement; consult the relevant release announcement for the instructions and availability that apply to another prerelease. The same post encourages host-system testing to help inform compatibility and rollout quality.
What should plugin and theme developers do?
- Test compatibility with the prerelease in a test environment.
- When appropriate, update the plugin’s “Tested up to” version in its readme.
- Report reproducible bugs through the Alpha/Beta support forum or WordPress Trac, as directed by the release announcement.
Testing before launch gives developers an opportunity to identify compatibility problems while the release is still being finalized.
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