I’m happy to announce Lighthouse 4.6.2, a significant update that brings smarter performance controls, better WordPress compatibility, and a cleaner, more focused plugin experience. This release focuses on giving you more control over your site’s performance while ensuring everything works seamlessly with the latest WordPress version.
What’s New: Take Control of Your WordPress Configuration
Automatic WordPress Configuration Management
One of the biggest additions in this release is our new automatic wp-config.php management system. Instead of manually editing your WordPress configuration file (which can be risky), Lighthouse now safely handles it for you.
New Options Available:
- WP-CRON Performance Controls (Two Separate Options)
- Lock Timeout: Prevents multiple cron jobs from running at the same time, reducing server load on busy sites
- Alternate CRON Method: Uses a more reliable method for running scheduled tasks, especially helpful on shared hosting
- Skip Bundled Themes During Updates
- Prevents WordPress from automatically installing new default themes (like Twenty Twenty-Five) during major updates
- Saves disk space and makes updates faster
- Enhanced Security: Disable File Editor
- Moved from the Security tab for better organization
- Automatically adds security settings to your WordPress configuration
- Prevents unauthorized code editing through the WordPress admin
All of these options now work automatically—just check a box, and Lighthouse safely updates your WordPress configuration file with automatic backups. No manual file editing required!
Improvements: Better Image Management
We’ve fixed an issue where the medium_large image size wasn’t being properly removed from the registered sizes list. Now, when you enable the option to remove additional image sizes, all three sizes (medium_large, 1536x1536, and 2048x2048) are completely removed, helping you save storage space.
Clean-up: Removed Unused Features
We’ve streamlined Lighthouse by removing features that were either deprecated or rarely used:
- Zen Mode: Removed the dashboard clean-up feature (admin bar modifications, dashboard widget removal)
- Dark Theme: Removed the dark theme option for the Lighthouse settings pages
- Jetpack CSS Removal: Removed the option to disable Jetpack CSS (Jetpack now handles this better on its own)
- Deprecated Responsive Images: Removed the outdated “force responsive images” option (WordPress now handles this automatically)
These removals make the plugin lighter and easier to use, while the features that remain are all actively maintained and compatible with modern WordPress.
WordPress 6.9 Compatibility
All options have been verified and updated for full compatibility with WordPress 6.9 and theme.json v3. The Block Editor Tweaks section now includes clearer descriptions explaining what each option does and when it’s safe to use, making it easier to make informed decisions about which features to disable.
What This Means for You
If you’re new to Lighthouse: This release makes it easier than ever to optimize your WordPress site. The new automatic configuration management means you can enable powerful performance features without touching any code.
If you’re an existing user: You’ll notice a cleaner interface with better-organized options. Some old features you may not have been using are gone, but everything that matters is still there—and working better than ever.
For everyone: All the changes ensure your site runs smoothly on the latest WordPress version, while giving you more control over performance and security settings.
