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How to Set the Website Thumbnail Image in WordPress

A WordPress “thumbnail” could mean a post image, favicon, social preview, or site logo. Find the right setting and update the image for the place you mean.

By the ScreenshotNeo team29 September 20268 min read

How to Set the Website Thumbnail Image in WordPress

In WordPress, “website thumbnail” can mean several different images. If you mean the image attached to a post or page, set its Featured image. If you mean the small icon in a browser tab, set the site-wide Site Icon. For an image in a social link preview, check the page’s social or Open Graph image. For the mark in your site header, set the Site Logo.

These settings serve different places. Changing one does not guarantee that the others change. Use the table to pick the right setting before editing.

Where you want the image WordPress setting Scope
A post card, blog index, or post layout Featured image (Post Thumbnail) One post or page
Browser tab, bookmark, or mobile app Site Icon (favicon) Site-wide
Link card when someone shares a URL Social image / Open Graph og:image Usually per page, with plugin defaults
Logo in the site header or layout Site Logo Site identity and theme layout

1. Set a post or page featured image

A Featured image belongs to a specific post or page. WordPress documentation also calls it a Post Thumbnail. The active theme decides whether and where it appears, such as in a blog index, archive, or post layout. Setting the image does not by itself ensure that the theme displays it.

A Featured image belongs to content, while the theme determines its display.
A Featured image belongs to content, while the theme determines its display.
Choose the WordPress image setting by where the image needs to appear.
Choose the WordPress image setting by where the image needs to appear.
  1. Open the post or page in the WordPress editor.
  2. If the settings sidebar is hidden, select the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
  3. Choose the Post or Page tab. A custom post type may have a different tab label.
  4. Find Featured image, then choose an existing file from the Media Library or upload an image.
  5. Select Set featured image. Save or update the post.

To change the thumbnail, replace the selected image in the same panel. To remove it, use the removal control in that panel and update the post. Check the page on the front end afterward: the editor setting stores the image association, while the theme controls its presentation.

  • Make sure the settings sidebar is open and you are viewing the Post or Page tab.
  • Check whether you opened a custom post type; its editor may use a different label.
  • Ask the site administrator to check the post type’s support for featured images if the panel is absent for that content type.
  • Theme or plugin settings can affect the editor experience. Avoid changing the Site Icon when the issue is a missing per-post image control.

2. Change the WordPress favicon or Site Icon

The Site Icon is the small site-wide image used in browser tabs and bookmarks, and it may appear in mobile apps. It is not the logo shown in the page header, and it is not a post’s thumbnail. WordPress recommends a square image at least 512 × 512 pixels, with PNG recommended.

WordPress 6.5 and later

  1. Open Settings → General.
  2. Choose the control to select or upload a Site Icon.
  3. Choose a square image at least 512 × 512 pixels. PNG is the recommended format.
  4. Save the settings and check the site in a browser tab.

WordPress 4.3 through 6.4

The documented route for these versions is Appearance → Customize → Site Identity. Choose the Site Icon there, then publish or save the Customizer changes.

Block themes

With a block theme, you can also open Appearance → Editor → Identity and set the Site Icon there. The Identity section also contains site title, tagline, and logo controls. The logo is part of the site layout; the icon is for browser tabs, bookmarks, and mobile apps.

If the icon seems unchanged after saving, confirm that you edited Site Icon rather than Site Logo, and check the saved site in a fresh browser context. Browser display and caching behavior can vary, so do not infer that an unrelated Featured image setting controls the icon.

A social link preview is normally driven by metadata in the page, commonly Open Graph’s og:image. The favicon is not the social card image. A featured image may be used as a social image, but the result depends on the plugin or theme that outputs the page metadata and its settings.

Using Yoast SEO

Yoast’s documented image selection can use a custom social image, the post’s Featured image, a prominent image in the content, a content-type social default, or a site-wide fallback, depending on what is available and how the page is configured. Set a page-specific social image when you want that URL to use a particular image. Yoast also documents homepage and post social appearance settings. Other SEO plugins may use different controls or priority rules; do not assume Yoast’s order applies to them.

