Do you need help with WordPress not displaying your featured images? You’re not by yourself. This problem comes up for a lot of WordPress users. Featured photos are an important part of your website’s design since they draw visitors in and improve the user experience. 

It can be not very pleasant when they don’t seem as they should. However, you need not worry—we have you covered! 

What are featured images specifically? The main images for your blog articles or pages are called featured images, sometimes referred to as post thumbnails. They frequently show up as blog post thumbnails or at the top of the content. How to Fix Featured Image Not Showing in WordPress?

These photos are an essential component of any website design since they may greatly improve the visual attractiveness and interaction of your information.

Your WordPress page or post thumbnail is a featured picture from WordPress. Its goal is to draw in readers and give them a preview of the content. Having a featured image for your post enhances the aesthetic appeal of your WordPress website and helps with search engine optimization.

It’s important to differentiate a featured image from the opening photos of your blog articles. A featured image is typically displayed on your blog post list or archive page as well as when you share your WordPress article on social media since its main function is to promote your content.

WordPress-featured pictures not displaying correctly is a problem that will be fixed in this article. We will offer 6 fixes for this problem as well as instructions on how to have it appear on WordPress posts automatically.

What Is a WordPress Featured Image?

For every post and page, WordPress automatically selects a featured image.

As an example, you can upload an image to serve as the cover media for a post or page, just like a cover for a book or magazine. Each post and page can have a featured image that you upload. When the article is shared on social media or other websites, it appears as the main image for that particular item on the website. 

When you build a feed or gallery of your blog entries or other web pages, the featured image is the last thing that appears automatically. By doing this, you may showcase your posts more as a media portfolio rather than just a list of text-only links.

Every time you share, the image is taken directly from the original material, so you don’t need to post a new version of it.

Here are some key points about featured images:

• Represents content: A well-chosen featured image should capture the essence of your content, whether it’s a recipe, a travel destination, or a business concept.
• Shown in multiple places: Featured images appear in various locations on your site, depending on your theme. This can include your blog listing page, individual blog posts, social media shares, and even search results.
• Improves engagement: Eye-catching featured images can significantly boost user engagement by making your content more visually appealing and thus, more likely to be clicked on.

Overall, featured images are a powerful tool for enhancing the look and feel of your WordPress website, while also improving user experience.

What if the Featured Image Doesn’t Work?

Although featured images are fantastic, there are situations in which you may not be able to view a featured image for a post or page. Sometimes the issue is with your theme, and other times it has something to do with a plugin.

Additionally, featured image issues in various degrees are frequently observed. For example, you might observe that while the featured image looks great on your website, it doesn’t display properly when a post is shared on a social media platform like Facebook.

When a WordPress-featured image doesn’t appear, it might be annoying and alarming.

Featured images frequently bear the majority of the visual attractiveness of your website. You are left with text blocks and links to other web pages if there are no automated featured images. Because it’s not very tempting to publish a blog post on Facebook without a featured image, it may also discourage people from sharing your work.

It is possible to address the issues in multiple ways:

• If the image isn’t uploading, for example, note the precise problem. Additionally, perhaps the featured image appears correctly on your website but not on social media.
• Examine any WordPress problems (such as plugin conflicts or coding errors) that may be the source of the featured image issue.
• If you want to install a plugin that fixes featured image issues automatically, give it some thought.

Although it’s a straightforward three-step procedure, editing your featured photographs involves significantly more work. Featured photographs disappear for a variety of causes, frequently on an individual basis.

We’ll go over every issue we’re aware of with the featured images below, along with instructions on how to resolve them.

Why Is My WordPress Featured Image Not Showing?

To build and maintain their websites, a lot of bloggers and website owners utilize WordPress, a strong and adaptable content management system (CMS). The featured image not appearing on posts or pages is one of the most frequent problems that WordPress users face. 

When featured photos don’t display correctly, it can be upsetting because they are essential for improving the visual appeal and engagement of your content. 

The common causes of your WordPress featured picture not appearing will be discussed in this article, along with remedies to resolve the issue.

