WordPress 6.9 launched on December 2nd, and while most sites updated smoothly, some users are reporting issues in support forums and community discussions. If your site updated automatically and something broke, here’s what other users are experiencing and the fixes that have worked for them.
The Two Main Issues Being Reported
Based on WordPress support forums and community discussions, users are reporting two distinct types of problems after updating to 6.9.
CSS and Layout Breaking
Some users report their sites are loading with broken layouts: missing styles, collapsed sections, wrong fonts, and spacing issues. They’re saying the design looks fine in the editor but falls apart on the frontend.
According to discussions in WordPress support forums, this appears to be related to how WordPress 6.9 loads CSS files. The update changed the way block styles are enqueued to improve performance, and some users report that wp_enqueue_style() is failing in certain situations.
Reports suggest this is happening mainly on sites using classic themes with Elementor. Some users also mention that having Yoast SEO with title rewriting enabled can trigger the issue.
CPU Usage Spiking to 100%
A smaller group of users reports experiencing extreme CPU usage too after updating, with usage jumping from normal levels to 100% within seconds. According to them, this isn’t about traffic increases, but rather internal processing getting stuck in a loop.
They describe database queries piling up, PHP execution times maxing out, and in some cases, entire servers slowing down. A few users mentioned being unable to log into their admin panels.
From the discussion threads, the common factor appears to be the WoodMart theme. Users running WoodMart and experiencing this CPU spike have identified a specific function conflict causing the problem.
Who’s Reporting Issues?
This is important context: plenty of users report updating to 6.9 with zero problems.
In the same forums where people reported issues, other users mention running dozens of sites on 6.9 without any trouble. Some had one or two sites with problems while the rest updated fine. Overall, this doesn’t appear to be a universal WordPress problem; it seems to be specific compatibility conflicts.
Here’s what appears to trigger the issues based on user reports:
CSS/Layout Problems:
- Classic themes (not block themes)
- Elementor sites
- Sites using custom theme functions that enqueue styles late
- Yoast SEO with title rewriting enabled
CPU/Database Problems:
- WoodMart theme specifically
- WoodMart’s single product navigation widget in Elementor
- Sites with product pagination enabled in WoodMart
If you’re using a block theme without Elementor or WoodMart, the reports suggest you’re likely fine.
How to Fix the CSS and Layout Issues
If your site’s design broke after updating to 6.9, here’s the fix that worked for several users in the WordPress support forums.
Add this filter to your theme’s functions.php file:
PHP
add_filter( 'should_load_separate_core_block_assets', '__return_false', 100 );
This disables the new on-demand loading system for block styles. Multiple users confirmed this fixes the issue for them.
Then clear your caches:
- Your caching plugin (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, etc.)
- Cloudflare cache if you use it
- Browser cache
- Elementor’s cache (Elementor > Tools > Regenerate CSS & Data)
If you have custom code that enqueues styles in shortcodes or late hooks, move them to the wp_enqueue_scripts hook instead. WordPress 6.9 is stricter about when styles can be loaded.
How to Fix the CPU and Database Issues
If your server’s CPU usage spiked after updating and you’re using WoodMart, here’s what worked for other users.
Option 1: Remove the WoodMart Product Navigation Widget
One user in the forums fixed this by removing WoodMart’s single product navigation widget in Elementor (the one showing previous/next products). The functions woodmart_get_next_product and woodmart_get_previous_product appear to be causing infinite loops.
Option 2: Disable Product Pagination
Another user reported that disabling product pagination in WoodMart theme settings helped.
Option 3: Roll Back to 6.8.3
If you need an immediate fix, downgrade WordPress to 6.8.3 using WP-CLI. Connect to your hosting environment over SSH and use the command below:
BASH
wp core update --version=6.8.3 --force --allow-root
Or use a plugin like WP Downgrade.
Then disable automatic core updates by adding this filter to your theme’s functions.php file:
PHP
add_filter( 'auto_update_core', '__return_false' );
What Changed in WordPress 6.9?
Understanding what changed helps explain why these issues are happening.
Block Style Loading
WordPress 6.9 introduced “on-demand” loading for block styles. Previously, WordPress loaded all block CSS files on every page, even if those blocks weren’t used. Now it only loads the CSS for blocks actually present on the page.
This is great for performance but changes when and how styles are enqueued. Code that worked in 6.8.3 might not work in 6.9 if it’s enqueueing styles too late in the page generation process.
The Interactivity API
WordPress 6.9 includes changes to the Interactivity API, which affects how dynamic content loads on the frontend. This impacted WooCommerce initially (they released an emergency patch on launch day), and it’s affecting WoodMart’s product navigation functions.
Editor Improvements
The block editor now uses an iframe for better isolation. This shouldn’t affect the frontend, but it changes how some plugins interact with the editor.
What We’re Telling Our Agency Partners
At WLA, we work with 600+ agencies managing thousands of WordPress sites. Natalia, our Head of Production, shares her take on handling the 6.9 update:
“We always recommend testing on staging first. WordPress releases are generally stable, but compatibility issues happen. We’ve caught so many problems on staging that would have caused downtime on live sites. We also usually recommend disabling automatic core updates for critical sites. You want control over when major updates happen, especially for client sites,” she says.
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Getting Help with WordPress Issues
If you’re dealing with broken sites after the 6.9 update and need help fast, we can assist.
We handle WordPress troubleshooting, emergency fixes, and ongoing maintenance for agencies. Our team knows how to diagnose compatibility issues quickly and get sites back online without losing data or breaking functionality.
We also set up proper staging environments so future updates don’t cause production problems. Contact our sales team today to learn more about our services.
