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WordPress 7.2: release date, schedule and how to get your site ready

WordPress 7.2 is scheduled for 8 December 2026 (in 37 days). It has not been released yet. This guide shows the official schedule, what plugins say about being ready, and a checklist for updating safely.

Official release date
8 December 2026
in 37 days · full WordPress 7.2 page

The schedule

  • 20 October 2026 · Beta 1
  • 27 October 2026 · Beta 2
  • 28 October 2026 · Beta 3 released during 7.1.4
  • 3 November 2026 · Beta 4
  • 10 November 2026 · Beta 5
  • 17 November 2026 · Release Candidate 1
  • 24 November 2026 · Release Candidate 2
  • 1 December 2026 · Release Candidate 3
  • 7 December 2026 · Dry run for release of WordPress 7.2 and 24-hour code freeze
  • 8 December 2026 · WordPress 7.2 is released

Source: the WordPress 7.2 release schedule on make.wordpress.org. Beta and release-candidate steps are test versions, not the final release.

What we know about it

According to the release team's own page, WordPress 7.2 is the final major release of 2026, and a new default theme is planned to ship with it. A theme called Ipsum appeared in WordPress's own code and is described there as a proposal, so we do not treat it as final.

Are your plugins ready?

We track 6,921 plugins with at least 1,000 active installs. 37 say they have tested the 7.2 beta, 5,321 have not said so yet, and 1,563 list no usable value. "Tested up to" is each maker's own claim. We never test plugins ourselves. See the full list.

Popular plugins that have not said they tested 7.2 yet

CContact Form 710+ million active installsEElementor10+ million active installsYYoast SEO10+ million active installsCClassic Editor8+ million active installsLLiteSpeed Cache7+ million active installsWWooCommerce7+ million active installsAAkismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection5+ million active installsAAll-in-One WP Migration and Backup5+ million active installsSSite Kit by Google5+ million active installsWWordfence Security5+ million active installs

A safe update checklist

General good practice, not a promise that an update will go smoothly.

  1. Back up your files and database, and check that you can restore it.
  2. Try it on a copy of your site (a staging site) first.
  3. Check your key plugins: read "Tested up to" and the last update date on each plugin's WordPress.org page.
  4. Update on a quiet day, not during a sale or a launch.
  5. Keep a way back: know how to turn off a plugin or restore the backup if something breaks.
  6. Consider waiting for the first fix release if your site is business-critical.

Questions

When is WordPress 7.2 released?

The official date is 8 December 2026, from the release team's own schedule. If the team moves it, this page changes the same day.

Is it safe to update on release day?

Nobody can promise that for your site. Back up first, try the update on a copy of your site, and check the plugins you rely on. Sites that cannot afford a problem often wait for the first fix release.

How do I know if my plugin supports WordPress 7.2?

Open the plugin's page on WordPress.org and read "Tested up to". Before release, a value of 7.2 means the maker tested a beta. It is the maker's claim, not our test. Our compatibility list shows what each plugin says.

What if a plugin has not said it supports 7.2?

That is common before release. Ask the maker, check when it was last updated, and test it on a copy of your site before you update the live one.