1: Incorrect Image Upload

One of the most straightforward reasons for a featured image not showing is that the image wasn’t uploaded correctly. To ensure your image is uploaded properly, follow these steps:

1. Go to the post or page where you want to set a featured image.
2. Click on the “Set featured image” link in the Featured Image section.
3. Upload an image from your computer or select an existing image from your media library.
4. Click the “Set featured image” button to save your selection.

2: Theme Issues

Sometimes, the issue lies within the theme you’re using. Not all themes support featured images, or they might handle them differently. Here’s how to check and resolve theme-related issues:

• Check Theme Documentation: Refer to your theme’s documentation to ensure it supports featured images and to understand how it implements them.
• Switch Themes: Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to see if the issue persists. If the featured image appears with the default theme, the problem likely lies with your original theme.
• Theme Settings: Some themes have specific settings for displaying featured images. Check the theme options in your WordPress dashboard under Appearance > Customize or a similar section to make sure featured images are enabled.

3: Plugin Conflicts

Plugins can sometimes interfere with how featured images are displayed. To troubleshoot plugin conflicts, follow these steps:

• Disable Plugins: Deactivate all your plugins and check if the featured image appears. If it does, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
• Update Plugins: Ensure all your plugins are up to date. Outdated plugins might not be compatible with your current theme or WordPress version.
• Contact Plugin Support: If you identify a plugin causing the issue, contact the plugin developer for support or look for alternative plugins that serve the same purpose.

4: Image File Issues

The image file itself could be the problem. Here are some file-related issues to check:

• File Size: Large image files might not upload correctly or display due to server limitations. Resize your images to a more manageable size before uploading.
• File Format: Ensure your images are in a compatible format like JPEG, PNG, or GIF.
• Corrupted Files: Corrupted image files might not display correctly. Try uploading a different image to see if the problem persists.

5: Cache Problems

Caching plugins or server-side caching can sometimes cause issues with featured images not displaying. To resolve caching issues:

• Clear Cache: If you use a caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache), clear your website cache.
• Browser Cache: Clear your browser’s cache or try accessing your site from a different browser or incognito mode.
• Server Cache: If your hosting provider uses server-side caching, contact them to clear the cache for your website.

6: Featured Image Not Set

It’s possible that the featured image wasn’t set correctly for the post or page. Double-check that the featured image is selected and saved properly:

• Edit the Post/Page: Go to the post or page editor.
• Set Featured Image: In the Featured Image section, click “Set featured image,” choose your image, and click the “Set featured image” button.
• Update/Publish: Ensure you update or publish the post/page after setting the featured image.

7: Custom Code Conflicts

If you’ve added custom code to your theme’s functions.php file or use a custom theme, there might be conflicts affecting the featured image display. To troubleshoot custom code issues:

• Backup First: Always create a backup of your site before making changes to the code.
• Review Custom Code: Look for any code related to featured images in your theme’s functions.php file. Temporarily remove or comment out the custom code to see if it resolves the issue.
• Hire a Developer: If you’re unsure about editing code, consider hiring a developer to review and fix the custom code.

There are several reasons why your WordPress featured image might not be showing, ranging from simple issues like incorrect image upload to more complex problems like theme or plugin conflicts. 

By systematically troubleshooting each potential cause, you can identify and resolve the issue, ensuring your featured images display correctly and enhance the visual appeal of your website.

If all else fails, don’t hesitate to seek help from WordPress support forums or hire a professional developer for support.

How to Fix Featured Image Not Showing in WordPress? 6 Quick ways

You may upload featured photos to almost any WordPress theme and set them to appear in various parts of your website, including the main content area or the sidebar menu.

Check our guide on adding featured pictures or article thumbnails in WordPress if you’re having problems troubleshooting this issue. First, you must understand how to upload featured images.

Uploading a cover picture by mistake instead of a featured image is a common mistake. Some themes even automatically set the first image in a post to be the thumbnail for the post.

Keeping that in mind, let us now discuss how to resolve any possible problems that can arise. Please use our links to quickly go to the issue you’re currently experiencing.

• Fix the HTTP Error When Uploading a Featured Image
• Fix the Plugins or Themes
• Disable Lazy Loading
• Allow Featured Images for Viewing
• Fix Featured Image Not Showing on a Blog Post Gallery Page
• Add Custom Code to Fix Featured Image Issues

Featured images are an essential component of a WordPress website since they improve the site’s aesthetic appeal and audience engagement. On occasion, though, you could run into problems with featured photos not displaying properly. 

