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To set a featured image in WordPress, open the post or page in the block editor, click the Settings (gear) icon, choose the Post or Page tab, and use Featured image → Set featured image. Select or upload an image, click Set featured image, then save or update the content.

A featured image is separate from an image inserted in the article body. Your theme or template decides whether, where, and how the assigned image appears.

Set a featured image from the WordPress editor

These steps apply to the modern block editor for posts, pages, and supported custom post types.

  1. Open the content. In your WordPress dashboard, open the post or page you want to edit.
  2. Show the settings sidebar. If it is hidden, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
  3. Choose the correct content tab. Select Post, Page, or the tab named for your custom post type. The tab for the selected block is different from the tab for the whole post. The Page/Post Settings sidebar documentation describes these editor contexts.
  4. Open Featured image. In the content settings, find Featured image and click Set featured image.
  5. Choose or upload the file. Pick an existing item in the Media Library, or use the upload control to add a new image.
  6. Confirm the assignment. Click Set featured image in the media dialog.
  7. Save the change. Click Save draft, Publish, or Update, depending on the content status.

After an image is assigned, the same panel provides Replace and Remove. Replace selects a different image; Remove leaves the post or page without an assigned featured image. These controls are part of the editor workflow documented by WordPress.

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Can you use an image already in the post?

Yes. If the image is already inserted as an Image block, you can assign that file without opening the Featured image panel first.

  1. Click the image in the editor so the Image block is selected.
  2. Open the block’s More options menu (the three-dot button in the block toolbar).
  3. Choose Set as featured image.
  4. Save or update the post.

This assigns the image as the featured image while keeping the Image block in the article. The Image block documentation also covers its alt-text and display settings: WordPress Image block.

Where will the featured image appear?

Assigning an image does not guarantee that visitors will see it in a particular position. The active theme and its templates control the output. Many themes use featured images on a blog index, archive, or home page, while some show them above an individual post and others do not show them at all. WordPress documents this theme-dependent behavior in its featured-image guidance.

Block themes and the Site Editor

With a block theme, open Appearance → Editor and inspect the template used by the post or listing. A template can include the Post Featured Image block, which reads the image assigned to each post. It is commonly placed inside a Query Loop when you are designing a list of posts. The block supports settings such as alignment, aspect ratio, dimensions, and link behavior when the theme exposes them. See the Post Featured Image block documentation and the block reference for the available controls.

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Classic themes

In a classic theme, the Featured image control depends on theme support. WordPress’s developer documentation says the theme must declare post-thumbnails support for the interface to be available. A developer might add the following in the theme setup:

add_theme_support( 'post-thumbnails' );

Do not edit a production theme casually. Ask the site administrator or theme developer to verify the theme configuration, preferably in a child theme or the theme’s supported settings.

Choose an image that survives different layouts

There is no universal WordPress featured-image size

WordPress does not prescribe one pixel dimension that fits every site. The theme, template, registered image sizes, and block settings determine the displayed dimensions and crop. Follow your site’s documented image guidance and preview the image in every location where it is used.

Classic themes can register image sizes and choose proportional scaling or hard cropping. The developer references for Featured Images and Post Thumbnails and set_post_thumbnail_size() explain those options.

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Understand crop and fit behavior

  • Cover-style cropping fills the designated box but can cut off the edges or a subject’s face.
  • Contain-style fitting keeps the whole image visible but can leave empty space around it.
  • Aspect-ratio settings in a Post Featured Image block can change the visible crop without changing the original upload.

Check the post page, archive cards, search results, and mobile layout before you publish. A composition with its important subject near the center usually tolerates more theme crops than a composition with text at the edge.

Add useful alternative text

When the image conveys information, write meaningful alt text that describes that information. If the image is purely decorative and adds no information or function, mark it decorative instead. Alt text entered in an Image block applies to that use in the post or page; alt text entered in the Media Library acts as the default when the image is inserted elsewhere. The Image block guidance explains these settings.

Featured image troubleshooting

The Featured image panel is missing

  • The sidebar is hidden: click the gear icon, then select the tab for the post, page, or custom post type rather than the tab for the selected block.
  • You are in the wrong editor context: the Site Editor uses a Template tab. A template is not the same as editing an individual post or page.
  • A classic theme does not expose the control: have an administrator or developer check whether the theme declares add_theme_support( 'post-thumbnails' ).
  • A custom post type has different settings: use the tab labeled for that post type and confirm that its registration supports featured images.

The image is assigned but does not display

Check the theme or template rather than assigning the image repeatedly. In a block theme, inspect the relevant template in Appearance → Editor and verify that it contains a Post Featured Image block. In a classic theme, the template may simply omit the thumbnail output. An assigned image and a displayed image are separate concerns.

The image is cropped unexpectedly

Inspect the Post Featured Image block’s aspect-ratio, dimensions, and scale settings, then check the theme’s registered image size. A cover crop can hide important content; a contain setting can show the full image with unused space. Try a source image whose subject remains recognizable at the template’s shape.

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The wrong image appears after replacement

Confirm that you are editing the intended post and that the Featured image panel shows the new thumbnail before saving. Clear any page or CDN cache managed by your host or optimization plugin, then check the page in a private browser window. Caching can delay a visible change even when the WordPress assignment is correct.

Two ways to assign the same featured image

Route Best starting point What it changes
Post/Page settings sidebar You are selecting a file from the Media Library or uploading a new one. Assigns the image to the post, page, or supported custom post type.
Image block → More options → Set as featured image The desired image is already inserted in the article. Assigns that existing image and leaves the Image block in the content.

Neither route controls the final placement, crop, or visibility in a theme template.

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For a public documentation page, the cURL request is:

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/page-post-settings-sidebar/ -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for authentication and all request options. The same request in Python is:

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    timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js:

const q = new URLSearchParams({
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  url: 'https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/page-post-settings-sidebar/'
});
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if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
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FAQ

Is a featured image the same as an image in the article?

No. The featured image is metadata associated with the post or page; an Image block is content placed in the body. They can reference the same media file, but each has its own role.

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Can pages have featured images?

Pages can have them when the active theme and page settings support featured images. If the control is absent, check the page tab, theme support, and template configuration.

Why does the image look different on the home page?

The home page or archive may use a different template, image size, aspect ratio, or crop from the individual post. Inspect the template’s Post Featured Image block or the classic theme’s thumbnail settings.

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