[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #64470: Add View Transitions to WP Admin

[WordPress Trac]

#64470: Add View Transitions to WP Admin
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 Reporter:  westonruter     |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement     |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |   Milestone:  7.0
Component:  Administration  |     Version:
 Severity:  normal          |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                  |     Focuses:  ui
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Description changed by westonruter:

Old description:

> The View Transitions plugin as part of Performance Lab includes a feature
> to enable cross-document view transitions in the WP Admin. This improves
> the user experience of navigating around the admin, by making it feel
> more like a single-page app without the added implementation complexity
> (and backwards-compatibility breaks). This is part of the new coat of
> paint being worked on for the WP Admin in  #64308.
>
> View Transitions in the admin was first implemented in the plugin via
> https://github.com/WordPress/performance/pull/2038
>
> This is also related to enabling bfcache for instant back/forward
> navigation (#63636). To further improve the fluidity of navigating the WP
> Admin, [https://github.com/westonruter/speculative-loading-admin/
> speculative loading of admin menu items] may make sense.
>
> This was discussed in the [https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/12/24
> /performance-year-end-chat-summary-23-december-2025/ Performance Team
> 2025 year-end chat].

New description:

 The View Transitions plugin as part of Performance Lab includes a feature
 to enable cross-document view transitions in the WP Admin. This improves
 the user experience of navigating around the admin, by making it feel more
 like a single-page app without the added implementation complexity (and
 backwards-compatibility breaks). This is part of the new coat of paint
 being worked on for the WP Admin in #64308.

 The feature is [https://caniuse.com/cross-document-view-transitions now
 implemented] in all browsers, except for Firefox (see
 [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1860854 Bugzilla 1860854]).
 Nevertheless, it is purely a progressive enhancement, the same as
 Speculative Loading, so Firefox users will not experience a degraded
 experience.

 View Transitions in the admin was first implemented in the plugin via
 https://github.com/WordPress/performance/pull/2038

 This is also related to enabling bfcache for instant back/forward
 navigation (#63636). To further improve the fluidity of navigating the WP
 Admin, [https://github.com/westonruter/speculative-loading-admin/
 speculative loading of admin menu items] may make sense.

 This was discussed in the [https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/12/24
 /performance-year-end-chat-summary-23-december-2025/ Performance Team 2025
 year-end chat].

 See #64471 for implementing View Transitions on the frontend.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64470#comment:2>
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