bbPress 2.6.20 is a security and maintenance release. Everyone running bbPress should update. 🔒

This release strengthens topic and reply password validation and keeps bbPress post shortcodes literal in ordinary WordPress content loops. It also adds a site-wide Forum Status setting with Open, Closed, and Frozen modes. Existing sites remain Open unless that setting is changed.

The maintenance work improves BuddyPress profile actions, group topic routes, activity visibility, and group-forum access. It also restores compatibility for subscription links in third-party theme packages, preserves moderation forms after validation errors, and includes fixes for notifications, converters, widgets, profiles, topic and reply administration, and restricted-content visibility.

bbPress 2.6.20 still requires WordPress 6.0 or newer and PHP 7.2 or newer, and is tested through WordPress 7.1. The database version remains 264, so no database upgrade is required. The 2.6.20 upgrade notes cover compatibility details.

These changes are also in the 2.7 development branch, which remains 2.7.0-alpha-4. Thank you to ahillmortons, alejandroescobar89, bor0, bradleyt, chefranov, dd32, deborah86, Dermes, diegootgs, dilip2615, fraph24, hardel, imath, immeet94, iworks, jgasba, josephscott, konnektiv, lmstearn, mehrazmorshed, michael8888, mike80222, obenland, Palagrin, peopleinside, r-a-y, robin-w, SirLouen, tobifjellner, wpturk, and zaerl for reports, patches, testing, and review.

Download bbPress 2.6.20 from WordPress.org, or update from your WordPress dashboard.