  1. Edit the page or post in WordPress and find the active SEO plugin’s social settings.
  2. Set the social image for that page if the plugin provides a page-level field. Otherwise, review its content-type and site-wide defaults.
  3. Save or update the page.
  4. Inspect the page’s generated source or metadata and locate og:image. Confirm that it points to the intended image URL.

If a shared preview shows the wrong image, first inspect the generated og:image and the active plugin’s social settings. Do not change the favicon or site logo expecting that to fix the social card. Social platforms may cache previews, and there is no single refresh process established for every platform; check the platform’s own preview tooling or documentation for its current behavior.

If “thumbnail” means the brand mark at the top of the site, edit the Site Logo. In a block theme, open Appearance → Editor → Identity and choose the logo control. In other themes, look in the theme’s Site Identity or header settings; exact labels depend on the theme and WordPress version.

A Site Logo is displayed as part of the site layout. A Site Icon is the smaller browser and bookmark image. A Featured image is attached to individual content. Keep these distinctions in mind when a change appears in one location but not another.

5. Choose an image that fits its placement

WordPress’s documented minimum for a Site Icon is square and at least 512 × 512 pixels. The research for this guide does not establish a universal image size for featured images or social cards: themes and services can present images differently. Choose a clear source image with enough detail for the placement, and review the result on the actual page or preview tool.

  • Featured image: use an image that represents the specific post or page. Check the theme’s card and page layouts, since the theme determines display.
  • Site Icon: use a square, recognizable mark that remains legible when small. WordPress recommends PNG.
  • Social image: choose an image suitable for the page and set it in the active SEO plugin when a page-specific image is needed. Verify the generated og:image.
  • Site Logo: use the mark intended for the site header and check how the active theme places it.

6. Troubleshooting common thumbnail problems

Problem Likely cause What to check
Featured image is set but not visible on the page The theme may not display it in that template or location. Check the post layout and archive or index template; consult the active theme’s settings.
No Featured image control appears The editor sidebar is hidden, the wrong tab is selected, or the post type lacks the control. Open the gear sidebar, select Post/Page or the custom type’s tab, and ask an administrator about post type support.
Browser tab still shows the old icon The Site Icon may not have been saved, or the wrong identity field was changed. Reopen the Site Icon setting for your WordPress version and confirm the saved image; distinguish it from Site Logo.
Shared link shows the wrong image The active plugin may choose a custom image, fallback, or another source for og:image. Inspect generated metadata and review the plugin’s social settings for the page and content type.
Social card does not reflect a recent change The page metadata may still point to a different image, or the platform may retain a cached preview. Check og:image first, then consult the platform’s own preview guidance. Cache behavior is not universal.
Logo changed but tab icon did not Site Logo and Site Icon are separate identity settings. Set the Site Icon independently.

7. Check the result in the right place

  1. Write down where the image should appear: content layout, browser tab, shared link, or header.
  2. Change the matching WordPress or plugin setting.
  3. Save or update the change.
  4. Open the exact page, site tab, or share preview where the image should appear.
  5. If it is a social preview, inspect og:image before adjusting other image settings.

For a visual check of a public page after updating it, a browser capture can show whether the theme displays the featured image in its layout. A screenshot cannot verify social metadata by itself; inspect the HTML metadata for that.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I change the thumbnail image on my WordPress website?

First decide where it appears. Use Featured image for a post or page, Site Icon for a browser tab, social image settings for a share card, and Site Logo for the header.

Open the post or page editor, open the settings sidebar, choose its Post or Page tab, and set an image in Featured image. The theme controls where it is shown.

How do I change my WordPress favicon?

Set the Site Icon. WordPress 6.5 and later documents Settings → General; versions 4.3–6.4 use Appearance → Customize → Site Identity. Block themes also provide Appearance → Editor → Identity.

The social metadata may use a different image source or fallback. Check the page’s generated og:image and the active SEO plugin’s social settings.

Sources

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