WordPress has been steadily moving toward a fully block-based experience, reshaping how users design and manage their sites. The transition to blocks and the “Site Editor” interface is becoming the new foundation of WordPress. Even classic themes are seeing significant changes, with features like block-based widgets, a core-integrated site logo block, and the ability to insert block patterns seamlessly.
What does this mean for site owners, developers, and everyday users? No matter if you’re using a classic theme or embracing the excitement of full-site editing, WordPress is evolving to make customization more flexible and intuitive.
This post covers the latest on WordPress’s transition — what’s new, what’s changed with WordPress 7.0, and what’s coming next.
The Ongoing Transition to Blocks
As of mid-2026, WordPress has made the block editor its default and continues its steady transition toward a fully block-based experience, emphasizing flexibility and user control over site design and content management. Blocks are no longer limited to just posts and pages. They’re now a part of nearly every aspect of WordPress — from widgets to global settings.
The Role of Popular Page Builders in the Block Evolution
While WordPress is pushing the adoption of the “Site Editor,” some of the most popular page builders have also begun integrating block-like functionalities. Builders such as Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi have incorporated features that align with WordPress’s block system, making the transition smoother for users who rely on these tools.
Global Styles and Theme Building
Many page builders now offer global styling options similar to WordPress’s “Global Styles” in the “Site Editor.” These allow users to set consistent typography, colors, and layouts across their websites, reducing the need for manual adjustments on each page. This mirrors the block-based approach of Full-Site Editing, where styles can be managed site-wide without relying on theme customization options.
Reusable and Dynamic Blocks
Some builders have adopted reusable content elements that function similarly to WordPress’s reusable blocks. Users can create dynamic sections and templates that can be applied across different pages, ensuring consistency and streamlining site management.
Integration With Block-Based Features
To stay compatible with WordPress’s direction, many builders now interoperate with block-based sites instead of fighting them — supporting block themes, template parts, and hybrid setups where builder layouts and native blocks coexist.
These advancements show that while WordPress is moving toward a native block-based experience, page builders are developing to complement and integrate with this shift rather than resist it.
Full Site Editing and the Site Editor Interface
The “Site Editor,” a central component of Full-Site Editing (FSE), empowers users to design and customize their entire website using blocks. You can edit templates, individual parts like headers and footers, and the site’s global styles for a streamlined and intuitive site-building experience.
Unlike the traditional theme system, which requires modifying theme files, the “Site Editor” allows for real-time customization within the WordPress interface. Users can create custom layouts, apply site-wide design changes, and fine-tune every aspect of their site — all without touching a single line of code.
Are There Plans to Stop Supporting Classic Themes?
As of mid-2026 — even after the WordPress 7.0 release — WordPress has not announced any plans to discontinue support for classic themes. In fact, 7.0’s new font-management screen works with classic themes too. Classic themes, which use PHP templates and traditional customization methods, continue to be widely used and supported within the WordPress ecosystem.
In May 2023, a proposal was introduced to retire older default themes — specifically, those that have been supported for a minimum of five years and are active on fewer than 1% of all WordPress sites. This proposal aimed to streamline maintenance efforts and focus on more modern themes. But, even for themes designated as “retired,” WordPress is committed to providing security updates to guarantee their continued safe use.
Note that “retired” in this context refers to a reduction in active maintenance, such as feature updates and enhancements, rather than complete abandonment. Users of retired themes can continue using them, but they’re encouraged to consider updating to newer themes to take advantage of the latest features and improvements.
So, while WordPress is actively promoting the adoption of block themes and the “Site Editor” interface, there are currently no plans to cease support for classic themes. Users can continue to use classic themes — though they may not receive the same level of feature updates as newer, block-based themes.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for WordPress?
The biggest item on the roadmap has already arrived: WordPress 7.0 “Armstrong” shipped on May 20, 2026 — the largest core update since Gutenberg. It brought AI into core through a provider-agnostic AI Client and Abilities API, managed from a new Connectors screen that supports Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. It also began the admin’s first major redesign since 2013, added Visual Revisions (a color-coded view of exactly what changed between saves), and upgraded Notes — WordPress’s block-level commenting feature — with email notifications and a suggestions mode. The one headline feature that didn’t make it was real-time collaboration, which was postponed for stability work shortly before launch.
Looking past 7.0, the developments to watch include:
- Real-time collaboration’s return — still testable in the Gutenberg plugin, with a roadmap promised for a future release
- Responsive style editing — per-breakpoint styles and customizable breakpoints, building on 7.0’s block visibility controls
- A growing ecosystem of AI-powered plugins built on the Abilities API — one standard instead of every plugin building its own integration
WordPress is transitioning to a fully block-based system, giving users more control and flexibility over website design and content. No matter your level of involvement — site owner, developer, or casual user — adopting this change unlocks a more modern, powerful, and user-friendly WordPress experience.
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