A WordPress featured image functions as a visual welcome card, a cue to visitors to come on in and enjoy what’s behind a link. It often presents useful information in the form of a photograph or graphic image, granting the user a sneak peek into the information behind that link.
Furthermore, an engaging story isn’t complete without the introduction, and that’s exactly the purpose of a featured image. It greatly benefits the website by turning what could very well be a dull website into something beautiful. It also helps break up the monotony of text and adds life to your content.
This article shows you how you can fix WordPress featured images not showing properly on your website. There are many ways to go about it, and we’ll cover them all.
What Is WordPress Featured Image
WordPress featured images are visual elements that represent blog posts or pages. When you visit the blog or archive page, they will be visible in the front end beside the post title.
By default, WordPress offers a featured image for all posts and pages.
This means you can upload an image that acts as the post or page’s cover media, similar to a book or magazine cover. You can upload a featured image to every post and page. It is then presented as the primary image for that website item whenever the article gets shared on social media and other sites.
It primarily represents the content and helps the website owner convey the message or theme of the article visually to the reader.
Besides the functions mentioned above, the featured image will be used in social media when someone shares your blog posts or pages. Hence, having a featured image is mandatory.
Why Featured Images Don’t Load Properly
WordPress featured images won’t load correctly because of multiple issues. Some of the common problems are:
- Server resource issues: If you use a shared hosting company, you will get only limited resources. So, if your storage or bandwidth quota is finished, the website will not work correctly.
- Corrupted files: If the image files are corrupted, they won’t load properly. The best thing you can do in this situation is restore a previously generated backup.
- Browser caching issues: Sometimes, the browser caching will be the culprit. Please clear the browser cache and see if you still face the problem.
- Permission issues: This could be a valid reason for not loading featured images properly. If the user or folder permissions are inaccurate, there will be conflicts.
- Conflicts on the site: If the website has any code or plugin conflicts, that can cause issues.
How to Fix the WordPress Featured Image Not Loading Error
If the featured image is not showing in WordPress, there could be several reasons for this issue. Here are some steps you can follow to troubleshoot and fix the problem:
1. Check Theme Support for Featured Images
Ensure that your theme supports featured images. You can do this by adding the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:
if (function_exists('add_theme_support')) {
add_theme_support('post-thumbnails');
}
2. Set a Featured Image
Make sure that a featured image is set for the post or page. You can set a featured image by editing the post or page and using the “Featured Image” meta box on the right side of the editor.
3. Check for Plugin Conflicts
Sometimes plugins can interfere with the display of featured images. To check for conflicts, try deactivating all plugins and see if the featured image appears. If it does, reactivate the plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
4. Clear Cache
If you are using a caching plugin, clear the cache to ensure that the changes take effect. Also, clear your browser cache.
5. Check Image Size
Ensure that the image size set in your theme matches the size of the featured image. You can check the image size settings in your theme’s functions.php file:
set_post_thumbnail_size( $width, $height, $crop );
Adjust the $width and $height values according to your needs.
6. Update Permalinks
Sometimes, updating the permalinks can fix the issue. Go to Settings > Permalinks and click the “Save Changes” button without making any changes.
7. Debugging
If none of the above steps work, you may need to enable debugging to identify the issue. Add the following lines to your wp-config.php file:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
Check the wp-content/debug.log file for any errors that might give you clues about the issue.
8. Theme Template Files
Ensure that your theme’s template files are correctly displaying the featured image. For example, in single.php or index.php, you should have something like:
if (has_post_thumbnail()) {
the_post_thumbnail();
}
9. Regenerate Thumbnails
If the featured image size has been changed, you might need to regenerate thumbnails. You can use the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin to do this.
10. Permissions Issue
Check if there are any file permission issues preventing the featured images from being displayed. Ensure that the uploads directory and its subdirectories have the correct permissions (usually 755).
By following these steps, you should be able to identify and fix the issue of the featured image not showing in WordPress. If the problem persists, you may need to consult with your theme developer or seek help from WordPress support forums.
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