WordPress 4.3 shipped August 18, 2015 with several new features providing more functionality within WordPress core.
Adding a Site Icon
One of the most helpful features is the ability to add a Site icon (Favicon and app icon) within the 
WordPress Customizer and not rely on the theme or a plugin for this functionality.
- To open the WordPress Customizer, from the Dashboard select Appearance > Customize. You can also select Customize from the admin bar.
- Select Site Icon.
- Upload your desired Site Icon.
- Save and Publish.
Additional Formatting Options for Use in the Editor
Several Editor shortcuts were added to provide additional formatting features when composing within the editor. These are designed to help you focus on creating content without having to stop to format from the toolbar.
Headings can be designated using the # sign. Use ## to display H2, ### for H3 etc… This works up to H6.
The greater than sign > is used to designate a block quote.
An * asterisk will start a bulleted list, and a number followed by a dot or parenthesis – 1. or 1) – will start a numbered list.
To use the actual element, not the shortcut, press <Esc> after the formatting is complete.
Stronger Password Support
Several tweaks to password management were added to provide for stronger passwords. First, if a password needs to be reset or a new user is created, a link to set the password will be sent to them. This replaces the previous password delivery method where the actual passwords were emailed to the user.
If a user is logged in and wants to reset the password from their User Profile, the initial step is now to have a strong password generated.
The user can choose to keep this password and Save it, or to enter their own password and then save that.
Menus in the Customizer
WordPress continues to build on the functionality of the Customizer. Access the Customizer from the Dashboard by selecting Appearance > Customize. You can also quickly access the Customizer by selecting Customize in the admin bar.
The ability to edit widgets in the Customizer was added in an earlier version. In 4.3, menus have been added.
To Use the Customizer to Manage Menus
Click on the Menus link to open your menu options including viewing each menu created and the ability to manage menu areas when multiple areas are available in the theme.
If you want to Add a Menu, select the Add a Menu button.
To edit a menu, click on the > sign next to the menu you want to edit.
This opens a list of all of the items on the menu. From here, you can Add Items or Reorder them.
To reorder, hover your mouse cursor over the menu item. The cursor will turn to four arrows as shown in the image to the right. Hold down your mouse and drag the item to the desired position, then release the mouse.
To Delete an item, open the item by clicking on the down arrow next to the menu item name.
Click Remove.
Remember to Save and Publish when you are done.
Comments on Pages Off by Default
As of WordPress 4.3, the default comment setting for Pages is off. Comments can be turned on for individual pages, if desired, in the Page Editor. Scroll down below where you enter your content and select your desired Discussion settings.
For most users and power users including those who build sites but don’t code plugins or themes, these are the updates presented in WordPress 4.3 that you will notice as you work. Many other bug fixes, updates and changes were completed in the underlying core files including removing old code and preparing for supporting a new, upcoming version of PHP. For theme developers, a new template was added. Learn more about the changes affecting developers at https://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.3.
What’s your favorite new feature of WordPress 4.3?
