Classic Monks v2.3.0
September 9, 202633 changes this release. 7 new features. 1 behavior change. 11 improvements. 14 bug fixes.
The hardest part of switching a plugin is not finding a better one. It is rebuilding every setting you already configured. v2.3.0 removes that barrier entirely. Two new migration assistants, one for Admin & Site Enhancements (ASE) and one for Perfmatters, transfer your existing setup into Classic Monks in a single click. No manual reconfiguration, no guessing what moved, no missing settings.
Once you are in, the rest of the release is about making the plugin faster, safer, and more complete. The settings dashboard now opens more than 7 times faster than before. Email delivery gets automatic bounce protection so your domain reputation stays intact. The image converter, which had a cluster of reliability bugs since v2.2.2, is fully repaired across upload, batch, and large-image workflows. And Admin Columns Manager grows to cover WooCommerce orders and Polylang language columns.
For the full list of what changed, see the complete changelog below.
Migration Assistants
The new import assistants handle the work of moving from ASE or Perfmatters into Classic Monks. ASE transfers 77 settings in one click, including SMTP email setups, redirects, custom admin columns, and user avatars. Perfmatters lets you pick which categories to import and shows an instant summary. Both assistants display exactly what moved and what was skipped.
If you are still comparing, read Classic Monks vs ASE and Classic Monks vs Perfmatters for an honest breakdown of what each plugin does best.
Classic Monks Dashboard: 7x Faster
The Classic Monks dashboard now opens in roughly 280ms instead of 2+ seconds, loading tabs on demand instead of pulling every panel into memory on first visit. Each visit saves 7.5MB of server memory. Saving a setting no longer stalls your next click. Every settings tab and nested section is now bookmarkable, so you can share direct links with teammates.
Email Bounce Protection
Classic Monks now tracks delivery errors automatically. When an address repeatedly bounces or fails, the system stops sending to it. A dedicated blocklist screen lets you search suppressed addresses, unblock one that was flagged by mistake, or manually add an address. This closes the retry-loop problem where fake form submissions or deleted accounts generate endless failed delivery attempts and hurt your domain reputation.
Admin Columns and Media
Admin Columns Manager adds built-in WooCommerce Order columns with full HPOS support, a layout placeholder for positioning Polylang language flag columns anywhere in your tables, and reliable hiding of third-party columns you remove. The Media Library edit screen now shows every thumbnail size and dimension WordPress generated, with copy buttons for direct URLs.
Image Converter: The Full Fix
The image converter had a cluster of bugs in v2.2.2 that affected upload conversion, batch processing, and large images. v2.3.0 addresses all of them: converted WebP and AVIF files display correctly, re-uploading with the same filename no longer corrupts thumbnails, batch processing stops cleanly at the end of the media library, and large images no longer trigger memory or timeout errors.
Tested up to
- WordPress Version: 7.1
- WooCommerce Version: 11.0.1
- Bricks Builder Version: 2.3.13