We suggest 6 easy solutions to WordPress’s featured picture issue.

1: Fix the HTTP Error When Uploading a Featured Image

One of the common issues is encountering an HTTP error during the image upload process. Here are steps to resolve it:

1. Increase WordPress Memory Limit
2. Sometimes, the HTTP error occurs due to insufficient memory allocated for WordPress. To increase the memory limit:
3. Access your WordPress site’s root directory via FTP or cPanel.

• Open the wp-config.php file.

Add the following line of code before the /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */ line:

• Define (‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

Check Image File Name and Type

Ensure the image file name has no special characters and spaces. Additionally, use common image formats like JPG, PNG, or GIF.

Deactivate Plugins

Conflicts with plugins can also cause HTTP errors. Temporarily deactivate all plugins to see if the issue resolves:

• Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress dashboard.
• Deactivate all plugins.
• Try uploading the featured image again. If it works, reactivate the plugins one by one to identify the culprit.

2: Fix the Plugins or Themes

Plugins or themes can sometimes conflict with your featured images. Here’s how to troubleshoot:

Deactivate Plugins

As mentioned earlier, deactivating plugins can help identify if a plugin is causing the issue. If deactivating all plugins resolves the issue, activate each plugin one by one to find the problematic one.

Switch to a Default Theme

Switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One can help determine if the issue lies within your current theme:

• Go to Appearance > Themes.
• Activate a default WordPress theme.
• Check if the featured images display correctly. If they do, your theme might need debugging or updating.

Navigate to Tools » Site Health after activation. You’ll get a list of suggestions to help you enhance the security and functionality of WordPress.

As you can see, there are several installed plugins and themes that are out-of-date and inactive that need to be fixed. You may easily manage or update your plugins by clicking on the provided links.

3: Disable Lazy Loading

Lazy loading delays the loading of images until they are in the viewport, which can sometimes cause issues with featured images. Disable lazy loading to see if it resolves the issue:

Disable Lazy Loading via Plugin

If you’re using a lazy load plugin, deactivate it:

• Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
• Find the lazy load plugin and deactivate it.

Disable Native Lazy Loading

WordPress 5.5 and later versions come with native lazy loading. You can disable it by adding the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:

• add_filter(‘wp_lazy_loading_enabled’, ‘__return_false’);

To check whether it fixes the feature image issue, you could want to disable the lazy loading function in your plugins and empty the cache.

With certain plugins, you can prevent specific images from loading slowly. If so, you may still take advantage of lazy loading without compromising your featured photos by disabling this option just for the first image in your blog entries.

By using WPCode to customize the code snippet, you may quickly disable the code. You must first navigate to the WordPress dashboard’s Code Snippets > + Add Snippet page.

4: Allow Featured Images for Viewing

Ensure your featured images are set to be displayed correctly:

Set Featured Image

• Edit the post or page where the featured image is not showing.
• In the Document settings on the right, find the Featured Image section.
• Click on Set featured image, select an image from the media library, and click Set featured image.

Check Post Visibility

Ensure the post visibility is set to public:

• In the post editor, go to the Document settings.
• Under Visibility, ensure it is set to Public.

Six default user roles are provided by WordPress to control every user’s access and behavior on a website.

Likely, you don’t have the necessary user role to upload or see featured photographs if you don’t control the website.

All you need to do is make sure that your permissions and user roles are configured correctly.

Changing roles and capabilities in one location with a plugin like User Role Editor is a simple solution to this problem.

To access the User Role Editor, navigate to Users > Users » on your WordPress dashboard.

From here, you can modify the capabilities of the role by selecting it under “Select Role.” We will select the Author in this particular case.

5: Fix Featured Image Not Showing on a Blog Post Gallery Page

If featured images are not showing on a blog post gallery page, check the following:

Customize Theme Settings

Some themes have specific settings for displaying featured images:

• Go to Appearance > Customize.
• Navigate to the section for Blog or Archive settings.
• Ensure the option to display featured images is enabled.

