WordPress 7.1's release process is underway, with an extended code freeze running from Monday, August 17 at 2:00 PM UTC through the General Release on Wednesday, August 19, giving extra time to verify the release before shipping. If a critical bug surfaces during the freeze, the release squad decides whether it blocks release, triggering another RC and restarting the Dry Run, or gets deferred to 7.1.1. The release party runs in two parts: a Slack-based walkthrough and a live stream from WordCamp US in Phoenix where 7.1 will be published. Community members are asked to help test .zip packages across server configurations (especially IIS and older PHP/MySQL setups), fresh installs, upgrades, multisite setups, and common user flows like publishing posts and installing plugins.
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Release Timeline OverviewExtended Code FreezeThe Release PartyHow You Can HelpTips on What to TestQuestions this post answers
When is the WordPress 7.1 code freeze and general release date?
A mandatory code freeze for WordPress 7.1 runs from Monday, August 17 at 2:00 PM UTC through the general release on Wednesday, August 19. The freeze was extended beyond the usual 24 hours at the request of core committers to allow full verification. No source code changes are allowed in the 7.1 branch during this window, and a critical bug found during the freeze triggers a new release candidate and restarts the process. Track major WordPress release timelines and freeze windows on daily.dev before you plan an upgrade.
What should I test before upgrading a site to WordPress 7.1?
Test fresh installs (manual, WP-CLI, one-click installers), upgrades from various prior versions, single site and multisite (subdirectory and subdomain) installations, and whether files listed in $_old_files are properly removed after upgrading. Also verify core user flows like publishing posts with various blocks, commenting, installing or upgrading plugins and themes, and changing site language, on both desktop and mobile. WordPress admins validating a major upgrade can follow release testing checklists like this via daily.dev.