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21 October 2026: critical security updates for PHP and YOOtheme Pro 5. Is your Joomla website up to date yet? Get it checked

Review: Joomla 5.3

According to its announcement, Joomla 5.3 was a release of thoughtful improvements: mail templates, media, scheduled tasks, accessibility and routing. For this review we installed Joomla 5.3.4 of 30 September 2025, the last version of this line, and photographed it.

Series "Joomla history" · minor version · part of the series: Review: Joomla 5.0 · back to Review: Joomla 5.2 · next: Review: Joomla 5.4

Released15 April 2025 (Joomla 5.3.0)
Last version5.3.4 of 30 September 2025 (5 versions)
Followed byJoomla 5.4 on 14 October 2025
RequirementsPHP from 8.1.0
TemplatesCassiopeia (default); Atum in the backend
Included in the installation245 extensions
End of supportEnd of Life: Joomla 5.x

What was new in Joomla 5.3

According to the Joomla 5.3 announcement:

  • HTML mail templates with access to the template parameters.
  • A "files" folder of its own in the Media Manager for PDFs and documents.
  • A history of every run of the scheduled tasks.
  • Show or hide the title in the "Read more" link.
  • Accessible icons for contacts, better routing and preparation for PHP 8.4.
Joomla 5.3: The Media Manager – next to
The Media Manager – next to "images" now the "files" folder.
Joomla 5.3: The scheduled tasks – with the new
The scheduled tasks – with the new "Execution History" button at the top.

The installation

Joomla 5.3 installer: step 1
Step 1: language and site name.
Joomla 5.3 installer: step 2
Step 2: the Super User login.
Joomla 5.3 installer: step 3
Step 3: the database.
Joomla 5.3 installer: step 4
Step 4: the ownership check – Joomla asks you to delete a file in the "installation" folder.
Joomla 5.3 installer: step 5
Step 5: done.

The website

Joomla 5.3: home page
The freshly installed website with the sample data.
Joomla 5.3: Welcome to your blog
The page "Welcome to your blog".
Joomla 5.3: Blog
The page "Blog".
Joomla 5.3: Category List
The page "Category List".
Joomla 5.3: Typography
The page "Typography".
Joomla 5.3: Love
The page "Love".
Joomla 5.3: Login
The page "Login".
Joomla 5.3: Home
The home page on a smartphone.

The backend

Joomla 5.3: The backend login
The backend login.
Joomla 5.3: The Home Dashboard
The Home Dashboard.
Joomla 5.3: The
The "Content" menu.
Joomla 5.3: The article list
The article list.
Joomla 5.3: Editing an article with TinyMCE 6.8
Editing an article with TinyMCE 6.8.
Joomla 5.3: The categories
The categories.
Joomla 5.3: The items of the main menu
The items of the main menu.
Joomla 5.3: The modules of the website
The modules of the website.
Joomla 5.3: The plugins
The plugins.
Joomla 5.3: 245 extensions in a fresh installation
245 extensions in a fresh installation.
Joomla 5.3: The template styles
The template styles.
Joomla 5.3: The global configuration
The global configuration.
Joomla 5.3: The user groups
The user groups.
Joomla 5.3: The System Dashboard
The System Dashboard.
Joomla 5.3: System information – with PHP 8.3 from our test environment
System information – with PHP 8.3 from our test environment.
Joomla 5.3: Joomla Update
Joomla Update.

2025 and today

For comparison: the same views in a fresh Joomla 6.2.

Joomla 5.3.
2025Joomla 5.3.
Joomla 6.2.
2026Joomla 6.2.
Editing an article in 5.3.
2025Editing an article in 5.3.
Editing an article in 6.2.
2026Editing an article in 6.2.

All 5 versions of Joomla 5.3

According to the Joomla downloads:

  1. 5.3.015 Apr 2025
  2. 5.3.126 May 2025
  3. 5.3.28 Jul 2025
  4. 5.3.319 Aug 2025
  5. 5.3.430 Sep 2025

Joomla 5 at a glance

VersionFirst releaseLast releaseVersions
Joomla 5.017 Oct 20235.0.3 · 20 Feb 20244
Joomla 5.116 Apr 20245.1.4 · 27 Aug 20245
Joomla 5.215 Oct 20245.2.6 · 8 Apr 20257
Joomla 5.315 Apr 20255.3.4 · 30 Sep 20255
Joomla 5.414 Oct 20255.4.10 · 13 Oct 202611

Is your website on Joomla 5?

Joomla 5 only gets security updates now, until 12 October 2027. The way to Joomla 6 leads via 5.4 and is an upgrade – we plan it with you.

See Joomla update and migration

How we did it: Joomla 5.3.4 in the original package from downloads.joomla.org, locally in Docker with PHP 8.3 and MySQL 8.4, reachable only on our own machine, files unchanged, with the blog sample data. PHP error display is switched off so that notices about outdated functions do not cover the pictures. The red warning that our PHP is outdated only appears because we run the old version today – we closed it with its own button before taking the picture.

Sources: Joomla 5.3 announcement, Joomla downloads and our own screenshots. As of 21 October 2026.

All versions of Joomla 5

All parts of the series "Joomla history"

  1. Part 1: Joomla 1.0 (2005)
  2. Part 2: Joomla 1.5 (2008)
  3. Part 3: Joomla 2.5 (2012)
  4. Part 4: Joomla 3.0 (2012)
  5. Part 5: Joomla 4.0 (2021)
  6. Part 6: Joomla 5.0 (2023)
  7. Part 7: Joomla 6.0 (2025)
Ufuk Avcu

Owner and developer of the Joomla Agency. Has been building and looking after Joomla websites since 2009.

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