Modify Template Files

If the theme does not have a setting, you might need to edit the template files. Ensure the loop in your template files includes the code to display the featured image:

+if ( has_post_thumbnail() ) {

the_post_thumbnail();

}

Go ahead and change your home page or any other page where you want the featured images to show up to resolve this problem.

To add the “Latest Posts” block to the post on the page, click the “+” icon. Linkages to your most recent posts will show up from this point on.

To make the “Display featured image” option visible, click the block.

The other parameters, including featured picture size and alignment, can be changed to suit your page.

6: Add Custom Code to Fix Featured Image Issues

Sometimes, adding custom code can resolve issues with featured images:

Regenerate Thumbnails

Regenerating thumbnails can fix image display issues caused by incorrect image sizes:

• Install and activate the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin.
• Go to Tools > Regenerate Thumbnails.
• Click on Regenerate Thumbnails for All X Attachments.

Add Code to Functions.php

Add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file to ensure featured images are correctly added:

function add_featured_image_support() {

    add_theme_support( ‘post-thumbnails’ );

}

add_action (‘after_setup_theme’, ‘add_featured_image_support’);

This code ensures that your theme supports featured images.

Fixing featured images not showing in WordPress involves a mix of troubleshooting steps, including increasing memory limits, deactivating plugins, switching themes, disabling lazy loading, ensuring correct settings, and adding custom code. 

By following these six methods, you can resolve most featured image issues and ensure your WordPress site displays images as intended.

What if the Featured Image Doesn’t Look Right?

You’ve finished writing the content for your article and learned how to upload a featured image. Post-review and publication are the only tasks left to complete.

Regretfully, you find that the highlighted photo doesn’t appear to be as good as you had thought.

Perhaps you come across one of the following:

• The displayed photo is either too big or too small.
• It appears distorted or stretched out.
• The thumbnail pictures aren’t displaying at the correct dimensions.

Thankfully, the platform comes with a ton of photo-editing capabilities by default, so you can make sure the featured image looks great. 

It’s a good idea to know what kinds of pictures are suitable for featured images as well, as the original photographs can be the source of the problems in the first place.

Best Practices for Featured Images

Featured photos are essential to the visual attractiveness and interaction of digital material on blogs, social media platforms, and websites. They frequently catch a visitor’s attention right away, influencing their choice to click and continue reading. 

Obey these key practices to make sure your featured photos are impactful:

1: Choose High-Quality Images

• Resolution and Clarity: High-resolution images are essential. Images that are pixelated or blurry can deter users and reduce the perceived quality of your content. Aim for images that are sharp and clear, even on high-definition screens.
• Professional Photography: Whenever possible, use professionally taken photographs. If you’re using stock images, opt for premium ones over free options, as they tend to be of higher quality and less commonly used.

2: Ensure Relevance to the Content

• Contextual Relevance: Your featured image should be directly related to the content it represents. An image that aligns with your article’s theme helps set the right expectations and attracts the right audience.
• Avoid Misleading Images: Never use images solely for their attractiveness if they don’t accurately represent the content. This practice can lead to high bounce rates and a loss of trust from your audience.

3: Optimize for SEO

• Descriptive Filenames: Rename your image files with descriptive, keyword-rich filenames before uploading them. For example, instead of “IMG1234.jpg,” use “best-practices-for-featured-images.jpg.”
• Alt Text: Always include descriptive alt text that incorporates relevant keywords. Alt text improves accessibility for visually impaired users and enhances SEO.
• File Size and Format: Optimize your images to balance quality and load speed. Use formats like JPEG for photographs and PNG for images with transparency. Tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim can help reduce file size without significant loss in quality.

4: Consistent Style and Branding

• Visual Consistency: Maintain a consistent style across all your featured images. This includes color schemes, filters, and graphic elements. Consistency helps in establishing a strong brand identity.
• Use of Logos and Watermarks: Consider incorporating your logo or a subtle watermark in the corner of your images. This practice not only promotes brand recognition but also helps protect your images from unauthorized use.

5: Responsive Design

• Adaptive Images: Ensure your images look good on all devices by using responsive design techniques. Tools like srcset and CSS media queries can help serve the appropriate image size based on the user’s device.
• Aspect Ratios: Maintain a consistent aspect ratio for your featured images to avoid awkward cropping or stretching. Common ratios include 16:9 for widescreen and 4:3 for more traditional formats.

6: Engaging Thumbnails for Social Media

• Social Media Optimization: When sharing content on social media, ensure that your featured images are optimized for various platforms. Each platform has specific size requirements (e.g., 1200×630 pixels for Facebook). Use tools like Canva to create platform-specific versions.
• Eye-Catching Designs: Social media users scroll quickly, so your thumbnails need to be visually compelling to grab their attention. Use bold colors, clear text overlays, and dynamic compositions.

7: A/B Testing and Analytics

• Performance Tracking: Monitor the performance of your featured images through analytics tools. Pay attention to metrics such as click-through rates and engagement levels.
• A/B Testing: Experiment with different images to see which ones perform best. A/B testing can provide insights into what types of visuals resonate most with your audience.

8: Legal Considerations

• Image Licensing: Ensure that you have the proper licenses for any images you use. Avoid potential legal issues by using images from reputable stock photo sites or creating your own.
• Credit and Attribution: If you use images that require attribution, provide proper credit in a manner that complies with the license terms. This is not only ethical but also legally necessary.

9: User-Generated Content

• Encouraging Contributions: Leverage user-generated content by encouraging your audience to submit their photos. This can increase engagement and provide a diverse range of images.
• Moderation and Quality Control: Ensure that all user-submitted images meet your quality standards before featuring them. Moderate submissions to maintain consistency and relevance.

Featured images are a powerful tool in digital content creation, influencing user engagement and SEO. 

By following these best practices—focusing on quality, relevance, optimization, and consistency—you can enhance the impact of your visuals, strengthen your brand, and improve your content’s overall performance. 

Always remember to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies to keep your images fresh and effective.

Conclusion 

It can be quite annoying and even detrimental to your company to create a beautiful website with featured photos that don’t display. With any luck, this tutorial will help you in resolving the typical WordPress featured picture not showing issues. 

Just be sure that before moving on to more complex solutions, your featured photos are uploaded and configured correctly.

Along the process, you picked up some useful hints for refining your workflow and image editing techniques. See our comprehensive guide to WordPress optimization for further hints and techniques. Read it if you want to make your WordPress website load faster.

Get sharing as soon as you’ve prepared the highlights!

FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)

1: Why are my featured images not showing up on my WordPress site?

It’s common for featured images to not display due to several reasons. One of the most frequent causes is theme compatibility issues. Ensure your theme supports featured images and that they are enabled correctly in your post settings. 

Additionally, plugins or custom code affecting image handling can also be the culprit. Checking for conflicts with plugins or custom functions in your theme’s functions.php file can help resolve this.

2: How can I troubleshoot featured image display issues?

Start by verifying if featured images are set for your posts or pages. Go to the post editor, look for the Featured Image box, and ensure an image is selected. If it’s selected but not displaying, check your media library to confirm the image exists and is correctly uploaded. 

Clearing your browser cache or trying a different browser can sometimes reveal display issues caused by caching problems.

3: What steps should I take if my featured images are not showing on specific pages or posts?

If featured images are missing only on certain pages or posts, review the individual settings for each affected item. Occasionally, themes or plugins may have specific settings that override global configurations. Verify if there are any settings related to featured images in your theme’s customization options or page/post settings that might be affecting visibility.

4: Could plugins be causing the problem of missing featured images?

Yes, plugins can interfere with how featured images are handled in WordPress. Plugins related to caching, image optimization, or those that modify how themes handle content can sometimes cause conflicts. 

Temporarily deactivate plugins one by one and check if the issue resolves to identify which one might be causing the problem. Updating plugins to their latest versions can also resolve compatibility issues.

5: Is there a way to manually fix missing featured images in WordPress?

If other troubleshooting steps don’t resolve the issue, you can try manually adding support for featured images in your theme’s functions.php file. Use the add_theme_support (‘post-thumbnails’); function to ensure featured images are enabled. 

Additionally, inspecting the theme’s template files (like single.php or index.php) to confirm they include the necessary code (the_post_thumbnail () function) for displaying featured images correctly can help resolve display issues. Remember to always back up your site before making any manual changes to theme files.

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